§ 1955. Sir D. Eccles,pursuant to his reply to a supplementary question by Mr. H. MORRISON [OFFICIAL REPORT, 27th October, 1955; Vol. 545, c. 360], supplied the following letter:
Copy
- 1. Manchester
- 2. Reorganisation of Schools. P/S 493K/68.
31st August,
SIR,
I am directed by the Minister of Education to refer to Mr. Elliot's letters of the 15th, 18th and 27th July, and to state that he has carefully considered the proposals made by the Authority under Section 13 of the Education Act, 1944:In doing so the Minister has considered the arguments submitted by the Authority in support of these two proposals; he has studied the objections received and noted the grounds on which they were made; and he has examined the Authority's observations on these objections.
- (i) to cease to maintain the secondary grammar school for about 750 children and the secondary modern school for about 500 children which they were in the course of establishing at Poundswick and Oldwood, Wythenshawe, respectively, and to establish in the premises of these two schools a comprehensive school for about 1,260 children; and
- (ii) to cease to maintain the two secondary technical schools for about 500 boys and 500 girls, respectively, which they were in the course of establishing at Moor Road, West Wythenshawe, and to establish in the premises of these two schools a comprehensive school for about 980 children.
The Minister is prepared as a matter of general policy to approve the establishment of some comprehensive schools as an experiment where favourable conditions exist. It appears to him, however, that the Authority's decision 85W to settle the size of the two comprehensive schools for which Notices have been published by reference, not to the needs of a particular type of school organisation, but rather to the availability of premises originally designed to suit the requirements of schools of a widely different type and size, both fails to provide the conditions in which the merits of this comparatively untried type of school can be properly tested, and involves an uneconomical use of expensive resources. In particular, he is not satisfied, in the case of the Poundswick/Oldwood proposal, that it is possible to give adequate scope to a comprehensive type of organisation by the use of two sets of premises separated by not less than half a mile. Moreover, the comparatively small size of the proposed comprehensive schools, and the consequent distribution of extended and advanced courses among so many schools in the area, would be likely to involve a very uneconomical use of specialist staff and accommodation and thereby make it very difficult to provide opportunities for children of more than average ability comparable with those that will be available in the schools whose establishment has been approved. It is true that it would be open to these children to attend a grammar or technical school elsewhere in the city, but this could be done only at the expense of children to whom places in one of those schools would otherwise be available.With regard to the West Wythenshawe proposal, the Minister understands that it was the Authority's original intention to set a high standard of secondary technical education in the city by establishing for the first time in new buildings carefully designed for the purpose, two new secondary technical schools, for boys and girls respectively, and he had been looking forward confidently to the development in them of courses which would come to be regarded as being equal in standard and prestige with those provided for the ablest children in grammar schools. The Authority have given no convincing grounds for their desire so suddenly to abandon this promising development, or for their assertion that the loss of this, for the city, unique provision would be compensated for by the improvised use of the premises for a relatively small comprehensive school for boys and girls.In short, the Minister does not consider that the Authority's proposal to make radical last-minute changes in the organisation of the four schools now on the verge of completion would be to the educational advantage of the children or afford acceptable conditions for an experiment. Accordingly the Authority's proposals 86W are not approved and the objectors are being so informed.I am to add that the Authority's proposal to make some changes in the internal organisation of the Yew Tree Secondary School does not require the Minister's formal approval. He assumes, however, that in so far as the changes they had in mind were dependent on his approval to the proposals which are the subject of this letter, the Authority will not wish to give effect to them without consideration. The Minister notes, moreover, that they would require for their implementation substantial extensions to the premises of the school, the justification for which, in terms of the building policy laid down in Circular 283, has not yet been made. In this connection the Authority should not assume that the Minister would be willing to approve a proposal to cease to maintain the Moss Nook Secondary School which they represented to his predecessor as being urgently needed.I am, Sir,Your obedient Servant,(S. M. E. GOODFELLOW).