§ Mr. GOLDSMITHasked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that the Forms 66 S, 2 S, 2a S, and;2P, recently issued by the Board, will increase the already large amount of clerical work which has to be done by head masters of elementary schools; whether he has received any complaints on this subject from local education authorities; and, if so, what steps he proposes to take?
Mr. PEASEThe forms in question relate to secondary schools and pupil teacher centres and not to elementary schools. Form 66 S is merely a covering statement sending copies of revised forms, issued by the secondary schools branch, to the local education authorities. Forms 2 S and 2P are the summaries of organisation and curriculm of a secondary school and of a pupil teacher centre respectively, and do not differ materially from the forms for which they are substitutes, and which have been in use since 1904. The forms have been rearranged to render them more convenient to head masters and head mistresses. 2a S is a form on which a list of text-books in use in the schools may be given so as to enable the board's inspectors to tell whether the work of the school is properly graded and otherwise suitable. Complaints have only been received from the Warwickshire, Middlesex, and West Suffolk Education authorities, and the Board have recently had interviews with the first two authorities, and have explained the reason for the forms in question to them. I am anxious to reduce the number of returns required by the Board. I am now inquiring how far it may be possible to do so.