§ Mr. KeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will detail the expected impact on the role of secondary school head teachers of the proposals contained in his recent consultation papers and in his proposed Education Bill; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. RumboldThe effective functioning of all schools, primary as well as secondary, depends on the leadership, commitment and judgment of head teachers. Their special role, both educational and managerial, has already been reinforced by the Education (No. 2) Act 1986. That role is conveniently summarised in the statement of head teachers' duties and responsibilities in the "School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document 1987". Many local education authorities have already taken substantial steps to give governing bodies and heads greater
Great Britain Academic year beginning in Percentages who are women1 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 Home full-time students Undergraduates 39.8 40.6 41.3 41.6 42.1 42.4 42.7 Postgraduates 35.3 35.7 36.1 36.4 36.8 37.3 37.9 Part-time students Undergraduates 50.9 54.3 55.6 55.4 55.6 58.1 58.3 Postgraduates 29.7 30.9 32.2 33.0 33.9 34.4 34.2 Full-time Academic staff 13.9 13.8 14.2 14.9 15.6 16.3 17.1 1 Excluding the Open University.
§ Ms. RichardsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps are taken to promote equality of opportunity for women in the university sector; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. JacksonBetween 1979 and 1986 the proportion of full-time home university students who are women rose from 38.3 per cent. to 42.1 per cent. The Government look to a continuation of this trend to help meet their plans set out in the White Paper "Higher Education: Meeting the Challenge" (Cm. 114). The actual recruitment of students and staff is a matter for individual universities, within the law.