§ 5. Mr. Hollisasked the Minister of Education whether, in view of the fact that the school certificate examination can no longer be held at the end of the summer term, it can be held at the end of the Lent term, and the school year come to an end at Easter.
§ Mr. TomlinsonI would hesitate to make such a fundamental change without consulting the other interests concerned, including the schools and 1335 universities. In fact, the problem of the date of the certificate examinations was reviewed by the Secondary School Examinations Council in connection with their recent report, and the arrangements now in force are based on what they recommended.
§ Mr. HollisWhile I quite appreciate that the right hon. Gentleman must consult the schools—it is proper that he should do so—may I ask him whether he will consult them? I am not challenging the change of date, but may it not bring about the great danger that the last half of the summer term may be wasted?
§ Mr. TomlinsonI am prepared to explore the question further, but the difficulty is that what suits the schools does not always suit the universities.