Speeches, etc.

Margaret Thatcher

Written Statement for Finchley Times (Education Bill)

Document type: Speeches, interviews, etc.
Venue: Unknown
Source: Finchley Times, 4 March 1976
Editorial comments: Item listed by date of publication.
Importance ranking: Minor
Word count: 517

Education chairman opposes the Bill

Opposition leader Mrs Margaret Thatcher is rallying support in North-West and North London for petitions opposing the Government's new Education Act.

And among the first to follow her leader is Alderman Mrs. Clara Thubrun, pro-comprehensive chairman of Barnet Education Committee.

She signed a petition against the Labour Bill and admitted: “I am, as you well know, in favour of comprehensive education, but I am against it being imposed on anyone.

“I am for independent schools—I believe in people paying for education or medicine if they wish—but I reckon that we in Barnet made the choice.

“The local education authority should have the choice and I am not saying that what is good for Barnet may be good for anyone else.”

In an exclusive statement to this newspaper, Mrs Thatcher, the MP for Finchley and Friern Barnet, describes the Bill as “a major step towards a State-centred and State-controlled system of education.”

Curtailed

Mrs Thatcher told me: “This Bill to impose comprehensive education throughout England and Wales will not only do away with any variety of schools within the maintained system, but also the rights of local education authorities would be seriously curtailed.

“I believe that we in Barnet must do everything possible to defeat or amend the Government's new Education Bill in Parliament.

She is determined that Barnet will collect a record number of signatures objecting to the Bill.

Five hundred people—80 per cent of those asked—signed the first petitions in Mill Hill. The Barnet Education Group for Standards, composed of councillors, school governors, teachers, pupils and parents, are helping organise the opposition.

Their view was summed up this week by Mr Frederick Lumb, of Beech Walk, Mill Hill.

He said: “We are not against comprehensive schools, but we are against the compulsion for all as stated in the Mulley Bill.”

The battle to preserve Christ's College, Finchley, as a grammar school, is continuing.

The school captain of Christ's College, Douglas Bennett, of Broughton Avenue, Finchley, wrote: “I am probably in a unique position to be able to judge the present mood of the school and I am in no doubt that the majority of my fellow pupils are most strongly in support of Mr Meyer 's proposals.

“While I am in favour of comprehensive education, I am also an advocate of a little commonsense—which the members of Barnet Education Committee seem to be sadly lacking, in regard to their present plans for the school.

“Such a system does not mostly consist of bricks and mortar, but an intricate link with the community that has flourished for nearly 120 years.”

He added: “Unfortunately the curtailing of Christ's College from its established site is only a small part in the systematic destruction of the local community as it has existed for hundreds of years.

“For these reasons I tender my personal support for the proposals.”

Support for Mr Meyer came from councillors, magistrates, teachers, old boys, parents and past parents.