MR. JOHN WILSON (Durham)I beg to ask the Vice-President of the Committee of Council on Education whether he is aware that the head master of the Willington Board School (Durham) was, on the 9th of March (by letter from 596 the Education Department), threatened with the withholding of the annual grant, unless he fills up the school attendance cards with the names of the children of out-door paupers; and, whether he will state under which statute such threat was made, and by which statute it is intended to carry out the threat.
§ SIR J. GORSTThe Guardians of the Durham Union represented to the Education Deparment that the sheets showing: the attendance of children of out-door paupers at the Willington Board School were not received. The Education Department informed the Willington School Board that, if the refusal to fill up these sheets was persisted in they would consider whether they could continue to make annual grants to the school. No threat was addressed to the master of the school. The Education Department have power to call for returns and information from a School Board under Section 95 of the Elementary Education Act, 1870.