§ Sir G STRICKLANDasked the President of the Board of Education whether he is aware that in Lancaster certain non-provided schools, erected with private funds and under ecclesiastical control, received notice, dated the 24th February, that the recognition of the Board of Education ought to be withdrawn in the absence of required structural alterations, the nature of which has not been disclosed; and whether he will grant facilities to the managers of such schools to study the Reports indicating the structural defects which have caused action to be taken in the direction of threatening a withdrawal of recognition of their schools?
Duchess of ATHOLLStatements indicating the structural defects in the schools referred to are being forwarded to the local education authority. I may, however, remind my hon. Friend that the Board's letter of 24th February last was not intended to convey their final decision upon these schools; its object was to place before the authority, with a view to full discussion with them and the managers, the cases of schools which appeared to the Board, on the information before them, to be in varying degrees unsuitable for their present purposes.