§ 71. Mr. HURDasked the President of the Board of Education whether his attention has been called to the report of Mrs. Alderton, a magistrate of Colchester, as made to the Women's National Liberal Federation, upon her visit to a school in that place during a physical drill class; whether the headmaster was present to overlook the work of the physical instructor, together with the borough inspector of physical training, the lady inspector, the general inspector for the Eastern Counties, and the chief inspector of physical training for England, each intent upon seeing that his subordinate carried out his duties, and all combined receiving salaries estimated at £4,000; and what measures he proposes to secure further economies in the system of school inspection?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of EDUCATION (Mr. Herbert Fisher)I have seen the Report in question. The facts are as follows: On 2nd February, 1922, three officers of the Board were present, by arrangement, in Colchester to confer upon the suitability of a new permanent local official whom the Local Education Authority wished to have recognised by the Board as their 1686 Organiser of Physical Training, an important post connected with all the schools in the borough. The suitability of the officer concerned could obviously best be ascertained by seeing him at work in the schools, where the teachers concerned were, naturally, present also. None of the persons present, therefore, were present for the object stated by Mrs. Alderton, nor was the occasion one of ordinary school inspection at all. In view of the importance of securing that the persons appointed to these new posts are really competent, I do not think that excessive care was given to the case by the Board's officers concerned.
§ Mr. HURDCould the right hon. Gentleman answer the second part of the question, as to what measures he proposes to take?
§ Mr. FISHERI do not think that any reduction in the number of inspectors would be immediately effective of economy. On the contrary, the making of inspections is one of our most important instruments for effecting economy.