§ 69. Mr. R. Robinsonasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education what reply he has received from the university examining bodies to his request that their certificate examinations in 1940 should take place in the first fortnight of June, so as to leave the rest of that month and July, August, and September available for a spread-over of the holidays of pupils taking those examinations?
Mr. LindsayAll the university examining bodies, with one exception, have expressed their readiness to assist by changing the date of the certificate examinations in 1940 to June. It has, however, been made clear that an examination at that time of year would involve great difficulties and some extra expenditure to the examining bodies, and would be regretted by a very large majority of the schools. In the circumstances, my Noble Friend has come to the conclusion that he is not justified in asking examining bodies to make this change in 1940, having regard to the present uncertainty of the effects of holidays with pay and the small number of pupils likely to be inconvenienced. The problem will, however, continue to be carefully studied in the light of further experience and, if changes are found to be necessary, my Noble Friend is sure that the examining bodies will co-operate.
§ Mr. RobinsonAm I to understand that the Board of Education has now decided not to assist the spread-over of holidays by altering the dates of the school examinations?
Mr. LindsayThat would be a quite wrong impression. The examining bodies, and still more strongly the schools, are not in favour of this particular change. I have gone into the number of children affected, and I can assure my hon. Friend that it is a very small number who would be affected because they had brothers or sisters in the elementary schools.