§ Mr. R. MORRISONasked the President of the Board of Education if he can give the annual cost per head of the education of elementary and secondary school children, respectively; and what proportion of the latter figure is represented by the fees paid by secondary school children?
§ Lord E. PERCYIn 1925–26, the latest year for which final figures are available, the net cost per pupil in all schools classed as "elementary" for the purposes of administration under the Act was £11 15s. 10d. In the secondary schools maintained by local authorities, which are classed as schools for "higher education" for the purposes of administration under the Act, the gross cost per pupil was £27 4s., and the receipts from fees and other sources averaged £7 17s., of which £7 3s. was in respect of fees alone. As the hon. Member will, of course, realise, the classifications "elementary" and "secondary" no longer adequately 2085W represent the range of education provided by local education authorities and the cost per pupil in "central" and similar schools, which are included at present in the "elementary" category, considerably exceeds the average net cost in "elementary" schools as a whole.