§ MR. YOXALL (Nottingham, W.)To ask the President of the Board of Education what is the present position of the difficulty which has arisen at Grantham between the Grantham Town Council, who wish the continued recognition of the secondary school attached to the Grantham Technical Institute, and the Kesteven local education authority and the Board of Education, who apparently wish to discontinue it.
(Answered by Mr. McKenna.) There is not, and there never has been, a secondary school recognised by the Board under the regulations for secondary schools in connection with the Grantham Technical Institute. Day classes in science and art were recognised at the institute up to 31st July, 1905, under regulations which have now been superseded. The conditions under which these classes were conducted were not, either as regards premises, staff, or general organisation, such as would justify the Board in recognising a secondary school. There is need for a secondary school for girls in Grantham, and the Board offered, if such a school were provided in new premises, to consider the possibility of giving temporary recognition to a school in the institute until those buildings were ready. But they were not prepared to recognise a second school for boys in Grantham, since they were satisfied that the grammar school was sufficient to meet the needs of the locality. The Kesteven County Council and the Grantham Town Council were not prepared to accept the conditions laid down by the Board, and the application for recognition of a school in the institute was withdrawn on 2nd May, 1907. In August of the same year I had an interview with representatives of the county council and the town council, but the representations made did not satisfy me that I should be justified in altering the decision previously arrived at.