§ MR. H. FOSTER (Suffolk, Lowestoft)I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education if his attention has been called to the recent correspondence between the Department and the Rev. D. Dickson, on behalf of the managers of Christ Church Infant School, Lowestoft, upon the subject of the last two Reports of Her Majesty's Inspector, and particularly to a letter from the Department, dated 14th June last, in which they support the statement of Her Majesty's Inspector, that, as regards staff and space the minimum of requirement is approached, while the maximum of grant is expected and even claimed; whether the Report of the Inspector also complained of defects for which the crowded state of the 1132 school and the character of the staff were said to be mainly responsible; whether the accommodation of the school is reckoned by the Department at 297 places; or, if not, then at what number; whether he is aware that the average attendance for 1892 was 221, and for 1893, 248; and that the school was staffed, according to the rules of the Department, for an average attendance of 260; whether the letter of the Department of the 14th June last proceeded to refer to the indulgent treatment extended to the school in previous years, the faults of teaching, and the inconvenience of accommodation; and, if so, what was the nature of the indulgence extended and when, what the faults of teaching, and the inconvenience of accommodation, and when were any of these matters first mentioned by Her Majesty's Inspector; whether the school has, for many years past, borne a high repute, earning the excellent merit grant annually since 1885, whether the staff has been repeatedly praised by Her Majesty's Inspector, and whether in particular by the Inspector's Report in 1891; whether, in December, 1892, Her Majesty's Inspector for the first time made serious complaints, and particularly in consequence of the erection of a parish room; whether the managers, in a letter to the Department of 16th January, 1893, complained of the sudden change which had taken place in the attitude of the Inspector towards the school and themselves; and whether they informed the Department in the said letter of an observation reported to them as having been used by the Inspector to the head teacher, to the effect that he was disgusted with the managers; whether, on the 14th April last, the managers addressed a written protest to the Department against the strictures of the Inspector, and requested that a special investigation be instituted by the Department through an unbiased Inspector; whether such request was repeated on 2nd May, whether it has been refused by the Department, and for what reason; whether any, and if so what, portion of the grant has been withheld since the appointment of the right hon. Gentleman as Vice President; and, if so, for what period, and for what reason; and whether he will direct that an independent inquiry shall be made into the circumstances of the case?
§ MR. ACLANDI think I should be wasting the time of the House if I attempted to follow all the details of these questions, which were only put down last night, in ray reply. No grant has been withheld from the school while I have been in office. The matters referred to in the question have already formed the subject of inquiry by the Department, and I do not exactly understand what the hon. Member means by suggesting that an independent inquiry should be made.
§ MR. H. FOSTERHave not the managers asked for an independent inquiry with reference to the Report of the Inspector as to lighting and other matters?
§ MR. ACLANDIt may be so, but I do not understand what an independent inquiry in a matter of this sort is.
§ MR. H. FOSTERCannot the Department send someone down to inquire?
§ MR. ACLANDI was under the impression the hon. Member wanted an inquiry by someone outside the Department. We are not accustomed to send anybody but Inspectors. I will consider if we can send the Chief Inspector down.
MR. MAC NEILLPerhaps the right hon. Gentleman will entrust the matters to a Board of Promoters with the hon. Member as Chairman.
§ MR. H. FOSTERI beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education whether, if the managers of Christ Church Infant School, Lowestoft, should refuse to admit children up to the limit of accommodation recognised by the Department, they will endanger their whole grant from the Department, while if they admit children up to the recognised limit, or even up to last year's average only, they are liable to reduction of the grant for crowded accommodation; and whether he is aware that the school in question is one of the brightest, best lighted, and healthiest schools in Lowestoft?
§ MR. ACLANDI intended my answer to the last question to cover this.