18-Year Wait For Ideal Classes

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30783, 22 June 1965, Page 15

18-Year Wait For Ideal Classes

(Special Crspdt. N.Z.P.A.) LONDON, June 21.

There will not be enough primary and secondary school teachers in Britain to handle classes of 30 until 1983, says the NationaLAd-, visory Council on the training and supply of teachers.

In its ninth annual report it says that it will not be until 1978 that Britain has enough teachers for classes of 40 in primary schools and 30 in secondary schools. A forecast rise in pupil members from the 7m in 1963 to 9.5 m in 1976—With an extra 10m by 1986—is attributed to a birth-rate rise, a tendency to stay longer at school, and the raising of the school-leaving age to 16 in 1970-71. Immigration is also allowed for.

The number of qualified teachers in primary and secondary schools is expected to rise from some 280,000 in 1963 to 440.000 by 1976, 540,000 by 1981 and 636,000 by 1986. The number of teachers in service in 1976 would be some 20,000 fewer than required to eliminate all over-large classes on present standards. Enough teachers are estimated to be available to achieve this objective by 1978. The further objective of reducing the size of primary

and secondary classes to a maximum of 30 should be achieved by 1983, with provisions.

The recruitment of graduate teachers is expected to increase broadly in line with the expansion of the universities, reaching more than 8000 by 1976 and nearly 14,000 by 1986.

Account is also taken in the

report of the return to service of married women teachers; a continual and substantial increase in the numbers of part-time teachers in service is foreseen. Total annual recruitment from all sources is expected to rise from some 27,000 in 1963-64 to 48,000 by 1976 and 63,000 by 1986. , The report estimates that

the total number of teachers in all sectors of education from the nursery stage to universities—some 360,000 in 1963—wi1l need almost to double in size by 1983. The main recommendation for improving the supply relates to the pace of physical expansion of the colleges of education.

While accepting the Rob-

bins’ report recommendation that the maximum annual intake be 40,000 students to the recommended colleges, the report suggests that the expansion of the colleges should be accelerated to reach this figure by 1971, three years earlier.

Most of the council express decisive opposition to the introduction of a four-term year in the colleges. In a supplementary minority report. Sir William Alexander, secretary of the Association of Education Committees. and nine other members of the council, recommend this plan as a means of securing a substantial increase in the productivity of the training college plant and in the rate of output of trained teachers to the schools.