§ 19. Mr. J. E. B. Hillasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what, in relation to middle schools, are the relevant educational, financial and other standards where these under current legislation and practice differ as between primary and secondary school.
§ Mr. Gordon WalkerApart from the provisions in the Education Act relating to managing and governing bodies, there ere certain provisions in my Department's regulations which differentiate between primary and secondary schools. The most important in the context of the establishment of middle schools are the building regulations and I am considering amending these to provide separate standards for middle schools.
§ Mr. HillIs not it time that the Minister's Department, and, indeed, all of us, got away from the conception of a rigid distinction between primary and secondary education and devised a more flexible system of relating the standards and grants to the different child age years? Surely, that would cater for the needs of schools of all age ranges?
§ Mr. Gordon WalkerI quite agree that we clearly need a more flexible arrangement because of the arising of middle schools. We are already applying new building standards. My difficulty is that the Act recognises only primary and secondary schools. I must decide whether a middle school is primary or secondary. Until we can alter the Act we shall introduce flexibility as far as we can by regulations and other means short of legislation.