§ Mr. CHARLES BATHURSTasked the President of the Board of Education whether, having regard to the fact that many small holders, small tradesmen, 2670W gardeners, artisans, and other persons of small means send their children, at con siderable self-sacrifice, to provincial secondary schools, and also that some of the children now occupying free places in such schools after attending an elementary school are withdrawn from the school before the completion of the full four years' course, the Board will so amend the regulations relating to the admission of free places of 25 per cent. of the students as to enable a proportion of the vacancies created by such withdrawals to be filled at the discretion of the governors by children of needy local parents already in the school or attending some other secondary school in the district, if they have shown special proficiency or exceptional industry?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI think the hon. Member has misunderstood the regulation to which he refers. The number of free places required to be offered at the commencement of each school year is calculated on the admissions during the previous year, not on the vacancies at the disposal of the governors at the beginning of the new school year. When the requisite number of free places has been offered it is open to the governors to fill their remaining vacancies, including any of the free places which are not taken up, by fee-paying or non-fee-paying pupils, as opportunity offers. I am not prepared to amend the Free Place Regulations so as to substitute any other qualification for previous attendance at a public elementary school. The experience of the Board shows that any other criterion of the needs of the candidates is extremely difficult to apply.