HC Deb 08 May 1990 vol 172 c34W
20. Mr. Tony Banks

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the freedom of parents to withdraw children from schools on the basis of racial mix.

Mr. Macgregor

Under section 6 of the Education Act 1980, parents have the right to express a preference as to the school they wish their child to attend. Such preferences can be expressed at any time. Local education authorities and school governors must comply with a parent's preference if the school concerned has a suitable place available. If there is competition for places, authorities and governors cannot allocate them on racial grounds.

Dr. Reid

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if parents' rights to choose educational establishments on grounds of ethnic composition is to apply to nursery provision; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Mahon

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if parents' rights to choose educational establishments on grounds of ethnic composition applies to nursery provision; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Rumbold

I refer the hon. Members to the reply that I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Maryhill (Mrs. Fyfe).

Mr. John D. Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of primary school pupils in the constituency of Richmond and Barnes in each of the past five years belong to non-white racial communities.

Mr. Alan Howarth

The information requested is not available centrally but my right hon. Friend announced in circular No. 16/89 that ethnic statistics will be collected by local education authorities from schools from September 1990 and the first aggregated LEA returns will be made to the Department in June 1991.