§ Mr. C. BATHURSTasked the President of the Board of Education (1), whether, in order to obviate the hardship suffered by many head teachers of elementary schools by the reduction of their salaries in consequence of the decreased average attendance at their schools, he will make it obligatory upon local education authorities when re-classifying the schools in their areas to require a margin of 15 per cent. above or below the average attendance required for the class before the class of any particular school is raised or lowered; and (2), Whether, in fairness to the head teachers of elementary schools, he will make it obligatory upon local education authorities not to reduce the salary of any such teacher who has served at least ten years as a head teacher within their area, notwithstanding that the average attendance has fallen below that required according to the scale?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of EDUCATION (Mr. Runciman)I propose to answer these two questions as one. The Board have no authority to impose any obligation on local education authorities restricting the right of the authorities to control their expenditure upon the schools for which they are responsible. I have every sympathy with teachers who, through no fault of their own, suffer hardship from the operation of graded salary 1078 scales. I cannot, however, regard it as unreasonable that the salary of the head teacher should bear some relation to the size of the school for which he is responsible. I think that most authorities endeavour to mitigate, so far as possible, any ensuing hardship, but I must remind the hon. Member that as a result of the existing law, under which local education authorities exercise only a partial control over the staffing of a number of schools in their areas, the simplest remedy— namely, promotion from one school to another, is not, as a rule, open to them.