Schools : eighth report from the Select Committee on Estimates together with the Minutes of Evidence taken before Sub-Committee E and Appendices, Session 1952-1953.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Estimates
Date:
1953
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Schools : eighth report from the Select Committee on Estimates together with the Minutes of Evidence taken before Sub-Committee E and Appendices, Session 1952-1953. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    18 February, 1953.] [Continued. secondary modern schools in_ separate blocks. You tend to have an administration block, which includes staff rooms, hall, gymnasium and so on; you tend to have a practical block and a classroom block ; that type of set-up, in which you have got a certain saving of circulation space be- cause you do not have any covered way between the various blocks. ‘That is the sort of thing which is quite satisfactory if the weather is fine, but you do find serious troubles when it is wet. Brigadier Peto.] Have you visited a school such as you describe?—I have not. Mr. James Johnson.] I think it is fair to say we have not seen this type of building. We have seen the Coventry aluminium type, which was in one big block, and we have seen Wokingham which is in a coherent connected whole. Brigadier Peto. 517. And Slough?—Part of the difficulty is this: that the schools that are now com- pleted were built to specifications produced two to three years ago. The schools which are at the moment being planned and are beginning to be constructed have been built to restricted regulations. Mr. James Johnson. 518. They will not come off the line, so to speak, until at least another 18 months or two years?—Yes. I am speaking with a certain amount of knowledge over this in so far as | am at the moment in an old school, and there is a starting date this month for a new school building for me. I have gone into the plans of that particular one. Chairman. 519. Are the teachers in any way brought into consultation with the education autho- nities in regard to the types of school?— It varies very considerably. Some local authorities have a panel of teachers and maintain close contact with the County Architect, and who do discuss with the County Architect in some detail the plans. Other authorities do not consult the teachers in any way whatever. But I think the difficulty quite frequently is that the consultation on one school does not affect that school; it affects the next one, because usually at the stage at which the consulta- tion can take place the plans have gone too far for the non-expert in building, namely, the teacher, to have a great deal of effect; but the consultations would tend to alter the next school. 520. Have the National Union of Teachers at any time submitted views to the Munistry of Education about buildings? —(Mr. Griffith. When Building Bulletin No. 1 was issued there was a statement, and for the first time the Ministry of Edu- cation suggested that those who use the schools should consult with those who plan them. We sent out to our branches—we have got 650 branches all over the country —we sent out to each of them and asked them to form a committee locally to study that Building Bulletin No. 1 and the Regu- lations and make contact with the L.E.A. in order to discuss how consultations should take place. We also asked them for their observations on the Regulations and Bul- letin. A very good proportion of them did this, went through the Bulletin, and sent their observations up to us, and I did send to Mr. Marshall, who is the Chief Archi- tect, some views of teachers on the Bulletin. I would say that there is more consultation now than there has ever been. I remember a headmaster suggesting to an architect how he should build a corridor or steps from one storey to another; it was where I live in South Wales, where the valleys are very steep. The architect came there, and the headmaster spoke to him, and the architect said: “ You look after your job; I do not interfere with your teaching; you must not interfere with my planning.” That is not untypical of the old days. Brigadier Peto. 521. You would say it is a great advan- tage that there should be consultation?— (Mr. Britton.) I am sure we say that unanimously. I think it is true to say the position is much better than dt used to be. More authorities do it than used to, but by no means all of them. (Mr. Griffith.) We asked Mr. Marshall to come to our Con- ference and lecture at our National Con- ference. JI have got here a copy of the address he gave. It is well that the teachers should know what the Ministry are trying to do. We can give you copies of that if you want it. Mr. James Johnson. 522. Could you tell us this offhand. You say there are 650 local N.U.T. branches. How many of those do co-operate with the L.E.A. and the Director of Education? —The 650 are County and local branch organisations. There are 146 associations in contact with the L.E.A. Sometimes the teachers’ representative is elected to the Site and Buildings or some Sub-Committee and things of that kind. It is not always co-operation between the staff of a school and the school that is going to be built. I would say the co-operation is more general than particular. for a particular school, that is. It covers the whole build- ing programme. Mr. T. W. Jones. 523. To what extent are teachers co- opted on education authorities?—There are only three or four of the 146 that do not co-opt them. 524. My own county is one of them?— Is that the West Riding?