Elementary Education Maintenance Allowances, Local Education Authority Files

Papers concerning schemes for the payment of maintenance allowances submitted by local education authorities for the approval of the Board of Education; financial scrutiny by the board of the reasonableness of the proposed scales of aid; approval by HM Inspectorate of the educational requirements and returns by local education authorities of expenditure on maintenance allowances.

No papers were added to these files after the introduction of the Education Act, 1944.

Maintenance allowances were not awarded by all authorities and this accounts for the gaps in this series of files.

By counties (including Part III Authorities) followed by county boroughs for England and Wales.

Decisions relating to recurring financial cases are recorded in discussions between the Board of Education and the Treasury in: ED 11/155 ED 11/156

Topics

Education

Section 23(2) of the Education Act, 1902, gave power to the newly formed local education authorities to assist education other than elementary by providing scholarships and paying fees within or without the authority's area. This power was extended initially under Section 11 of the Education Act, 1907, to the provision of scholarships and bursaries to pupils at public elementary schools from the age of twelve up to the limit of compulsory school age and subsequently under Section 24 of the Education Act, 1918, re-enacted as Section 24 of the Education Act, 1921, to include power to provide allowances for maintenance.

Local education authorities qualified for parliamentary grant subject to conditions set out in the Provisional Code of Regulations for Public Elementary Schools in England, 1922;(Separate Code for Wales and Monmouthshire.) the Elementary Education: Regulations for Substantive Grant for financial year 1924-1925 Amending Regulations No. 1.1924 and subsequent regulations.