§ Mr. Whitakerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will ensure that there are people of relevant qualifications and also representatives of local or central government among the managers of every approved school.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsUnder Section 19 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1961, I have power to make orders regulating the constitution and proceedings of the managers of any approved school (other than those provided by local authorities) or to appoint additional managers. I should not hesitate to exercise these powers in relation to a particular school if that seemed necessary or desirable, but in view of the proposals outlined in the White Paper "The Child, the Family 309W and the Young Offender" (Cmnd. 2742) for bringing approved schools into a closer relationship with local authorities I do not propose to exercise them generally at present. Many voluntary approved schools now have representatives of local authorities or person connected with them on their managing bodies.
§ Mr. Whitakerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the present staff of approved schools have any professional qualifications; how many are trained teachers; how many have had any training qualifying them to work with children; and how many have any qualifications to deal with psychiatrically disturbed children.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsI regret that precise information could not be obtained without a disproportionate amount of work. In June, 1964, 425 teachers were qualified and 20 unqualified. It is thought that at present nearly all teachers and about two-thirds of the housemasters in boys' approved schools are qualified but that few other staff have professional qualifications. A few teachers have qualifications to deal with psychiatrically disturbed children, and most schools have regular visits from consultant psychiatrists.
§ Mr. Whitakerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff at approved schools are authorised to use corporal punishment; what is the total number of times it was used in all approved schools in the last convenient period of 12 months; what is the maximum number of times it has been used upon any one child during his stay at a school and in any period of 12 months; and whether he will send a copy of the conclusions of the Plowden Committee on this matter to the staff at all approved schools.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsIn each of the 123 approved schools in England and Wales corporal punishment, under strictly prescribed conditions, may be inflicted only by the head (or the person appointed to deputise in his—or her—absence) or by a member of the staff in his presence and under his direction. Managers may also authorise a senior teacher to give up to two strokes of the cane on each hand for minor misbehaviour310W by younger children in the classroom, but this is seldom done.
In 1966 corporal punishment was used on 2,968 occasions, excluding its occasional use in the classroom. During the year four boys were each caned six times. It is not possible, without considerable additional work, to ascertain the number of occasions on which a particular boy may have been caned during the whole of his stay in an approved school.
The recommendations of the Plowden Committee have been widely reported in the educational Press and I have no doubt they will have been noted by approved school managers and staff.
§ Mr. Whitakerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints he has received from managers, parents, children, and staff, respectively, concerning approved schools, in the last convenient period of 12 months.
§ Mr. Roy JenkinsAll complaints received about approved schools are carefully investigated, but no statistics are kept.