asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the pupil-teacher ratio, and average class size, in both the State and Private sectors, in both primary and secondary schools.

The provisional pupil-teacher ratios in education authority primary and secondary schools at September 1979 were20·3:1 and 14·4:1, respectively. Information about pupil-teacher ratios in grant-aided schools and about average class sizes in education authority and grant-aided schools at the same date is not yet available. Corresponding information about independent schools is not collected centrally.