69. Viscountess Astorasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he will state, separately, how many physically and mentally defective children there are in special schools in this country?
Mr. LindsayOn 31st March, 1937, the latest date for which figures are available, 29,385 physically defective children and 13,815 mentaly defective children were on the registers of certified special schools in England and Wales.
70. Viscountess Astorasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education the cost per head per annum of keeping a child in a special school and in a nursery school, respectively?
Mr. LindsayThe cost of maintenance of nursery schools varies considerably, according to the size and character of the school, but the average is about £16 per annum for each child on the registers. An average figure for the cost of maintenance of all special schools would be of little value, as some are day schools and others residential schools, and the cost per head of some types of schools is much higher than that of others. The average annual cost of a day school for mentally defective children is about £24 per head, whereas the cost of an orthopaedic hospital school is about £120 per head.
Viscountes AstorWould the Minister remember that if these children are put into open-air schools at a proper age it will not only save the country thousands of pounds but will prevent our being a C3 nation?
Mr. LindsayThe provision for children who are born blind or deaf or suffering from mental defects would not be particularly affected. Where the physical defect could be prevented, I agree that constant medical supervision between the ages of two and five would help. That is one of the reasons why the Board of Education have been encouraging the establishment of such schools in suitable areas.