§ MR. H. C. RICHARDS (Finsbury, E.)To ask the Secretary to the Board of Education if his attention has been called, or the consent of the Department given, to the notice recently issued in the city and county of Exeter by the education authority to the effect that no child be allowed to be removed from either of the elementary schools under the control of the education authority to another unless the consent of the authority be first obtained; if so, will he state upon what authority this notice was issued; and what steps he proposes to take to prevent the issue of similar circulars.
(Answered by Sir William Anson.) My attention has only this morning been called to the notice referred to, a copy of which reached the Board of Education yesterday. The notice would appear to be designed simply to meet the difficulty caused by capricious and frequent removals of a child from school to school. I will communicate with the local authority in question as to the methods proposed to be adopted for attaining the end in view. The Board hold that as a general rule it should rest with a parent to decide which school his child shall attend, and any complaint by a parent 331 as to undue restriction of this freedom would receive the careful consideration of the Board.