SCHOOLS IN BRITAIN

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 December 1936, Page 9

SCHOOLS IN BRITAIN

COST OF EDUCATION The cost of public education to the rate and tax-payers of England and Wales last year was £85,000,000 a year, compared with £28,000,000 in 1910. This means that the cost per head of population has risen from about 15/6 to 42/-. The number of children in elementary schools has fallen from 6,082,858 in 1910 to 5,402,052 in 1935—2,732,797 boys and 2,669,255 girls. These facts are stated in the annual report of the Board of Education, published by the Stationery Office recently. A “Survey of Education,” prefacing it covers the period of the reign Of King George ,V. This presents the background against which the forward policy of the Board, announced in January, can be reviewed. “There is no doubt,” it is stated, “that a more conscious recognition of the claims of the individual, and a greater emphasis on the development of each child according to his bent, and capacity, have inspired the ma-, jor developments during the period under review.” The following comparison of facts and figures is given: In 1920 there were 37,147 classes of 50 and over; in 1935 there were 4,262 classes of over 50, of which 44 had over 60 children. In In spite of the war and economic troubles some 4,760 new schools and ei larsemeiHs . were provided, giving 1,750,000 new school places. The percentage of schools with children of over 11 making provision for handicraft has risen from 23 in 1910 to G 5; for domestic subjects from 42 to 68; and for gardening from 9 to 32. In 1910 977 pupils went to a universitv from grant-earning secondary schools; in 1935 the number was 3,824. In 1910 the number of secondary school pupils was 4.4 per 1.000 of the tiow it is over 11 per 1,000. In 1910 there were no recognised nursery schools; to-day there are 78. In 1910 there were no play centres; to-day there are 308. In 1910 there were only 30 school clinics; to-day there are nearly 2,000.A wiser conception of the needs of young people, the report states, has resulted during the past 25 years in a steadily increasing demand for education on the part of the community as a whole. Though there was no fundamental change during the reign in the structure of elementary education, there was very great progress, amounting in some directions almost to a transformation. The effect can be seen in the insistence on spacious practical rooms, generously planned playingfields, and so on. Regarding the health of the school child, it is stated that more is being done to-day than ever before to detect physical >insoundness. At present, in addition to meals and milk provided by local education authorities for some, 400,000 children, milk at reduced price under the new schemb is consumed by about 2,250,000 childrtit. Dealing with the events of 1935, the report mentions the restoration of the cuts in teachers’ salaries, bringing the estimates for the year up io- approximately £46,150,000, an increase of £2,500,000 i?n the estimate for the preceding year. The reorganisation of elementary schools proceeded satisfactorily in the tweive-rftont h.