§ Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will take immediate steps to inspect all those private fee-paying schools which make provision for mentally-handicapped and other children and which are now only provisionally registered;
(2) if he will make immediate arrangements for the inspection of those private schools, catering for handicapped children, which are still only provisionally registered.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellThere are only three special schools which are provisionally registered, and these were visited on 8th, 9th and 17th March, respectively. I do not consider that further inspection is called for in the immediate future.
§ Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Sectary of State for Scotland if he will ascertain the scale of fees charged per child per annum at each independent school providing education for handicapped children.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellAs I have explained to the hon. Member, I do not seek information about the fees paid by local authorities which send children to these schools, but I understand that the fees charged for a residential place range from £700 to just over £1,000 per annum.
§ Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secreary of State for Scotland to what extent, on the basis of information from his inspectors, corporal punishment is used in independent schools for handicapped children; and what evidence he has of the use of the cane or the tawse in these establishments.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellI understand that corporal punishment is used in only two independent special schools, both of which have places for difficult children with behaviour problems as well as for192W handicapped children. In neither is it employed frequently; the tawse is used, but not the cane.
§ Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many independent schools for the care of handicapped children have been de-registered or not registered at all since the commencement of the operation of the Education (Scotland) Act 1962.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellNo registered or provisionally registered independent school for handicapped children has been ordered to be struck off the Register of Independent Schools, and there has been no occasion on which provisional registration has been refused.
§ Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will state the dates on which independent fee-paying schools providing facilities for handicapped children have been officially inspected in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellA table showing dates of inspections is given below:
Aberdeenshire
Linn Moor Home for Children—May, 1971
East Lothian
Algrade School (opened November, 1968)—January and December, 1969; March, 1972.
Fife
Corsbie Hall School, Thornton (opened September, 1970)—January, February, May, June, September and November, 1971; March. 1972.
Peeblesshire
Garvald School—June, 1967; October, 1971.
Perth and Kinross
Ochil Tower School—March and May, 1967; October, 1969; June, 1971.
Wigtownshire
Corsbie Hall School. Newton Stewart (opened November, 1968); renamed The Monken Hadley School in December, 1971—March and October, 1969; March and December, 1971; March, 1972.
Merton Hall School (opened January, 1972)—March. 1972.
§ Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is satisfied with the qualifications of the teaching staff, and their ability to assess the needs of each child, at the private schools for 193W handicapped children in Fife and at Newton Stewart, Wigtownshire.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellMost of the teachers, including the head teachers, at these schools are trained teachers; and I am satisfied with their ability to assess the educational needs of the children.