§ MR. STANLEY LEIGHTON (Shropshire, Oswestry)I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education whether his attention has been called to the statement, contained in the correspondence between the managers of the Luton National School and the Education Department, to the effect that Her Majesty's Inspector adopted "the 10 square feet per child basis" in calculating the accommodation now provided in the Luton National Boys' School, and to the fact that such basis has been approved by the Department; and, whether, having regard to Article 9fraud Note of the Code, which directs that "8 square feet of internal area for each unit of average attendance" shall be the basis adopted, and having regard to the principle hitherto acted upon by the Department that voluntary schools shall not be touched by the 10 square feet basis, and that in case of schools which have been passed by the Department for a certain number of children the arrangement shall not be disturbed, he will say what the Department hold to be the future basis to be used in reckoning the amount of accommodation in voluntary schools.
§ * THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Sir W. HART DYKE, Kent, Dartford)My attention has been called to this statement. There is no interference with voluntary schools as to space, so far as the Code and the grant are concerned. The rule laid down in the Luton case is the same which has been acted upon since the passing of the Act of 1870—namely, that a School 323 Board may calculate the deficiency in school places on the assumption that 10 square feet is a reasonable allowance for each child.
§ MR. S. LEIGHTONI beg to give notice that on the Education Estimates I will call attention to this new departure in treating the voluntary schools upon a different footing to the Board Schools.