RETURN to an Order of the Honourable The House of Commons, dated 19th December, 1924 ;—for,

RETURN " showing, for every local education authority for elementary education in England and Wales, (a) the number of rooms used for teaching which, on the 21st day of May, 1924, contained two, three, four, or more classes and the number of children taught in those rooms; together with (b) the total number of departments, classes, and children in the public elementary schools in each authority's area; and (c) the relation expressed as a percentage between the figures given under the foregoing two heads."

Board of Education,

L. A. SELBY-BIGGE,

10th February, 1925.

Secretary.

(Major Cadogan.)

Ordered, by the House of Commons, to be Printed

11th February, 1925.

LONDON:

PRINTED & PUBLISHED BY HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE. To be purchased directly from H.M. STATIONERY OFFICE at the following addresses: Adastral House, Kingsway, London, W.C.2; 28, Abingdon Street, London, S. W.1; York Street, Manchester; 1, St. Andrew's Crescent, Cardiff;

or 120, George Street, Edinburgh;

or through any Bookseller.

1925

Price 6d. net.

EXPLANATORY NOTES.

For the purpose of this Return "rooms containing two, three, four or more classes mean rooms in which the classes are not separated at all or are separated only by screens or curtains or partitions which do not extend up to the ceiling or the apex of the roof.

In collecting the necessary information the opportunity was taken of ascertaining separately the number of rooms in which the partitions are fixed to the walls, although they do not run up to the ceiling or the apex of the roof. The number of such rooms is relatively small and this Return does not give separate particulars of them for each area. The information collected under this head is, however, summarised in tables for England and Wales separately and for England and Wales together (see Appendix).

All the figures in the Return relate to the facts as existing on 21st May, 1924, except those showing the total number of classes and pupils in the Local Education Authorities' areas (columns 3 and 4). These figures are for 31st March, 1924.

A "Class" means the group of pupils normally under the charge of one teacher.

The word "Pupils" when used in the heading of a column means the number of pupils on the register on the date to which the

column refers.

The number of rooms containing five, six, seven or eight classes (included in the figures in column 9) is shown by means of footnotes.

There are important facts, such as the size of the individual rooms and of the classes taught in them, which are relevant to a consideration of the figures. Although it has not been found. possible to include these facts in the Return, they have, of course, a material bearing.

A 2

51933

Summary showing, by type of area, the number of rooms in Public Elementary Schools containing two, three, four or more classes

on 21st May, 1924.

Total England &
Wales

31,125 148,138 5,604,115 15,027 981,989 1,380 141,206

210 32,857 16,617 13,101 42-1 35,077 23.7 1,156,052 20 6