HC Deb 09 December 1926 vol 200 cc2319-20W
Mr. H. WILLIAMS

asked the President of the Board of Education the numbers of children attending elementary schools in the following age groups, under five, between five and six, and between six and seven, now and two years ago, respectively?

Lord E. PERCY

The number of children in the age groups in question on the registers of public elementary schools in England and Wales was as follows:

Year ended 31st March. Aged under 5. Aged 5 and under 6. Aged 6 and under 7.
1924 211,343 433,372 481,188
1926 (Provisional). 181,063 614,781 661,882

Mr. WILLIAMS

asked the President of the Board of Education the estimated total population between the ages of 14 and 16 now and two years ago and the numbers of young persons of those ages attending full-time at State-aided and at other schools, respectively, at the same dates?

Lord E. PERCY

According to information supplied to me by the Registrar-General the estimated total numbers of children in the age-group 14–16 in the years 1924, 1925 and 1926 are 1,462,500, 1,429,100 and 1,407,400, respectively. These estimates refer to the middle of each year and are based, as regards 1924 and 1925, on the usual returns of deaths and migration; as regards 1926, the estimate is based on the actual number of deaths and an estimate only of migration. For the r umber of children in the age-group 14–16 attending Various types of State-aided schools and institutions in 1923–24 and 1924–25, I would refer my hon. Friend to Table 2 of the Volume of Statistics of Public Education for the year 1924–25. Corresponding figures for the year 1925–26 are not yet available. It should be borne in mind that a very considerable proportion of the children in this age-group at State-aided schools in each year were attending public elementary schools, and of these the majority would not stay beyond the end of the term in which they reached the age of 14. I can give no figures of the number of children attending schools and institutions outside the purview of my Department in the years in question.