§ MR. YOXALL (Nottingham, W.)To ask the President of the Board of Education whether the Board have, through their inspector, recommended that the Oxfordshire pupil teacher centre, which is under the control of the local education authority, shall be closed, that the male pupil teachers attending such centre shall be sent to the Oxford high school, and the female pupil teachers to the convent school; whether he is aware that in neither of these schools is there any laboratory; that excellent results have been secured at the centre, under a head teacher who has had experience as training college tutor and organising inspector; will he say whether this policy has received his sanction; and, if not, whether he will take steps to retain the pupil teachers in an institution under public control and free from denominational influences.
(Answered by Mr. Birrell.) The general situation in regard to the existing pupil 756 teacher centre, carried on by the Oxford City Council, to which, I presume, the hon. Member refers, has been brought to my notice. The facts, as known to the Board of Education, differ somewhat from the account of the case given in the Question. The centre was stated by the Board to be unsatisfactory more than two years ago, and grants were refused four months ago, in consequence of the continued failure of the local authority to improve matters. Every effort has been made by the Board to secure better provision being made by the local education authority, but so far without effective results. I understand, however, that the higher education committee of the city council have now considered the matter, and concur in the necessity of the arrangements suggested by the Board.