§ Mr. GroundTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science which local education authorities in England have distributed copies of the parents charter to parents in their areas; which local education authorities have refused to do so; and what alternative arrangements 533W have been made for distributing copies of the parents charter to parents in those areas where local education authorities are not doing so.
§ Mr. EggarSample copies of the charter were sent to headteachers and chairmen of governors at every school, together with an order form for further copies. More than 16,400 schools—66 per cent.—requested some 4 million copies to distribute to parents. The charter was widely advertised in the national press with a freepost coupon or a freephone number for ordering copies. It is also available in public libraries and post offices. Some 1.9 million copies have now been distributed through these means.
We are aware that a few local education authorities actively discouraged their schools from distributing copies of the charter, but we do not have comrehensive information about local authority attitudes. This is essentially a matter for schools, and the great majority have requested copies for distribution.