§ 1. Mr. Willeyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on the proposed new Carley Hill comprehensive secondary school in Sunderland.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Education and Science (Mr. Ernest Armstrong)The building project for this school was included in the preliminary list of major projects to start in 1975–76 as a replacement for three old secondary schools. The school building programme for that year is, however, still under consideration.
§ Mr. WilleyWill my hon. Friend keep this matter under urgent consideration? Is he aware that the education authority is greatly obliged to him for enabling it to abolish the 11-plus but that the present provisions are purely temporary improvisations and in my constituency we cannot have comprehensive secondary education in any real sense unless and until we get this new school?
§ Mr. ArmstrongI certainly give the assurance that we are keeping the matter under urgent review. These children 1180 have been suffering a double handicap in that they were among the minority who were still subject to selection in the borough and in a very old secondary modern school. I assure my right hon. Friend that as soon as a replacement programme is possible—and we are very keen about this matter—we shall bear in mind what he said about Carley Hill.