§ MR. HAZELLI beg to ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education whether his attention has been called to the work of the Country Holidays' Fund, the Children's Fresh Air Mission, and similar organisations for sending children from London to country cottages for two or three weeks during the summer; whether he is aware that the number of children thus sent away annually is approximately 55,000, and is increasing, and that it is admitted on all hands that the benefit to the children, both physically and educationally, is very great; is he aware that the bulk of the children are sent away during the school holidays in order not to interfere with their school attendance, and that consequently there is constantly increasing difficulty in placing so many children with country cottagers during this short period; and whether, having regard to the immense advantages the children obtain, he will consider the possibility of this fortnight's visit being reckoned as school attendance on the ground of its educational value, or will in some other way propose a remedy for this difficulty.
§ THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON EDUCATION (Sir J. GORST,) Cambridge UniversityThe answer to paragraphs 1, 2, and 3 is in the affirmative. In reply to paragraph 4, it would be impracticable, in the opinion of the Committee of Council, to reckon these holiday visits as school attendance. But there is nothing to prevent the London School Board and the Voluntary school managers from making such arrangement that all the 699 elementary schools in London will not have their holidays at the same time.