Mr. G. WHITEasked the President of the Board of Education if his attention has been drawn to the statement of a recent report of the school medical officer of Manchester that there are 990 mentally defective children and 1,800 physically defective children for whom there is no room in the special schools; and what steps are being taken to remedy this matter?
§ Mr. E. WOODI have not yet received a copy of the report for 1922 of the school medical officer for Manchester, but from a return furnished to me by the local education authority in May, 1922, it appears that there were 1,386 mentally defective children in the authority's area, of whom 606 were attending special schools and 457 were attending public elementary schools. The same return 2613W showed that there were 3,284 physically defective children of school age, of whom 796 were at special schools and 1,812 at public elementary schools. Any proposals made to me by the authority for extending the provision of special schools will receive my careful consideration, but, as the Board have pointed out, such extension will be facilitated by a reduction in the very high cost of these schools.