§ MR. BERESFORD HOPE (for Mr. J. G. TALBOT)asked the Vice President of the Council, -Whether his attention has been called to that part of the last Report of the Charity Commissioners, in which they express a fear that endowed schools which "have been, or, it is to be hoped, shortly will be, established for nearly 6,000 children," may be "practically emptied and rendered useless" by the competition of higher elementary schools; and, whether he proposes to take any steps to prevent such a contingency?
§ MR. MUNDELLAI have been unable to obtain any communication from the Chief Charity Commissioner on the subject of the last Report; but I may state that that part of it to which the hon. Member refers appears to be founded on a misapprehension. The establishment of higher elementary schools within the limit of the Statute and the Code for children abeve the Fourth Standard cannot conflict with the schemes of the Endowed Schools Commissioners. Their third-grade schools are designed for children of the lower middle class, who can pay fees of £4 and upwards; whereas the higher elementary schools are designed for children of the elementary class, at fees not exceeding £1 10s. per annum. The 6,000 places in higher-grade schools to which the Commis- 1618 sioners refer are all within the Metropolitan area. There is no higher elementary school in London, and the proposal to establish them has been negatived by the Board. But even if such proposals were carried, inasmuch as the schemes of the Charity Commissioners and those of the School Board both require the sanction of the Education Department, we should take care that there should be no conflict between the two.