§ Q39. Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Prime Minister if she will list the major achievements of Her Majesty's Government in improving education since May 1979.
§ The Prime MinisterThe proportions of the relevant age groups receiving nursery education, staying on in full-time education beyond 16 and entering full-time higher education have all increased since May 1979.
Pupil-teacher ratios are at their best-ever level. This Government have also improved education by:
351W—increasing parental choice and involvement through the 1980 Education Act and the successful Assisted Places Scheme;—reshaping initial teacher training and increasing opportunities for in-service training;—working to improve the system of examinations;—instituting a programme of development projects in England to improve secondary education for the 40 per cent. for whom external examinations are not generally appropriate;—asking local education authorities in England and Wales to review their policies for the curriculum;—establishing new arrangements for the planning of local authority higher education in England and Wales;—legislating for children with special educational needs;—instituting a programme in England and Wales to help and encourage colleges, polytechnics and universities to meet the need for updating and broadening the skills of those in mid-career through industry, commerce and the professions;—encouraging and supporting the use of microcomputers in schools;—instituting a major programme to boost information technology in higher education and non-advanced further education and to bring "new blood" into universities;—mounting a research programme on methods of assessing pupil achievement of basic skills at different stages of their education in Scotland;—publishing since January 1983, reports by Her Majesty's Inspectorate on schools and colleges in England, Wales and Scotland, and introducing more systematic arrangements to ensure that there is effective follow up action in relation both to the institutions inspected and, where reports raise matters of wider general application, to other institutions maintained by the LEA.Most recently we have launched with the MSC a new initiative to improve provision of technical education in which we look to local education authorities to play a leading part.