§ 44 and 49. Captain AUSTIN HUDSONasked the President of the Board of Education (1) what steps he proposes to take to secure the additional men teachers who will be required to teach the extra 200,000 boys who will be retained in the elementary schools as a result of the raising of the school age;
(2) whether he is aware that, owing to the large excess of women teachers over men in the elementary schools, numbers of junior boys of ages 11 plus and 12 minus are put under the charge of women teachers; that this is not satisfactory either to the parents or to the boys themselves, especially as far as it affects their sports and games; that the difficulty will be accentuated by the raising of the school age; and whether he will take steps to recruit a supply of men teachers in these schools sufficient to ensure that a master is available for each class of these junior boys?
§ The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of EDUCATION (Sir Charles Trevelyan)I am fully alive to the importance of securing an adequate proportion of men among the additional teachers who will be required when the school age is raised. Steps have been taken to secure an increased number of admissions to the training colleges, and it may reassure the hon. Member to know that of the additional students so admitted half are men.
§ Lord E. PERCYIs not the additional number this quarter as compared with last quarter very small indeed?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANNo. There is a great increase in the number and the proportion of men is as high as that of women.
§ Lord E. PERCYAm I not right in saying that the increase is not much more than one or two hundred?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANIt is much more than that. If the noble Lord puts down a question, I will tell him how many.
§ 64. Mr. EDEasked the President of the Board of Education how many teachers there are in State-aided secondary schools; and how many have undergone a course of training extending over one year or more?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANOn the 31st March, 1928, there were 20,102 full-time teachers in secondary schools on the grant list, of whom 8,671 are known to have passed through a course of training of at least one year's duration. In addition a considerable proportion of the specialist teachers of art, music, handicraft, domestic subjects and physical training have undergone such a course, though precise statistics in respect of them are not available.
§ Mr. EDE.Will my right hon. Friend consider making a regulation whereby the future appointments to secondary schools shall be from those who have undergone a course of training?