School Attendance o f Children under Five Till quite recently it has been the practice in England and Wales for children between three and five to attend school if their parents so desired and for school authorities to make regular provision for such children. ‘During the fifteen years previous to 1907 at least a third o f all such children were on the registers o f public elementary schools.’1 Soon after the passing of the Education Act, 1902, however, the question as to whether school attendance for very young children was desirable began to be much discussed. It was pointed out that the compulsory age limit was lower in England than in any other country, and that the methods employed in most o f our infant schools were unsuited to the needs o f such very young children. Enquiries were set on foot by some of the new education authorities and by the Board o f Education, with the result that in the Code for 1905 the following clause was inserted:-

‘Where the Local Education Authority have so determined in the case of any school maintained by them, children who are under five years o f age may be refused admission to that school. ’