ADMIRAL FIELD (Sussex, Eastbourne)I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education whether it is true, as reported, that as excellent school teacher has been dismissed from the Board school at Arlington in Sussex because he complained of the insufficient and impure supply of drinking water at his residence; whether the Inspectors are authorised to report upon the suitability and condition of the teachers' residences when attached to 198 school buildings, and if any Report or complaint was made to the Department in this instance; whether the Department has any authority, if appealed to by a teacher who may feel aggrieved at his dismissal by school managers, to direct an inquiry into the case, and to require him to be reinstated in his school if satisfied that he has been unjustly dismissed; and whether he will cause a searching inquiry to be made as to the grounds of dismissal of the aforesaid teacher?
§ THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Mr. ACLAND,) York, W.R., RotherhamMr. Roach, teacher of the Park Mead Board school, has received notice of dismissal from the Arlington School Board under the circumstances stated in the question. Inspectors are not authorised to report on the condition of teachers' houses except in so far as they may affect the sanitary condition of the school. In this case the whole school was without a proper water supply, and the Inspector called the attention of the Department to the fact last November. The Department at once communicated with the School Board, who are now having a well sunk in the playground, and in the meantime have made arrangements for a daily supply of water to be sent to the school-house. The Department have no power to require the reinstatement of a teacher, even if they are satisfied that he has been unjustly dismissed. But they have addressed a letter to the School Board, stating that they regard the conduct of the Board in dismissing the teacher on the grounds stated (which the Board admit to be correct) as improper and unjustifiable.