HC Deb 28 April 2004 vol 420 cc1048-9W
Mr. Pike

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teacher vacancies there were in Burnley on the latest date for which figures are available; and what steps he is taking to reduce them. [167915]

Mr. Miliband

Information on teacher vacancies is not available by constituency as it is collected at local education authority level. In January 2003, the latest information available, there were 40 full-time advertised teacher vacancies in Lancashire local education authority.

Like other areas, since 1997 Preston has benefited from the initiatives that the Government have put in place to recruit and retain teachers and to increase the number of staff supporting them in schools. Since 1997, the number of full-time equivalent regular teachers in maintained schools in the former Lancashire LEA area has risen by 390, from 11,870 to 12,260 in 2003. Over the same period, the number of full-time equivalent school support staff in the area has grown by 2,870 from 3,620 to 6,490 in 2003.

Mr. Hendrick

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teacher vacancies there were in Preston on the latest date for which figures are available; and what steps he is taking to reduce them. [168139]

Mr. Miliband

Information on teacher vacancies is not available by constituency as it is collected at local education authority level. In January 2003, the latest information available, there were 40 full-time advertised teacher vacancies in Lancashire local education authority.

Like other areas, since 1997 Preston has benefited from the initiatives that the Government has put in place to recruit and retain teachers and to increase the number of staff supporting them in schools. Since 1997, the number of full-time equivalent regular teachers in maintained schools in the former Lancashire LEA area has risen by 390, from 11,870 to 12,260 in 2003. Over the same period, the number of full-time equivalent school support staff in the area has grown by 2,870 from 3,620 to 6,490 in 2003.

Mr. Collins

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many vacant(a) teacher and (b) deputy head teacher posts there were in (i) primary, (ii) secondary and (iii) special schools in each year since 1997, broken down by local education authority. [167572]

Mr. Miliband

The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.