§ MR. BAUMANN (Camberwell, Peckham)asked the hon. Member for Cum- 1454 berland (Penrith Division), Whether the Charity Commissioners make and, and, if so, what, inspection of those endowed schools for which they have established schemes; and, whether such inspection, if any, is an inspection of the educational work or of the administration of the schemes of such schools?
§ MR. J. W. LOWTHER (Cumberland, Penrith)The Charity Commissioners, having regard to the evidence given in 1886 and 1887 before the Select Committee of the House of Commons appointed to inquire into the operations of the Endowed Schools Act and to the Report of that Committee, proceeded in the course of last autumn to take measures for the systematic inspection of all the endowed schools for which they had established schemes in the four following counties of England:—namely, Devonshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and Staffordshire. This is the utmost amount of such inspection that, without such an increase in their staff—by the appointment of additional Assistant Commissioners—as the Select Committee recommended for the purpose, the Commissioners felt able to attempt for the present. This inspection is not an inspection of the educational work of these schools, in the sense that it implies listening to the teaching or criticism of the methods of instruction adopted by the teachers or examination of the scholars for the purpose of testing the results of that instruction. In that sense it is not an educational inspection. The inspection which the Commissioners have set on foot is directed more particularly towards ascertaining whether in each case the school is in a satisfactory condition as regards buildings, finance, number of scholars in attendance, and staff of teachers; whether the provisions of the scheme, educational as well as administrative, are duly carried into effect; and what, if any, modifications in those provisions are rendered necessary by experience or by change of circumstances. And it is evident that an inspection of this kind is not merely an inspection of the administration of the school, but is likely also to afford information of much value in respect of its educational work. The Commissioners hope to be able, in their Report to the Queen at the beginning of next year, to make known some of the results of their proceedings in this matter.