§ 62. Lord E. PERCYasked the President of the Board of Education, in view of the fact that the accommodation required in senior schools in 1932, after the raising of the school-leaving age, will be approximately 200,000 in excess of the standard set to local authorities in Circular 1397 and 170,000 more than the accommodation required in 1939, but 240,000 less than the accommodation required in 1934, to what standard does he now suggest that local education authorities should work; and does he propose to issue clearer directions on this point than those contained in Circular 1404?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANAs was stated in Circular 1397, this problem is essentially one which calls for local examination and solution in the light of the circumstances of each area, and accordingly I doubt whether it would serve any very useful purpose to issue any general directions on this point.
§ Lord E. PERCYIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that in Circular 1397 a standard was set of the number who would be present in the schools under the present law by the year 1933? Is he now proposing to substitute for that standard the number who will be pre sent in the schools when the school age is raised in 1932 or 1939 or 1934?
§ Mr. COVEIs it not a fact that not a single authority has found any difficulty with regard to the so-called bulge?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANAccording to all the information that I am able to get, the authorities are not finding any particular difficulty in meeting the requirements of the earlier Circular or of my 1238 Circular. The information which I get is that a very large number of the authorities already see their way to fulfilling all the requirements.
§ Lord E. PERCYI am asking, what are the requirements? Are the requirements the numbers that will be present in 1934 or present in 1932?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANThe requirements are a decent standard of education for the children.
§ Mr. COVEIs it not a fact that local authorities find no difficulty in finding accommodation for the 1933 standard?