HC Deb 08 November 1906 vol 164 cc748-9
MR. O'GRADY

I beg to ask the President of the Board of Education whether his attention has been called to the refusal of the authorities at the Ladies' College, Cheltenham, the college being on the list of the Board of Education training colleges for elementary school teachers, to accept a pupil from the Leeds City Council Thoresby High School for Pupil Teachers, who, in accordance with the regulations, applied for admission; whether he can state that, in applying for admission to the Ladies' College, Cheltenham, the social status of the applicant determines admission; and, if so, seeing that the college in question is subsidised to an extent from public funds, what steps he intends to take in the matter.

THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION (Mr. BIRRELL, Bristol, N.)

My attention has not been called to any such case as that described in the Question, except by private correspond-once with a Member of this House, in which no details of the case were given. I have no information whatever as to the grounds on which the College authorities refused admission. If the hon. Member will cause the case of the girl who was refused admission to be officially submitted to the Board, I will have it carefully investigated, as indeed I had already promised to the hon. Member who first named the matter to me.