The Annual Report of the Board of Education just pub-
lished contains many features of importance and interest at the present time. The number of Board-schools in existence on August 31st, 1901, was 5,797, with an accom- modation for 2,881,155 children. The number of volun- tary schools in existence on the same date was 14,319, with accommodation for 3,729,261. The voluntary schools thus have accommodation for 843,106 children in excess of the accommodation offered by the Board-schools. "In Board- schools the grant earned by each scholar in actual average attendance was £1 ls. 81d., showing an increase for the year of 3d. ; and in voluntary schools the grant was £1 ls. 21d., showing an increase of 6d." Thus each Board-school scholar last year earned in grants 5id. more than each voluntary- school scholar, while at the same rats of increase the voluntary school scholar in two years will be O. to the good. The cost of " maintenance " has risen in both cases. " For the year 1901 it was in Board-schools £3 Os. 2d. per child in average attend- ance, an increase of 2s. 6id. for the year ; and in voluntary schools £2 Os. 8id., an increase of 4d." The rates have, therefore, supplied the School Boards with an *additional £376,259 for maintenance, while for the same purpose the voluntary schools have secured £32,921 additional subscrip- tions. It is interesting to learn that " the voluntary contribu- tions to schools connected with the National Society or Church of England are actually higher than they have ever been before."
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