§ SIR JOSEPH LEESE (Lancashire, Accrington)I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education, with reference to the recent circular issued by the Science and Art Department, why the Department is only willing to pay a grant in aid on 20 attendances in one elementary art subject and on 30 attendances altogether in two or more subjects, when many more than these attendances may and will be made during a session by students in art schools, and whether in science classes grant is payable on 60 attendances in one subject and on 120 attendances altogether in two or more subjects; and whether the form in question will apply to schools where arrangements for the ensuing session had already been made before the receipt of it on 3rd July?
§ SIR J. GORSTThe limit to the number of attendances for which the attendance grant can be paid is intended to prevent the grants under the new 1052 system from too largely exceeding those under the old. It has been ascertained that there are not many pupils taking the elementary work in art schools who make more than 20 attendances in a session. The attendance grant to science classes is paid on the basis mentioned in the question; but these classes do not get the grants for work executed in the school during the session, which forms a large part of the grant to art schools. In order to avoid the difficulties indicated in the last paragraph of the question, the Committee of Council have decided to give all schools the option of remaining under the old rules for another year.