§ Mr. HARRISasked the President of the Board of Education how many boys and girls, respectively, in secondary schools are in receipt of maintenance grants; what is the average amount of such grants; what proportion of the total cost is borne by the local authority; and what proportion, if any, by the State?
§ Lord E. PERCYThe average number of pupils in secondary schools receiving maintenance grants from local education authorities during the financial year 1923–24 was 46,195, and the average expenditure on each such grant was £10 2s. I am unable to give separate figures for boys and girls. One-half of the approved net expenditure of local education authorities on maintenance allowances is met by grant from the Board.
§ Mr. HARRISasked the President of the Board of Education whether he has any information as to the extent to which children leaving elementary schools in industrial and rural areas, whose intellectual attainments would justify their proceeding to secondary schools, are debarred from competing for secondary school places by the absence of any provision of maintenance allowances?
§ Lord E. PERCYI am afraid that I have not the information asked for, but
2450W(3) the number of boys and girls of 14 years of age who left the schools under the jurisdiction of the Tipton Education Committee during 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, and 1924, respectively?
§ Lord E. PERCYFollowing are the numbers of leavers aged 14 and under 15, and excluding those aged 15 and over:
I may say that all but three of the local authorities for higher education make some provision for maintenance allowances for pupils at secondary schools. I am hoping to issue shortly a return giving details of the expenditure incurred by each authority for this purpose in the financial year 1923–24.