HC Deb 20 July 1982 vol 28 cc126-8W
29. Mr. Christopher Price

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many compulsory teacher redundancies will be necessary if cash limits for 1983–84 are to be maintained.

Sir Keith Joseph

The cash provision for local authority current expenditure in 1983–84 has yet to be fixed. The number of teacher redundancies will depend not only on that provision but also on the priorities of local councils, next year's pay settlement for teachers, and the extent to which the necessary reductions in teacher numbers can be secured by other means.

30. Mr. Stan Thorne

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will review his policy towards teacher training.

Dr. Boyson

My right hon. Friend is presently considering a number of teacher training issues.

36. Mr. McNally

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assessment is made by Her Majesty's Government of the extent of forthcoming compulsory and voluntary redundancies among school-teachers for how many academic years in advance.

Sir Keith Joseph

The Government published in March expenditure plans (Cmnd. 8494) which gave assumed levels for teacher employment in each year up to 1984–85. In managing the contraction of the teacher force I look to local education authorities to make full use of natural wastage and redeployment, and of early retirement for teachers aged 50 and over, as well as redundancy among teachers under the age of 50, both in the efficient exercise of the employer's functions and on grounds of redundancy.

37. Mr. Flannery

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the current strength of the teaching profession who are engaged in teaching in England and Wales.

Dr. Boyson

The available information for England in January 1982 is as follows:

Employed Teachers Thousands full time equivalents
Maintained schools etc* 439
Non maintained schools† 42
Maintained sector of further education 96
* including special schools and teachers in education other than at school under section 56 of Education Act 1944.
† January 1981.

Information for Wales is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

47. Mr. Madel

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will seek a meeting with local education authorities further to discuss the supply, training and numbers of teachers likely to be required in the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Keith Joseph

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I are considering advice from the Advisory Committee on the Supply and Education of Teachers, on which the local authority associations are represented, regarding future intakes to initial teacher training with particular reference to the years 1983 to 1985. I have no plans at present for a meeting with the local education authorities on these matters.

48. Mr. Nicholas Baker

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will bring forward proposals for raising teaching standards among the teaching profession.

Dr. Boyson

Teaching standards are influenced by initial training, by the certification, induction and probation of new teachers, and by the oversight, support and further training given to teachers in post. The Advisory Committee on the Supply and Education of Teachers has recently offered advice on some aspects of these and is preparing advice on others. My Department has recently initiated consultations with the interested bodies on the possibility of a greater specificity within qualified teacher status. Increasing the effectiveness of the profession is one of my right hon. Friend's main concerns and one which he is actively pursuing with both the employers and the profession.

51. Mr. Ashton

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what estimate he has made of the number of teachers employed in State schools in 1985; and what was the comparable figure for 1975.

Sir Keith Joseph

In this year's public expenditure White Paper it was assumed that the number of teachers employed in maintained schools in England in January 1985, when the number of pupils in schools is projected to 7,121,000, would be 380,000. The comparable figure for January 1975 was 422,000 when the number of pupils in schools was 8,458,000.