§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many teachers there are in Wales(a) in primary schools and (b) in secondary schools in the current year; and what were the corresponding numbers in May 1979.
§ Mr. Wyn RobertsThe information available relates to January 1979 and September 1988. At those dates the numbers in full-time equivalent terms, of teachers in Wales is shown in the following tables:
January 1979 September 1988 Primary Schools 13,581 11,724 Secondary Schools 14,413 12,504 These figures must, of course, be considered in the light of falling pupil numbers as follows:
January 1979 September 1988 Primary pupils 298,196 255,869 Secondary pupils 241,662 192,803 Pupil: teacher ratios have improved over the period as follows:
January 1979 September 1988 Primary pupils/teacher 22.0 21.8 Secondary pupils/teacher 16.8 15.4