§ MR. LOGAN (Leicestershire, Loughborough)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Board of Education if he is aware that three letters, dated 29th September, 20th October, and 3rd November respectively, have been sent to the Board of Education by Mr. W. H. Herbert, a member of the Countesthorpe (Leicestershire) School Board, a ratepayer in that 876 parish, complaining that his child, aged six years, has been expelled from the board school, by a resolution of the School Board, carried by the casting vote of the chairman, the vicar of the parish (although there are vacant places in the board school), with the object of compelling him, a Nonconformist, to send his child to the Church of England school in the parish; and, seeing that up to the present Mr. Herbert has received only formal acknowledgments of the receipt of his letters, if he will state what steps the Board of Education proposes to take to protect the rights of this parent, and to prevent a recurrence of such cases. In putting the Question, may I express my regret that there is an inaccuracy in it as it appears on the Paper. I understand that the vicar, although the chairman of the Board, was not in the chair at the time of the occurrence.
§ THE SECRETARY OF THE BOARD or EDUCATION (Sir WILLIAM ANSON,) Oxford UniversityThe Board of Education have been in communication with the School Board on the subject. This was explained to Mr. Herbert in reply to his second letter. There is no accommodation for infants at the Countesthorpe board school. If the infant referred to is qualified for promotion at the end of the school year (December 31st), it will be admitted to the board school as an "older scholar." The Board of Education are not aware of any special reason for its earlier promotion, but further inquiry will be made. The hon. Member has been good enough to explain to me that the vicar was not present at the meeting of the School Board when the vote was taken.