§ Sir PHILIP MAGNUSasked the President of the Board of Education if he will state in how many secondary schools the Grant has been augmented in accordance with the provision of Regulation 39, with a view to meet the expense incurred in respect of special educational experiments; what has been the character and results of such experiments; and the names of the schools to which these increased Grants have been paid?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD Of EDUCATION (Mr. Runciman)Augmented Grant has been paid under this Article to the Perse School, Cambridge, annually since the year 1907–8 in respect of special expense incurred in connection with the new oral method of teaching the classics. The results, which are both interesting and valuable, will shortly be available in a Report on the working of the system to be published by the Board. Augmented Grant has also been paid, or is payable, under the Article, to schools receiving French or German assistants under the conventions concluded with the French and Prussian Governments. These Grants were given in the year 1908–9 to two schools, and in the year 1909–10 to twenty-two. I shall be glad to give the hon. Member a list of these schools if he desires. The satisfactory result of this experiment is partly shown by the fact that sixteen of the twenty-two schools named above have applied for continuance of the arrangement for the year 1910–11, and a 1628 good many new applications have been received. It is to be borne in mind, when estimating the advantages of this scheme, that it is one side of an international arrangement under which English teachers also obtain experience in French and German schools. I may add that applications for this augmented Grant are being considered in respect of experiments with specialised commercial, engineering, and rural courses, with a new method of teaching music, with botany gardens, and with a scheme of school journeys and practical work in connection with geography and history.
§ Sir P. MAGNUSMay I ask whether the experiments are restricted to the teaching of classics and modern languages?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANNo, Sir. I have already mentioned a number of subjects for which the Grants are paid, or are now under consideration.