§ 36. Mr. Swinglerasked the Minister of Education how many projects for comprehensive schools he has approved since he took office, how many such projects he has rejected, and in what areas, respectively.
§ The Minister of Education (Sir David Eccles)I have approved twenty-nine proposals and rejected four. I will, with permission, circulate details in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. SwinglerI thank the right hon. Gentleman for that information, but now that he and his Department are beginning to abandon their doctrinaire opposition to comprehensive schools, and more and more local authorities, whatever their political complexion, are considering the advantages of these schools, would not he agree to the suggestion, which I made some time ago, that he issue a document for the guidance of local authorities, describing and explaining the nature of the different types of comprehensive school which are now in operation?
§ Sir D. EcclesThe guidance is there in the White Paper of 1958. The hon. Member may like to know that in the same period I have approved 460 other types of secondary school, including 57 grammar schools. None the less, I am in favour of reasonable experiments.
§ Mr. WilleyThere is no need for the right hon. Gentleman to be too modest about his change of mind, but in view of the Crowther Report and the widespread interest in comprehensive school education, will he consider issuing a White Paper, or perhaps a chapter in the Annual Report, giving a record of the achievements of different types of schools?
§ Sir D. EcclesI will consider that suggestion for the Annual Report, but the hon. Member would be wrong to think that I have changed my mind. It is exactly the same now as it was when I was previously Minister of Education.
§ Mrs. WhiteWould not the right hon. Gentleman agree that a great many schools may be called comprehensive but are not comprehensive because they have to compete with selective grammar schools in that category?
§ Sir D. EcclesThat is a matter of looking at each school in turn.
§ The following are the details:
| PROPOSALS UNDER SECTION 13 OF THE EDUCATION ACT, 1944 FOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS LIKELY TO BE CLASSIFIED AS COMPREHENSIVE, CONSIDERED BY THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION BETWEEN 14TH OCTOBER, 1959 AND 13TH APRIL, 1961 | |||
| England | Approved | Rejected | |
| Counties | |||
| Cumberland | … | 1 | — |
| Derbyshire | … | — | 1 |
| Herefordshire | … | — | 1 |
| Lancashire | … | 1 | — |
| London | … | 7 | — |
| Middlesex | … | — | 1 |
| Nottinghamshire | … | 1 | — |
| Staffordshire | … | 1 | — |
| Westmorland | … | 2 | — |
| County Boroughs | … | ||
| Yorkshire (West Riding) | … | 3 | — |
| Bradford | … | 1 | — |
| Coventry | … | 1 | — |
| Kingston-upon-Hull | … | 1 | — |
| Leeds | … | 1 | — |
| Liverpool | … | 4 | 1 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | … | 1 | — |
| Sheffield | … | 1 | — |
| Walsall | … | 1 | — |
| Wales | … | ||
| Brecon | … | 1 | — |
| Glamorgan | … | 1 | — |
| … | 29 | 4 |