§ 11.42 p.m.
§ Sir George Sinclair (Dorking)With your permission, Mr. Deputy Speaker, and that of the House, I have the honour to present a petition on behalf of the direct grant schools.
These schools have served the cause of education well for many years, in particular by preserving and encouraging high standards of learning and conduct by educating children from a wide variety of backgrounds, including the children of parents of moderate means, and by helping them to develop a strong sense of duty and service to the community.
The petition is a symbol of the protest of the 4,000 people who came today from all parts of the country to lobby hon. Members, and the 500,000 signatures collected in under three weeks of the parents and many other supporters of the direct grant schools. The support behind this protest is many times this figure.
Wherefore your Petitioners pray that the decision to phase out the direct grant from September 1976 should be reversed and that there will be a decision to retain and to improve the system.
And your Petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.
I beg leave to present the petition.
§ To lie upon the Table.