HC Deb 27 March 1912 vol 36 cc443-5
Mr. MONTAGUE BARLOW

I beg to ask leave to bring in a Bill "to amend the Education Acts, 1870 to 1911, and to make provision for regulating the Parliamentary Grants to secondary schools."

The object of the Bill is to deal with the regulations relating to Government Grants for secondary education, and to remedy what we on this side of the House think is unfair discrimination in regard to these regulations. As the secondary school regulations have been under consideration, quite recently, I do not desire to detain the House at any length in regard to the circumstances in which I bring in the Bill. We say that the regulations are unfair, and discriminate against denominational secondary schools, because the £5 Grant is refused to them while, though they work on the same terms, it is given to secular secondary schools. One regulation of which we particularly complain is Article (5), which says that there shall be no denominational instruction in denominational secondary schools without the written demand of the parents. Article (23) says there shall be no point where under the trust deed questions are asked as to the religious belief of the teachers, of the trustees, or of the managers in secondary schools. Article 24 says that a clear majority of the trustees or governors must be chosen by the local education authority. All these conditions discriminate against the denominational secondary schools; in other words, there is a system of preference or protection of secular or undenominational secondary schools. What we want is free trade with regard to the Government Grants. We say, "Put us all on the same terms as far as the Government Grants are concerned. The denominational secondary schools are doing equally good work in the matter of general education, and they have just as good a claim and as much right to the Government Grants as the secular secondary schools." That has been the policy of legislation in the past. Under the Elementary Education Act of 1870, Section (97), expressly provided that there should be no discrimination on the ground of religious belief in the matter of the Government Grant for elementary schools. When we come to the Act of 1902, Section (4) of that enactment provided that so far as secondary education is concerned the local authorities should not make any discrimination of this character when they are making Grants in aid of this secondary education. Unfortunately at this moment there is no statutory provision requiring that the same rule should apply to both denominational, secondary schools and secular secondary schools, and that there shall be no discrimination against the former class of schools in regard to Government Grants. It is that gap which this Bill seeks to fill up. The Bill is supported by a large number of educational institutions up and down the country, among them the Manchester Diocesan Church Schools Society, the Church Schools Emergency League, the National Society, and the leading bodies of Roman Catholics. In fact, quite recently, as reported in the "Times," at a largely attended meeting of the executive committee of the Catholic Education Council, held at the Archbishop's House, the following resolution was passed:— That the council do give its support to the Bill proposed to be introduced by Mr. Montague Barlow, M.P., dealing with the Secondary School Regulations, and do invite the support of the Catholic Members of the House of Commons for the said Bill when introduced. Without desiring to put the matter at greater length before the House, I do wish to appeal to hon. Members on behalf of this Bill in the name of fair play and justice. The two systems of education in this country should have equality of treatment. It is no good attempting to take up the position that there are not two systems in this country, or attempting to act as if one was dying and the other was going to take its place. If there is one thing more clear than another it is the vitality, the obstinate vitality, of denominational schools. Let me conclude by reading a few sentences from Mr. Gladstone's speech in 1870, when this question was under discussion so far as elementary education was concerned. He said:— It is a great mistake and error in our view to think that secular education given by State machinery is per se better and more valuable than the same education given by machinery voluntary in its character. I think we are justified in feeling that this enormous power (of voluntary denominational schools) which exists in the country, ought to be turned to account. That is exactly the position we take up. The position was emphasised in the Act of 1902, and, so far as it is based on equality, it is the position taken by the present Chancellor of the Exchequer during these Debates. It is in that spirit I ask leave to bring in this Bill, and I hope the House will allow me to do so.

Bill ordered to be brought in by Mr. Montague Barlow, Lord Robert Cecil, Sir Alfred Cripps, Lord Edmund Talbot, Mr. Arthur Stanley, Mr. Joynson-Hicks, Mr. Pollock, Mr. James Hope, Mr. Nield, and Mr. Butcher. Presented accordingly, and read the first time; to be read a second time upon Monday next, and to be printed. [Bill 113.]