§ Mr. CLOUGHasked the President of the Board of Education what were his reasons for proposing, in March, 1906, to the governors of the Girls' Grammar School, Skipton, that their tuition fees should be increased; whether the governors did increase their fees accordingly, and by what amount; and whether he can state in what respect this advancement of fees is calculated to further the educational efficiency of the district ostensibly served by this school, in view of the fact that the governors do not provide the 25 per cent. of free places required by the Board's regulations?
Mr. RUNCIMA'NThe school in question has never applied for grants from the Board, and the requirements of the Board as to provision of free places in State-aided Secondary Schools do not, therefore, apply to it. Before those requirements came into force, namely, in November, 1905, the Board, in view of its financial position, advised the governors that the tuition fees must be raised if the school was to be efficiently maintained and adequate salaries paid to the staff. In March, 1906, the governors decided to raise the scale of fees per term as follows:—
The fees for pupils between 12 and 14 remain as before, viz., £2 10s. per term. The revised scale came into operation at once in the case of new pupils, and at the commencement of the autumn term of 1907 in the case of pupils already in the school.
- For pupils in the Kindergarten Department from £1 3s. 4d. to £1 10s.
- For pupils in the Main School under 12 from £1 13s. 4d. to £2.
- For pupils in the Main School over 14 from £3 to £3 10s.