Duchess of ATHOLLasked the President of the Board of Education if he will state the number of children remaining in schools, other than secondary, beyond the age of 14 plus in the areas of the local education authorities in which the school leaving age has been raised to 15, and the number of exemptions from school attendance granted in each such area to these children, for each year for which figures are available?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANFollowing are the figures:
§ Mr. RAMSBOTHAMasked the President of the Board of Education whether he proposes, in connection with any legislation raising the school age, to consider the modification of Section 138 (1) of the 1281W Education Act, 1921, under which scholars are kept at school to the end of the term during which they reach the school leaving age, so that instead of the number leaving being distributed gradually over the whole year they are liberated at four different term endings, with the result that it is increasingly difficult to find many of them employment?
§ Sir C. TREVELYANI am satisfied that the educational advantages of Section 138 (1) are sufficient to outweigh any disadvantages which the requirements of this Section may involve, and I see no sufficient ground for proposing any modification in the present law.