§ MR. CHANNINGI beg to ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education whether he is aware that the Bishop of Oxford, on being appealed to by the parishioners at Burnham, Bucks., has intimated that he disapproves of non-communicants being present during the celebration of the Holy Communion, and has decided that the school children should not be taken to church for such services; and whether he will, either by a provision in the Code, or by Circular, direct the managers of such schools to discontinue the practice where hitherto adopted of taking the children to attend Children's Eucharists as a substitute for the ordinary religious instruction?
§ THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL ON EDUCATION (Sir J. GORST,) Cambridge UniversityI have no reason to doubt the honourable Member's account of the Bishop of Oxford's decision. It is no part of the functions of the Committee of Council on Education to interfere with religious instruction given to the children of voluntary schools.
§ MR. CHANNINGI further ask whether persistence in a practice condemned by the Bishop in a Church of England school would not be treated as provocative of trouble in the school?
§ SIR J. GORSTThat is a matter of opinion, upon which the Committee of Council on Education cannot possibly express an opinion.
§ MR. CHANNINGI shall put further Questions, and I beg further to ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education whether he has now received the report of the inquiry by the inspector into the alleged breach of the Conscience Clause at Burnham, Bucks.; whether it appears from the inquiry that Ada Lane was taken to the church to attend the Communion Service on 2nd February, although her father had objected; whether this was a breach of the 7th section of the Act of 1870; whether the schoolmaster alleged as an excuse that he was not aware that the father had objected; and, whether verbal intimations of objection and withdrawal of a 1048 child are recognised by the Department; and, if so, whether he will make this clear in the Code, or otherwise?
§ SIR J. GORSTI received the report last Saturday. It appeared from the inquiry that, if the father had objected, his objection had not been communicated to the schoolmaster or the managers of the school. Thirty of the 36 children exempted from attendance at the religious service brought verbal intimations only. These were invariably accepted.