§ Sir Michael McNair-WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many boys, the sons of service personnel, have attended Crookham Court school on Ministry of Defence grants since 1974.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe Ministry of Defence does not maintain past records of the numbers of children of service personnel who have attended particular boarding schools. However, at the start of the 1988–89 academic year there were 61 children of service personnel at Crookham Court school; this number has since fallen to 32.
§ Sir Michael McNair-WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Service Children's Education Authority last visited Crookham Court school, Newbury, Berkshire.
§ Mr. NeubertCrookham Court school was last visited on 8 February 1989.
§ Sir Michael McNair-WilsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether in agreeing to pay boarding school allowance for the child of service parents, his Department considers(a) the standard of education on offer and (b) the academic success achieved by a school.
§ Mr. NeubertThe criteria for the admissibility of a school for service boarding school allowance purposes 61W were given in written answer on 9 June, at column 257. These criteria do not take account of the academic success rate, since this is a matter for parents to consider in the light of their children's abilities. The standard of education must, however, be comparable to that available within the state system.