§ Mr. Charles Irvingasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what advice is given to local education authorities with regard to the inclusion of immigrant children whose parents have special religious requirements in the comprehensive system.
§ Miss Joan LestorThe rights of parents and the duties and powers of local education authorities and other bodies with regard to religious education are set out in the Education Act 1944. These apply irrespective of whether the parents are immigrants and of whether the local secondary schools are comprehensive. In particular, the Act gives the parents of any child at a maintained school the right to withdraw the child from religious worship or instruction, and specifies the circumstances in which religious instruction distinctive of a particular denomination may be given in a county secondary school.