§ Mr. Dormandasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the number of places available, in public and private schools, for maladjusted children in the Northern Region and in England as a whole, respectively; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. van StraubenzeeThe information is given in the following table:
England Places Northern Region Places Maintained special schools 4,733 90 Non-maintained special schools 891 85 Independent schools (places taken up by Local Education Authorities) 2,803 22 Special classes or units attached to ordinary schools 1,604* 8† * Providing special educational treatment for 470 children full-time and 1,134 part-time. † Providing special educational treatment for 3 children full-time and 5 children part-time. It is my right hon. Friend's policy, when drawing up the major building programmes for special schools, to give priority to the needs of children who are 203W educationally subnormal or who are maladjusted but before any project for a maintained school can be programmed it must first be proposed by a local education authority.