§ MR. TALBOTI beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education whether he will make it clear, in the Circulars issued by the Department, that parents have not a right of demanding free education for their children at every school, but only at some school within convenient distance of their homes?
§ MR. ACLANDThere is nothing in the Memorandum issued by the Department which implies that parents have a right to free education at every school. On the contrary, the following words are used:— 1324
In districts where there is no School Board, if the free places required are not provided by voluntary schools, a School Board is formed and directed to provide them.The following words are also used:—The free education to which parents have a right … must be at a school within a reasonable distance of the child's home,thus clearly showing that there are schools which need not provide free places unless they choose.
§ MR. SNAPE (Lancashire, S.E., Heywood)Will the right hon. Gentleman take steps to secure that parents who demand free education for their children shall have the same right of choice of schools as that now enjoyed by parents of fee-paying children?
§ MR. ACLANDThe Department is anxious that they shall have the same right, and will do its best to secure that in all cases brought before it.