§ *MR. H. S. FOSTER (Suffolk, Lowestoft)I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education, with regard to the fact that the senior Chief Inspector has now visited the Cunningham School for Girls and Infants, Lowestoft, and has reported that he allowed 159 places, thereby restoring to the school 29 additional places, whereas the local inspector had spoken of the painfully overcrowded accommodation, and had refused to recognise it for more than 130 places; if he can state who is responsible at the Education Department for the refusal in the first instance to send down the Chief Inspector in response to the appeal of the managers; whether he has taken, or intends to take, any action with regard to Her Majesty's Inspector; and whether he has taken, or proposes to take, any steps at the Department to prevent a repetition of such circumstances in the case of any voluntary school appealing to the Department against the Report of the Inspector?
§ THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Mr. A. H. D. ACLAND, York, W.R., Rotherham)No request was made by the managers of this school for the Chief Inspector or any other inspector to be sent, and therefore no such request was refused.
§ *MR. H. S. FOSTERI beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education with regard to the fact that the senior Chief Inspector has now visited the Harvey Street Infants' School, Lowestoft, and has reported that he found the whole school could march without difficulty, whereas the local Inspector had alluded to the fact that considerable improvement must be effected as regards marching space; if he can state who is responsible at the Education 577 Department for the refusal in the first instance to send down a Chief Inspector in response to the appeal of the managers made in June last; and whether he has taken, or proposes to take, any steps at the Department to prevent a repetition of such circumstances in the case of any voluntary school appealing to the Department against the Report of the Inspector?
§ MR. ACLANDNo request was made by the managers of this school for the Chief Inspector or any other inspector to be sent, and therefore no such request was refused.
§ MR. H. S. FOSTERI beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education with regard to the fact that the senior Chief Inspector has now visited the Central Girls' School, Lowestoft, and has reported that the staff is above the number required by the Code, being sufficient for 250, with an average attendance of 215 only, whereas the local inspector had alluded to the weakness of the staff; if he can state who is responsible at the Education Department for the refusal in the first instance to send down the Chief Inspector in response to the written appeal of the managers in June last; and whether he has taken, or proposes to take, any steps at the Department to prevent a repetition of such circumstances in the case of any voluntary school appealing to the Department against the report of the Inspector?
§ MR. ACLANDNo request was made by the managers of this school for the Chief Inspector or any other inspector to be sent, and therefore no such request was refused.
§ *MR. H. S. FOSTERI beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education, with regard to the fact that the senior Chief Inspector has now visited the Arnold Street Infants' School, Lowestoft, and has reported that, with a little management in the arrangement of desks, the whole school can march without discomfort, whereas the local inspector had alluded to the insufficient marching space, if he can state who is responsible at the Education Department for the refusal in the first instance to send down the Chief Inspector in response to the written appeal of the managers in June last; and whether he has taken, or proposes to take any steps 578 at the Department to prevent a repetition of such circumstances in the case of any voluntary school appealing to the Department against the report of the inspector?
§ MR. ACLANDNo request was made by the managers of this school for the Chief Inspector or any other Inspector to be sent, and therefore no such request was refused.
§ *MR. H. S. FOSTERI beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education with regard to the fact that the managers of the group of schools which include Clapham Road and St. Andrew's, Lowestoft, wrote to the Department in June, 1894, requesting an interview with the Vice President by way of appeal against the report of Her Majesty's Inspector, and that a reply was sent declining to receive a deputation, and also to the fact that thereupon a further letter was sent to the Department, asking that a Chief Inspector might come down, if he can state who is responsible at the Department for refusing to comply with this request?
§ MR. ACLANDThe request made was for an interview with myself. This I was unable to grant, but offered the managers an interview with one of the permanent officials of the Department. They did not avail themselves of this offer, but proposed instead that a Chief Inspector should meet them on the spot; and this last request, after a statement of the names of the schools and the dates of the reports, together with any evidence the managers desired to offer, had been asked for, was not refused, but complied with.
§ *MR. H. S. FOSTERMay I ask the right hon. Gentleman if all the facts stated in my five preceding questions are correctly stated.
§ MR. ACLANDThey are substantially accurate.