MR. CARVELL WILLIAMS (Notts, Mansfield)I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education whether application for annual grants has been made by the managers of St. Peter's Free School, Chelsea (Subdivision V. 2); what is the playground accommodation of the school, and how many feet per scholar does it contain; whether the Department will apply to the school the requirements of Schedule VII. of the Code; whether the School Board for London has complained of unequal treatment in the case of Allen Street School, Chelsea (Sub-division IV. 1), which has been warned for unsatisfactory premises; and, whether the Department will enforce the same requirements as to structural suitability on all schools, whether under a school board or under other managers.
§ SIR J. GORSTThe St. Peter's Free School, which has recently applied for annual grant, has been recognised since 1877 as a certified efficient school under Section 48 of the Elementary Education Act, 1876. When such a school applies for annual grant, the Committee of Council treat it as an existing school and do not require complete plans of the school to be submitted to them if, as in this case, the inspector is able to certify that the school buildings are up to the average standard of schools in the district. The Committee of Council are not aware of the exact size of the playground of St. Peter's School, but the inspector has always reported it as being sufficient for the purpose; and in London the requirements of Schedule VII. as to playground are not, as a rule, strictly insisted on. The London School Board have protested against the condemnation of the boys' department of the Allen Street School after the 30th September 1897, and of the girls' and infants' departments after the 30th September 1899. But the Committee of Council see no reason to alter their 1352 decision, which was arrived at after a special inspection of the premises by their travelling architect