HC Deb 28 February 1963 vol 672 cc1421-2
2. Mr. W. T. Rodgers

asked the Minister of Education whether he will consider taking steps to encourage the provision of facilities for nursery education on such a basis as would both relieve the pressure on the primary schools and recruit competent supervisory staff which would not otherwise be available for teaching purposes.

13. Mr. George Craddock

asked the Minister of Education if arrangements are in hand to increase the number of nursery schools.

Sir E. Boyle

So long as the primary schools remain seriously short of teachers, I cannot allow any general expansion of nursery education. However, where suitable accommodation is already available, I am ready exceptionally to consider proposals for the extension of nursery class provision, where the local education authority can satisfy me that this will release qualified married women with young children to teach in maintained primary and secondary schools.

Mr. Rodgers

While appreciating the difficulty of the Minister because of the failure of the Government to train an adequate number of teachers for the immediate needs of the country, would he not agree that in the long run it is desirable that as much provision as possible is made available for children under the age of 5? Would he not agree that the latter part of his Answer represents an advance on Circular 8/60 of May, 1960, which indicated that the Ministry was very unwilling to see an advance in this field?

Sir E. Boyle

I would like to study that circular. It was a very limited administrative concession that I was thinking about. I think that it was first made in the case of Huddersfield in 1961. As to the first part of the hon. Member's supplementary question, as he knows, we are now in the process of expanding the training colleges at an unprecedented speed.

Mr. George Craddock

Would the right hon. Gentleman not agree that we should have more nursery schools and that they should be integrated into our education system? Since the Government have so far lacked initiative in this connection, will the right hon. Gentleman please get on with this job because nursery schools are needed not only by society in general but particularly by the parents of many youngsters?

Sir E. Boyle

I must ask the hon. Gentleman to look at my original Answer in which I regretted that so long as the primary schools remain seriously short of teachers we cannot allow any general expansion of nursery education.