1. The Board have had under consideration the question of full-time service as a teacher under the Teachers (Superannuation) Act of 1925. The arrangements contemplated for the recording of current service make it in the highest degree necessary that Local Education Authorities and Governing Bodies should be able to decide without difficulty whether service is to be returned to the Board as contributory service or not.

2. The general principles to be borne in mind in considering this question are laid down in Circulars 1286 and 1311, and the Board see no reason to depart from the rule that service, in order to be full-time, must amount to 30 hours a week on the basis of a school year of 36 weeks, or to the equivalent. But the Act enables the Board to take a wider view of what may be regarded as teaching service, by virtue of the provisions of Section 2 (2) which read as follows:

(a) a teacher may be deemed to be employed in full-time service in a grant-aided school if the Board is satisfied that he is employed in full-time service, which is mainly and primarily service in the capacity of a teacher in such a school, and, in so far as it is not such service, is service in some other school under the same management as, and educationally connected with, a grantaided school; and

(b) service may be deemed to be service as a teacher if the Board are satisfied either that the employment is wholly in the capacity of a teacher or that it is mainly and primarily in the capacity of a teacher and that any other duties of the employment are educational duties connected with the duties in that capacity."

3. These provisions enable the Board to accept as full-time teaching service some cases which have been or would have been rejected under the Act of 1918, provided that the aggregate of duties involves the number of hours mentioned above.

4. The simplest case arising under Sub-Section (b) is that of a teacher of a Special Subjects Centre who has supervisory duties connected with classes other than those taught by him or her. The Board are prepared to regard as covered by this provision persons who are actual teachers of Special Subjects for three-fifths of their time (three school days in the week or a similar proportion spread over longer periods) but spend the rest of their time (if the whole employment constitutes full-time service) under the same engagement in the inspection or organisation of other classes. Cases falling clearly within this description need not be referred to the Board but should be certified by the employer as full-time.

5. Similarly, a teacher will be treated as in full-time service as a teacher, notwithstanding the fact that his actual teaching service does not occupy more than three-fifths of the time for which the school is open for teaching, if there are imposed upon him, to such an extent as to make the whole employment fulltime service, duties such as the following:

General administrative work, such as the organisation of school meals and correspondence so far as it is not performed. by the Head of the School.

Organisation of school libraries, clubs and societies.

Special supervision of pupils on assembly and dismissal and at meal times, and in periods of recreation.

Residential duties.

It is necessary, however, that these duties should be connected with the work of the school and be such as can most conveniently and economically be performed by teachers, regard being had to the particular circumstances of the school.

6. Sub-Section (a) of the Section quoted in paragraph 2 above deals with a different class of case which is of comparatively rare occurrence. The most obvious instance is that of a Preparatory School not recognised as part of a grant-earning school but in close connexion with it. Cases in which full-time service is claimed under this paragraph should be referred to the Board.

7. A teacher may make up full-time teaching service by service under two or more separate agreements (Circular 1286, paragraph 6). The following conditions apply in such cases :

(a) Two or more part-time teaching engagements may be aggregated to make full-time service only in respect of the period during which they subsist concurrently. For example, if a teacher has a day-time engagement for three days a week during the whole year and from October to April has in addition an evening engagement which for that period brings up his total hours of service during the week to a full-time standard, he will be regarded as in full-time service only for the period. from October to April unless he has other engagements enabling him to reach that standard for the remainder of the year.

It should be noted in this connexion that teachers employed under a single engagement whose work varies throughout the year may have their service considered for the year as a whole.

(b) If a teacher holds three separate engagements, two of which are sufficient to make up full-time employment,

the third will be regarded as an overtime employment.

8. The Board will rely upon Authorities and Governing Bodies collecting contributions and making their annual returns upon the basis of Circulars 1286 and 1311 as modified by this Circular and on their submitting to the Board, as far as possible in advance of the annual return, any case which appears to be dubious. If this method is adopted it will go far to reduce correspondence arising on returns and to prevent the inconvenience of the return of contributions unnecessarily collected and the collection in arrear of contributions which were not deducted from current salaries.

AUBREY V. SYMONDS,

Administrative Memorandum No. 52.

29th March, 1927.

BOARD OF EDUCATION,

MEDICAL BRANCH,

54, VICTORIA STREET,

LONDON, S.W.1.

Qualifications of the Full-Time Teaching Staff of Special Schools.

This Memorandum, which is issued for the information of Local Education Authorities and Managers of Special Schools, takes the place of the Schedule to Circular 1366, dated 14th September, 1925, which is withdrawn. The Board have found it necessary in view of the coming into operation of the Teachers (Superannuation) Act, 1925, to make certain amendments in the Schedule and have taken the opportunity of making other minor alterations.

The Memorandum indicates the Board's present requirements in regard to the qualifications of the full-time teaching staffs of Special Schools for Blind, Deaf, Defective and Epileptic Children for the purposes of Article 9 (1) of their Special Services Regulations 1925-Grant Regulations No. 19. The Board do not prescribe the qualifications which should be possessed by part-time teachers but consider in each case, in the light of report by the Inspector, whether the holders of parttime appointments are suitable and competent for the work. Where, however, a teacher is in part-time service in one Special School but makes up full-time service by part-time employment in other Special Schools or in ordinary Public Elementary Schools, the Board expect him to possess the qualifications set out below.

1.-GENERAL.

(a) Each member of the teaching staff who is in full-time service must be recognised by the Board for service in Special Schools.

(b) Recognition of a teacher may be given temporarily and may be discontinued in the event of his failing to obtain prescribed qualifications or being unfavourably reported on by the Inspector.

(c) Before being recognised for service in Special Schools the teacher must, if he has not previously done so, satisfy the Board as to his age, health and physical capacity for teaching.

(d) The recognition of a teacher will expire on his attaining the age of 65 years, or, if the Board allow his service to continue for a further limited time, then on the expiration of that limited time.

(e) Service after the age of 65 is not service for the purposes of the Teachers (Superannuation) Act, 1925.

(f) Student-Teachers and Pupil-Teachers are not recognised for service in Special Schools and will not be counted as members of the staff for the purposes of Article 9 (1) of the Regulations. They may, however, be permitted to attend Special Schools for limited periods for the purpose of gaining experience, subject to the arrangements for their supervision and instruction being approved by the Board.

(g) Proposals for the appointment of any person to the post of Superintendent or responsible Matron in a Boarding School must be submitted to the Board for approval.

2.-SCHOOLS FOR THE BLIND.

Head Teachers.

(a) Subject to the exceptions provided for in paragraphs (b), (c) and (h) below, the Head Teacher of a School for Blind Children must be a Certificated Teacher and must either have completed satisfactorily an approved course of training specially designed to prepare for work in Schools for Blind Children, or have passed an approved Examination in the Methods of Teaching in Schools for Blind Children.

(b) Any person recognised by the Board as a Certificated Teacher before 1st August, 1910, may be recognised by the Board as the Head Teacher of a School for Blind Children, provided that the Board are satisfied that he has had adequate experience in a School for Blind Children.

(c) (i) A Teacher who has been recognised under previous Regulations as the Head Teacher of a School for Blind Children may continue to be recognised as the Head Teacher of that School, and may be recognised as the Head Teacher of any other School for Blind Children.

(ii) The Board may recognise as the Head Teacher of a School for Blind Children a teacher who is not a Certificated Teacher but was recognised as an Assistant Teacher in a School or Schools for Blind Children for a period of ten years before 1st August, 1910, provided that the Board are satisfied that he is personally qualified to discharge efficiently the duties of Head Teacher of a School for Blind Children.

Assistant Teachers.

(d) Subject to the exceptions provided for in paragraphs (e), (f), (g) and (h) below, an Assistant Teacher in Schools for Blind Children must either :

(i) be qualified for recognition as a Head Teacher in accordance with paragraph 2 (a) or (b) above; or