HC Deb 30 January 1990 vol 166 cc149-50W
22. Miss Hoey

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has had in the last month from inner London boroughs with regard to teacher shortage.

Mrs. Rumbold

My right hon. Friend on 8 January received a letter from the Association of London Authorities on the subject of teacher recruitment and retention in inner London. He will reply shortly. My right hon. Friend is well aware of the difficulties relating to teacher supply in some parts of London. He recently announced grant of £4 million over two years to assist local authorities with teacher recruitment schemes. A substantial amount of this will go to the inner London authorities. Discussion of further measures is taking place at official level.

27. Mr. Pawsey

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what evidence he has on teacher shortages; and what action is being taken to encourage greater recruitment to the profession.

Mr. Alan Howarth

The Department's annual January survey of vacancies showed in 1989 a vacancy rate in secondary schools of 1.2 per cent—the same as in 1979. Wastage from the profession has remained broadly constant for many years.

For the future we shall continue and reinforce the range of measures we are already pursuing to encourage greater recruitment to the profession. These include expanding the teaching as a career unit, providing bursaries to trainee teachers of shortage subjects, funding in-service training for retraining teachers in the shortage subjects, and encouraging mature entrants to the profession through a series of taster courses and through the licensed teacher scheme. In addition, from April 1990, education support grant of £4 million will be available to support the recruitment of married women returners and mature new entrants to teaching.

29. Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what new steps he proposes to take to tackle the problem of teacher shortages in London.

Mr. Alan Howarth

My right hon. Friend has asked the Interim Advisory Committee to advise on measures to improve teacher supply in areas where vacancy rates are highest, notably the inner London weighting area.

In addition he has made available over £100,000 to support a London-wide recruitment campaign; and from April 1990 funding under education support grant will be available to support the recruitment of married women returners and mature new entrants to teaching. This will be of particular benefit to London authorities.

87. Mr. John Greenway

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assessment he has made of the shortage of teachers(a) generally and (b) in mathematics, science and foreign languages; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Alan Howarth

The Department's memorandum to the Education Science and Arts Committee in November 1988 describes the indicators that the Department uses to assess teacher supply and includes an assessment of shortages generally and by subject at that time. A more recent assessment was made in the Department's written evidence to the Interim Advisory Committee. Copies of both documents are in the Library. The Government recognise that there are difficulties in recruiting teachers in some parts of the country and in some subjects, in particular mathematics, physics, chemistry and modern languages.

89. Mr. Moss

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what measures he is taking to attract people into the teaching profession.

Mr. Alan Howarth

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey), on 16 January 1990 at column159.