§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many courses in the techniques and usage of computers are available to practising teachers; and what is the total number of places on such courses.
§ Dr. BoysonTeachers interested in computer operation may attend the courses on the techniques and use of computers which are available at many higher and further education institutions throughout the country. In addition a growing number of courses related to computer education are provided specifically for teachers, ranging from one-year full-time courses—or the part-time equivalent—at universities, polytechnics and colleges to locally arranged short courses.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will take steps to ensure that within the next two years every secondary school in England and Wales will have a microcomputer and that orders for those machines are given to British industry.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneI hope that the microelectronics in education programme, which concentrates on curriculum development, teacher training and access to software, will encourage local education authorities to give some priority to expenditure on microcomputers for use in schools. It is for local authorities to obtain value for money in the purchase of equipment and I hope that United Kingdom manufacturers will continue to justify their products on their merits.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will make a pilot survey of the number of secondary schools in England and Wales offering courses in computer sciences;
(2) if he will take steps to ensure that within three years every boy and girl who leaves school has some familiarity with computer technology.
§ Dr. BoysonIt is for local education authorities and schools themselves to determine the curriculum offered to pupils in individual schools. The microelectronics education programme is however designed to help pupils and their teachers to understand and make effective use of the new technology. My right hon. and learned Friend has no plans at present to undertake any survey of the number of English schools offering courses in computer sciences.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many boys and how many girls sat for O-level and A-level examinations in computing in 1980; and how many are likely to take these examinations in 1981.
§ Dr. BoysonThe total numbers of candidates for the 1980 O level and A-level examinations are not yet available. The numbers who sat for the English boards' examinations in computer studies and computer science in the summer 1979 were as follows:
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Boys Girls O-level 7,483 3,024 A-level 1,696 449 The department does not make projections of examination candidates, but it is expected that the numbers will increase, especially at O-level.
§ Mr. Hooleyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) how much has been disbursed so far from the £9 million fund available for software and teacher training in computing in schools;
(2) if he will list the local education authorities which have made applications for grants from the £9 million fund available for software and teacher training in computing, showing the amount of grant applied for and the amount authorised in each case.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneThirty-two projects have been approved at a total cost of £1.14 millions—1980 survey prices—of which £0.6 millions will be used to support projects by local education authorities or groups of local education authorities to mount pilot schemes in in-service training or develop software and other curriculum materials for microelectronics applications in schools. The following table indicates the authorities which have submitted applications for support for such projects and those whose applications have already been approved. The figures indicate the cost of projects which are receiving support, and of the amounts sought by authorities whose proposals are still under consideration.
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LEA Grant sought £m Estimated cost of approved projects £m at 1980 Survey Prices Avon 0.035 Barnsley 0.108 Bedfordshire 0.117 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire (a) 0.040 0.040 Berkshire 0.132 Birmingham 0.020 Bradford 0.126 Buckinghamshire 0.141 Cleveland 0.160 Clywd 0.380 Cornwall, Devon and Somerset (b) 0.093 0.093 Cumbria 0.017 Doncaster 0.052 Dorset 0.017 Durham 0.116 0.008 East Sussex 0.126 Essex 0.440 Gloucester 0.087 Gwent 0.010 Gwynedd 0.007 Hampshire 0.010 Hereford & Worcester 0.025 Herefordshire 0.200 Humberside 0.388 Inner London Education Authority 0.912 Isle of Wight 0.005 Kent 0.225 Kent and London Boroughs (c) 0.092 0.060 Kirklees 0.010 Lancashire 0.165 Leeds 0.148 Leicester 0.065
London Borough of Bexley 0.080 0.008 London Borough of Bromley 0.060 London Borough of Croydon 0.001 London Borough of Hounslow 0.080 London Borough of Kingston upon Thames 0.144 London Borough of Merton 0.046 London Borough of Waltham Forest 0.012 Norfolk 0.121 Northamptonshire 0.002 North Yorkshire 0.012 Oldham 0.021 Powys 0.044 Rochdale 0.015 Sandwell 0.120 Sheffield 0.100 Somerset 0.059 South Glamorgan 0.442 Staffordshire 0.347 Stockport 0.021 Suffolk 0.111 Sunderland 0.147 Tyneside (d) 0.448 Wakefield 0.050 Walsall 0.171 0.026 West Glamorgan 0.054 Welsh Joint Education Committee (f) 0.783 0.080 West Midlands (e) 0.283 0.283 Wiltshire 0.029 (a) joint proposal (b) in association with the College of St. Mark and St. John, Plymouth (c) consortium of 6 education authorities (d) consortium of 3 education authorities (e) consortium of 11 education authorities (f) on behalf of Welsh education authorities