asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his latest estimate of the number of children in school by 1 January 1987.

By January 1987, some 7·5 million children are projected to be in schools in England.

While accepting that the quality of teachers may be more important than their quantity, may I ask my hon. Friend to confirm that it is the policy of his Department to go on improving pupil-teacher ratios even though school rolls may continue to fall?

We are of the opinion that money saved on taking surplus places out of use can best be spent within the school to improve facilities and the pupil-teacher ratio. In that sense, I agree with my hon. Friend.