Mr. David Adamsasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Education by what date it is expected that the universities will have overcome their difficulties in the way of altering the dates of their examinations with a view to pupils being able to share summer holidays with their families; and what is the nature of the serious difficulties which now appear to be encountered by the universities in coming into line on the question of staggered holidays?
Mr. LindsayI would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool (Mr. Robinson) on 1st December last. The decision not to press for any change in the date of school examinations in 1940 was taken by the Board after considering not only the administrative and financial difficulties involved to university examining bodies, but also the views of the teachers and other interested parties. The whole question will be reviewed within the next few months by the Secondary School Examination Council in the light of further experience of the problem.