[TO TEE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR:I
ratepayers, and many Voluntary school trustees, will welcome the support given at the end of your article on the Education Bill last week to the suggestion that any Voluntary school that so desires should be at liberty "to contract itself out of our localised system of education and to return to the status quo ante 1902." I personally urged this point on Sir William Anson in 1903 prior to the introduction of the Education (London) Act of that year, and have again recently brought it to the notice of the officials of the Board
of Education.
I have always been at a loss to understand why the rates should be burdened with the maintenance of numerous Voluntary schools, the managers and trustees of which do not desire rate- aid, but are quite prepared to bear the bulk of the necessary expenditure on maintenance and upkeep of buildings out of their trust endowment, or by subscriptions, provided they receive the old Government grant. It is surely not good sense or good business to decline to assist those who are willing and eager to assist themselves. Prior to the Education Acts of 1902-3 a large number of schools throughout the country were maintained in a state of high efficiency by trustees at no expense to the com- munity other than a grant from Imperial funds. I ask, Sir, why should such schools be forced to accept rate-aid on pain of forfeiture of the Government grant which they had previously enjoyed for so many years. One such school with which I am personally connected, in order to retain a Government grant of about £500 a year, which was necessary for its efficient working, had to demand a further ..21,500 a year from the rates.
If any body of persons erect a school and provide efficient secular instruction therein on subjects and within hours approved by the Board of Education, they are surely entitled to receive a grant in respect of the work which they perform, especially as this principle is fully recognised in the case of secondary schools, which are now to receive increased Government grants. As you point out in your article, no non-provided school would of course be entitled to receive a grant unless under Government inspection and certified to be in every way efficient.
It will be recollected that by Section 15 of the Education Act of 1902 provision was made whereby marine schools and boarding- schools should not be rendered incapable of receiving a Parlia- mentary grant, although not maintained by or under the control of the local education authority. A short clause of a like nature could easily be inserted in the present Bill with regard to "certified efficient" Voluntary schools which do not desire rate- aid. Such a provision could not be reasonably opposed by either Churchmen or Nonconformists.
—I am, Sir, &c., WILLIAM H. DAVISON.
37 Kensington Park Gardens, W.
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