§ Dr. Edmund Marshallasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many local government electors objected to the statutory proposals to cease to maintain Harlow and Northway middle schools, Oxfordshire, respectively; and how many children were on the rolls of each of those schools in November 1980.
§ Dr. BoysonThere were three statutory objections, signed by 40 local government electors, and a further 19 representations with a total of 22 signatures. Numbers on roll are not available for November 1980, but in September 1980 the number of children at the Harlow and Northway middle schools was 315 and 217 respectively.
§ Dr. Edmund Marshallasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science for what reasons the statutory proposals to cease to maintain Harlow and Northway middle schools, Oxfordshire, were rejected.
§ Dr. BoysonThe Department's letter to Oxfordshire county council in respect of these proposals conveyed the view of my right hon. Friend's predecessor that the present and forecast pupil numbers for the area did not justify retaining both schools; but he rejected what was proposed because he was not satisfied that it represented the best possible use of the area's facilities for middle school education.