§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the extent of local education authority schools using(a) changes to school timetables to cover vacancies and (b) non-specialists to teach subjects for which they have minimal qualifications; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Wyn RobertsInformation concerning the extent to which changes to school timetables are made to cover staff vacancies or other unforeseen circumstances is not held by the Department. The results of the secondary school staffing survey undertaken this year will provide information on the teaching staff employed, their qualifications and the teaching they undertook. The results will be available towards the end of the year.
§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what studies he has undertaken on the size and characteristics of the pool of inactive teachers in Wales; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Wyn RobertsThere have been no recent surveys on out-of-service teachers in England and Wales although we are currently considering whether a survey would be beneficial and how best it should be undertaken. In the meantime the education support grant programme for 1990–91 provides funding for LEA pilot projects designed to encourage LEAs to maintain contact with teachers who leave the service and to attract back into the service people in their areas who left the profession some years ago.