Secondary Education in Great Britain

Abstract

THE valuable statement "The Open Door in Secondary Education", issued by the members of the Education Sub-Committee of Nuffield College Social Reconstruction Survey, does full justice to the twin aims of educational reform: maintenance of the quality of the education provided, while making sure that opportunities at present the privilege of a minority become the heritage of the nation. Its six recommendations are accompanied by a brief survey which indicates the rapidity with which opinion has advanced in this field. First, the Statement recommends that in all schools which receive any grants from the State or from local education authorities, tuition should be free and adequate maintenance grants should be given. Secondly, the scales on which grants are made to schools should vary according to the education they provide, especially in equipment, staffing ratio and opportunities for advanced work. To deal with the allocation of grants and with the question of control involved in this second recommendation, establishment by the Board of Education of a school grants central committee on the lines of the University Grants Committee is proposed, assisted by a small number of regional committees.