§ 30. Mr. Dormandasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will state, on the basis of information available, the number of places available, in maintained and non-maintained schools, respectively, for each of the last four years for maladjusted children; and whether she envisages any change in future provision for this type of handicapped child.
§ Mrs. ThatcherSince the reply to the first part of the Question consists of a table of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT. I am receiving from local education authorities an increasing number of proposals to build day special schools.
§ Mr. DormandI shall study the figures with great care. Is the right hon. Lady aware of the considerable difficulty experienced by many local education authorities, particularly in the North of England, in placing maladjusted children? Does she agree that in view of the shortage of places her Department should take the initiative and make proposals for a major building programme, rather than wait for local education authorities to do so, even if it means making special financial arrangements for such provision?
§ Mrs. ThatcherIn the past few years special priority has been given within the building programme for special schools to places for maladjusted children. There are now rather more than there were, and we shall look very carefully at the distribution of the next special school building programme.
§ The information is as follows:
| NUMBER OF MALADJUSTED CHILDREN IN MAINTAINED AND NON-MAINTAINED SPECIAL SCHOOLS IN ENGLAND, 1967–70 | ||||
| January 1967 | January 1968 | January 1969 | January 1970 | |
| Maintained | 2,895 | 3,342 | 3,638 | 4,084 |
| Non-maintained | 924 | 922 | 939 | 954 |
| 3,819 | 4,264 | 4,577 | 5,038 |
§ All places are normally taken up, so that the number of children approximates closely to the number of places.