HC Deb 03 July 1989 vol 156 cc11-2W
Mr. David Porter

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has had any recent representations about the loss of teachers and head-teachers from the profession because of(a) house prices and interest rates, (b) recent education reforms, (c) powers to school governors and (d) ability of schools to opt out.

Mrs. Rumbold

My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations about the effect on teacher supply of house prices in the south-east. I am not aware of representations on loss of teachers and headteachers from the profession for the other reasons listed.

Mr. David Porter

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the progress being made towards implementing the national curriculum and on whether teacher shortages are likely to delay its implementation in any area.

Mrs. Rumbold

Implementation will start this autumn, when schools must begin teaching programmes of study in maths and science to 11-year-olds and in maths, science and English to five-year-olds. Pupils aged five to 14 must also study the foundation subjects for a reasonable time. We do not expect teacher shortages to delay implementation. My Department's action programme to combat teacher shortages is designed to help local authorities and schools to recruit the teachers they need.

Mr. David Porter

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the progress being made towards implementing local management schemes for schools and how such schemes can tackle teacher shortages.

Mrs. Rumbold

Good progress is being made by local education authorities towards producing schemes of local management for submission to my right hon. Friend by 30 September. Approved schemes will be introduced from 1 April 1990. Local management will ensure the best possible match between schools' needs and the deployment of resources including the key resource of teachers.

Mr. David Porter

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what further steps he will be taking to encourage local education authorities to organise individual financial packages to solve difficulties encountered in recruiting high-calibre teachers and heads.

Mrs. Rumbold

The interim advisory committee believes that teacher recruitment and retention measures should be flexible and precisely targeted, and that this is best achieved if they are designed locally. It recommended that authorities review their present policies to ensure that they are meeting the needs of their schools. My right hon. Friend has strongly endorsed this recommendation. Appropriate measures may include relocation and housing assistance and should embrace the flexible use of incentive allowances, an additional 27,500 of which will become available from September.

Mr. David Porter

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to recruit Danish and other European national qualified teachers to fill teacher vacancies in the United Kingdom.

Mrs. Rumbold

It is for local education authorities and schools, as the employer, to recruit teachers. On 21 December 1988 the Council of Ministers of the European Communities adopted a directive which will enable a range of professionals, including teachers, to have their professional qualifications recognised for the purpose of practise in member states other than their own. The directive must be implemented by 1991. My right hon. Friend proposes to make regulations according the benefits of the directive to members of the teaching profession qualified in other member states from September this year. This should assist LEAs in their recruitment of teachers from other member states. In addition, the Department has agreed to support a project to recruit and train teachers from France and West Germany, and is considering another in respect of German science teachers. Officials have put local authorities who have expressed an interest in touch with the Danish authorities.

Mr. David Porter

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has had in the past four months on teacher shortages region by region, subject by subject and from education authorities, headteachers or governors.

Mrs. Rumbold

The information is not readily available in the form requested. My right hon. Friend has received in the past four months some 200 letters from local education authorities, headteachers, governors and parents about teacher shortages—including correspondence forwarded by hon. Members.