§ Mr. Ammonasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he will state the reason for the delay in reimbursing local authorities, or in giving an official assurance that such will be done, in the receiving areas, for the expenditure involved in providing educational facilities for evacuated schoolchildren?
Mr. LindsayLocal education authorities of receiving areas were informed in the Board's Circular 1469 that they would not be put to any additional educational expense by having children billeted in their area.
§ Sir A. Knoxasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education whether he is aware that in evacuation areas where the shift system is in use in the schools, schoolmasters are only employed in teaching half the normal hours per day, namely, 3J hours, and that as they are in receipt of billeting allowance they are doing less work than before at a greater cost to the taxpayer; and whether he will impress on these teachers that they must occupy the children in and out of school hours in order to relieve the burden on the local householder?
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Mr. LindsayI would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answers I gave to his question on 5th October. Though teachers may be employed for only half the day on the school premises, the timetable should, where possible, include educational activities elsewhere, and in such cases the time spent on teaching would be to that extent increased. But no legal responsibility can rest on teachers for the welfare of children out of school hours; it is a matter for the good will of the teachers, who in practice are generally putting in a great deal of work for the children outside their teaching duties.