§ Dr. Phippsasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will give a commitment that, when economic conditions permit, an increased building programme of maintained boarding schools will commence.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonOur priorities for the special education building programme already include hostel provision by the education service and residential provision for the most severely handicapped. We have no plans to establish a building programme exclusively for boarding provision for non-handicapped pupils, but any local education authority298W that wished to put forward such a project within the main school building programme would be free to do so.
§ Mr. Grocottasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what evidence her Department has on the effect of boarding school education on the social and psychological development of children.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonMy Department has sponsored research by Dr. Royston Lambert and his colleagues on aspects of boarding education. Many of their findings have been published, most recently in a book entitled "The Chance of a Lifetime?"—Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1975—which discusses the subject raised by my hon. Friend.
§ Mr. Grocottasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether it is her policy to encourage or discourage boarding school education.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonMy right hon. Friend believes that boarding education should be available for those children for whom—for a variety of reasons—it is appropriate, and views with concern the decline in the provision of boarding places in maintained schools.
§ Mr. Grocottasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many State schoolchildren attend as boarders.
§ Miss Margaret JacksonIn January 1977 there were 9,260 non-handicapped pupils and 14,995 handicapped pupils who were boarders at schools maintained by local education authorities in England and Wales.