HC Deb 13 August 1896 vol 44 cc735-7
MR. ERNEST GRAY

I beg to ask the hon. Member for the Thirsk Division, as a Charity Commisioner, with regard to the Deane National School, near Bolton, which is under the management of trustees appointed under a scheme of the Charity Commissioners providing that any vacancy on the board of management shall be filled within one month, is he aware that this provision has been neglected for a considerable time by the existing trustees; and, whether, having regard to the recent dismissal of the master of the school by the trustees contrary to the expressed wish of 166 out of the 170 parents of children attending the school, he will advise the Commissioners to refuse to sanction the appointment of any person nominated to the office of trustee unless and until the parents obtain some share in the selection of the trustees.

SIR JOHN GORST (for Mr. GRANT LAWSON)

The question is understood to refer to the National School at Rum-worth, in the Parish of Deane. The scheme by which the school is regulated provides that vacancies among the trustees shall be filled up at the first meeting of the trustees which shall be held after the lapse of one month from the occurrence of the vacancy. On the 28th July the Commissioners approved the appointment of two new trustees to fill vacancies. It appears from the date of the occurrence of these vacancies that the foregoing provision of the scheme has not been strictly complied with. The names of the trustees proposed for approval were duly published, and no objection was taken to their appointment. The Commissioners have no information of, or in relation to, the dismissal of the master of the school.

MR. ERNEST GRAY

I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education—(1) whether he can state what portions of the income for the last school year of the Deane National School, near Bolton, were received from State grant, endowment, voluntary subscriptions, and other local sources, respectively; (2) is he aware that the head master of the Deane School has been recently dismissed as a result of incidents connected with his election to the office of churchwarden by the parishioners, and that this dismissal has been insisted on notwithstanding the written request to the contrary made by 166 out of 170 parents whose children attend the school, and notwithstanding the fact that the teacher can show excellent reports both for secular and religious teaching during the last 12 years in the same school; and, (3) can he state whether there are any means, other than the establishment of a school board for the district, whereby the parents may obtain some voice in the management of the school to which they are practically compelled to send their children?

SIR J. GORST

The following sums were received:—State grant £339 2s. 1d., endowment £36 13s. 4d., voluntary subscriptions £32 14s. 5d., church collections £22 10s., other local sources £18 6s. 1d. The Committee of Council have no information as to the facts alleged in the second paragraph. They are not aware of any means by which the parents could secure some control over the management so long as it, is a Voluntary School.