§ VISCOUNT CASTLEREAGHTo ask the President of the Board of Education if he will state the number of schools recognised under the Regulations for Secondary Schools; the nature of the religious instruction given in those schools, distinguishing between Church of England, Roman Catholic, Wesleyan, other denominations, and religious instruction of an undenominational character; the number of scholars on account of whom grants were paid; and the amount of the grant.
§ (Answered by Mr. McKenna.) 1. The number of schools recognised for grants under the secondary school regulations in respect of the year 1905–6 (which is the last year for which grants have been paid) was 601. Grants amounting to £224,828 were paid in respect of 59,026 scholars in these schools. 2. In many cases the Board do not know what is the character of the religious instruction actually given in the schools, but the 601 schools referred to above may be classified as follows:— (a) 158 schools provided by local authorities, and therefore subject to the provisions as to the" Cowper-Temple Clause" relating to such schools, contained in Section 4, Education Act, 1902; (b) nineteen schools, for the maintenance of which local authorities are responsible, though they may not have provided the school in the technical sense. In four cases in this class the provisions of Section 4 of the Act of 1902, relating to religious instruction in provided schools, are included in the governing instrument, in two others the ' Cowper-Temple Clause "of the Act of 1870 is embodied, and it may be assumed that in the remainder the religious instruction has no denominational character; (c) seventy-nine schools in which it is required by the governing instruments that religious instruction in accordance with the doctrines of the Church of England shall be given. It must not, however, be assumed that in all these cases instruction is actually given in the catechism or formularies of the Church; (d) forty-three schools eon-ducted by persons or bodies in connection with the Roman Catholic Church; (e) eight schools similarly connected with other denominational bodies, viz.:—four connected with the Wesleyan Methodists; two connected with the Congregational 1324 body; one connected with the Friends; and one connected with the Bible Christians; (f) In the remaining 294 schools the governing instrument of the school either (i) directs that religious instruction in accordance with the principles of the Christain faith shall be given in the school; or (ii) directs that religious instruction shall be given under regulations to be made by the governors without restrictions on those regulations; or (iii) gives no directions as to religious instruction, or the provisions are merely permissive. In a few of the cases in Class (f),the governing instrument requires the head teacher to be a member of a particular denomination, or contains some other indication that a connection of the school with some denomination is contemplated. 3. The information immediately available in the Board's office does not enable them to state separately the number of schools, and consequently the amount of grants paid in respect of the scholars educated in the schools belonging to the above-mentioned categories. The number of schools assigned to each of the categories must be regarded as approximate.