§ THE LORD BISHOP OF SOUTHWARKMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government
- (i) whether, in view of the recent allegation that nearly half a million schoolchildren play truant each week, they will conduct an inquiry into the causes of truancy;
- (ii) whether they can supply weekly truancy figures for the boroughs within the ILEA area and for the outer London boroughs;
- (iii) whether any attempt has been made to correlate levels of truancy with housing conditions and other factors making for family instability.
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE (LORD SANDFORD)My Lords, the right reverend Prelate's Question is in three parts and my Answer is too. Part (i): the Association of Education Committees is at present conducting an inquiry into school attendance and allied problems, and I understand that the National Association of Chief Education Welfare Officers has more recently set up a working party to look into the main causes of irregular attendance and absence from school. My right honourable friend and I are considering whether any further investigation is called for.
Part (ii): My Department has never collected statistics about absence of pupils from school, and has no figures relating to the areas of individual local education authorities. Such figures would not in any case necessarily reveal 1930 the rate of truancy; that is, absence with out the permission of the school or the knowledge of the parent.
Part (iii): It is generally supposed that there is no single cause of truancy. Factors which make for family instability may well affect the incidence of truancy, but they are seldom the only factors in the situation; and in the absence of comprehensive figures and other data it is not possible to say whether there are any correlations.
§ THE LORD BISHOP OF SOUTHWARKMy Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for that reply may I ask whether he would consider that his Department might get some facts and figures? There are so many allegations going around with regard to truancy, but in view of the risk that schoolchildren may become chronic truants if the school does not have an urgent procedure for immediate inquiry into the reasons for absence, can the noble Lord say whether there is any statutory obligation on local education authorities immediately to inquire into the reasons for a child's absence?
§ LORD SANDFORDMy Lords, I confirm that we are doing what the right reverend Prelate wants us to do, namely, to consider whether any further investigation is called for; and of course it is the duty of the education welfare officers to inquire into the reasons for absence from school.
§ BARONESS BACONMy Lords, would the Minister agree that the most serious aspect of this problem is that truancy is often the first stage in juvenile delinquency, and that a great many of those children who begin as truants end up in the juvenile court? Will he also look at this aspect of the problem?
§ LORD SANDFORDMy Lords, I agree with the noble Baroness that this is often thought to be the case, and it may well be so; but I should not be able to confirm that it was so without this further investigation which my right honourable friend and I are considering.
§ BARONESS GAITSKELLMy Lords, would it not be true to say that many educationists are seized of this problem and are already looking into new ways of dealing with the children in classes, and that there is actual proof that a certain amount of delinquency is due to the fact 1931 that the ordinary academic, grammar-school type eduction is not suitable for some children?
§ LORD SANDFORDMy Lords, that too may well be so; but, again, one cannot be certain or say anything very authoritative about it without further investigation.
§ LORD WYNNE-JONESMy Lords, in view of the Minister's reply is he not surprised that his Department is completely ignorant about this problem? He was unable to answer a single part of this Question. Surely this is an astonishing situation. Further, is there not likely to be a relationship between the discontinuance of free milk in schools and truancy?
§ LORD SANDFORDMy Lords, I think there are much closer links than that. The main point is that the whole sphere of this important subject and the responsibility for ascertaining the causes behind it and dealing with them lies primarily with the local education authorities, and that is the reason why my Department does not have statistics.
§ LORD TAYLOR OF MANSFIELDMy Lords, can the Minister state the percentage of truancy in the L.E.A.s in the provinces as compared with London?
§ LORD SANDFORDMy Lords, certainly not without notice; and for the reasons I have given, I doubt whether I could do it even with notice.
§ THE LORD BISHOP OF LINCOLNMy Lords, can the noble Lord say whether any special provision is made in the education priority areas for children who are persistent truants, in view of the fact revealed in the general household survey that, on the whole, educational opportunities are poor in working class areas?
§ LORD SANDFORDMy Lords, I should prefer not to answer that particular question without notice, but I will certainly write to the right reverend Prelate.
§ LORD BALERNOMy Lords, is not this topic more suitable for an Unstarred Question?
§ LORD SANDFORDYes, my Lords, I think it would certainly serve as a good topic for an Unstarred Question.
§ LORD BROCKWAYMy Lords, will the Minister agree that these truant children are often the victims of their social circumstances, particularly in appalling housing and overcrowding where they cannot do any homework in the conditions in which they are living?
§ LORD SANDFORDMy Lords, that might be so in some circumstances, but I should not like the House to conclude from that question that it is the sole cause.
§ LORD SHEPHERDMy Lords, can the noble Lord say whether the report which will be issued as a consequence of this inquiry will be made available in the Library? I think this is a subject which is worthy of debate because I hope the noble Lord will agree that the question is not purely one of the social conditions of the home but of many other factors of the great cities, including the very great pressures that our teachers are now undergoing. If more information were made available it would certainly be worthy, not of an Unstarred Question but perhaps of a major debate.
§ LORD SANDFORDMy Lords, my right honourable friend and I very much welcome the concern which noble Lords have expressed in this subject, and the present position is that neither of the two inquiries that is on hand, nor the one which my right honourable friend and I are undertaking, has been concluded; but I understand that the Association of Education Committees will publish their report.
§ LORD TAYLOR OF MANSFIELDMy Lords, in view of the noble Lord's answer to my supplementary question—I can understand his inability to answer it this morning—would he undertake to publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT comparative figures as between London and the Provinces?
§ LORD SANDFORDMy Lords, I cannot speak for the exact form in which the Association of Education Committees will publish their report, but I would hope that it will go some way to answering the noble Lord's question?
§ THE LORD BISHOP OF SOUTHWARKMy Lords may I ask the noble Lord this further question: Is he aware that there are areas in London where some children have not been to school for two years, and where the truancy rate is between 20 and 30 per cent.? In view of this sort of fact, what steps are being taken in such areas, now that the school age is being raised to over 15, to ensure there will be adequate attention given to this particular problem of the children aged 15-plus?
§ LORD SANDFORDMy Lords, I certainly cannot confirm those figures, nor can I answer the question, without reference to the ILEA, the authority chiefly responsible, but I will make inquiries and write to the right reverend Prelate.
VISCOUNT MONCKMy Lords, is my noble friend aware that these figures are readily available in the Provinces? They are brought up in magistrates' courts when parents are prosecuted because their children have not been to school. Is there any reason why London should be an exception?
§ LORD SANDFORDMy Lords, I am not surprised to know that the figures are available in the Provinces, and probably in a number of other areas. What I was saying is that they are not collected centrally in my Department.