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‘L’Art Du Possible’, The Board of Education, The Catholic Church and Negotiations Over the White Paper and the Education Bill, 1943–1944

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 September 2015

John Davies
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Extract

The negotiations between the Board of Education and the Roman Catholic authorities over what was to become the 1944 Education Act began in April 1941 when the Government's Green Book on educational reform was delivered to the Catholic hierarchy. They were to continue until the Government's proposals became law in 1944. There were three distinct phases in these negotiations, centred on the Green Book, the White Paper, and the Bill. The intention of this article is to examine the latter two phases.

After protracted negotiations on the Green Book there was near deadlock between the Board and the Catholic Church. R. A. Butler's aim in the Green Book, which he adopted when he became President of the Board of Education in July 1941, was to provide a national system of education, primary, secondary and further. There would be secondary education for all, children being transferred at the age of eleven to grammar, modern or technical schools. This raised the issue of the role of denominational schools, the so called ‘Dual System’. Essentially the voluntary bodies, if they were to continue to be part of the State system were offered two possibilities. Under the first they would receive 100% grant towards the maintenance and repair of buildings (in addition to the payment of teachers’ salaries) for which they would concede the appointment of teachers to the Local Education Authority (LEA) and accept an ‘agreed syllabus’ for religious education. The second possibility would allow the voluntary bodies to retain the appointment of teachers and the teaching of their own religious syllabus, but the Government grant in this case would be only 50%. Catholics felt that, in conscience, they could not accept the first option and that they were being penalised for their religious beliefs in regard to the second. They pressed, therefore, for 100% grant.

Type
Research Article
Information
British Catholic History , Volume 22 , Issue 2 , October 1994 , pp. 231 - 250
Copyright
Copyright © Catholic Record Society 1994

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References

Notes

1 This article is based on the Board of Education files in the Public Record Office, Kew. PRO ED 136–412 deals with negotiations with the Catholic authorities in the White Paper period, 136–458 with the Bill stage. From the Catholic side there is no comparable archive, at least for the White Paper stage. Downey led the Catholic side during this phase but, disappointingly, his papers in the Chancery of the Archdiocese of Liverpool contain little of importance for this period. Cruikshank, M., Church and State in English Education, 1870 to the Present Day, 1965,Google Scholar Huot, D., Denominational Schools as a Political Problem in England and Wales, 1940–1959. D.Phil. Oxford, 1962,Google Scholar Pattison, R., An Examination of the Political and Legislative Background to the Development of Catholic Elementary Education in England in the Early Twentieth Century. Ph.D. Leeds, 1969 Google Scholar establish the political context in which Catholic Education developed in this period. Coman, P., Catholics and the Welfare State, 1977 pp. 51 Google Scholar seq. discusses Catholic public responses to proposed educational reform from 1941. Gosden, P. H. J. H., Education in the Second World War: a Study in Policy and Administration, 1976 p. 370 Google Scholar provides a brief account of the Catholic—Board of Education White Paper negotiations.

2 PRO ED 136–271, 136–226.

3 Beales, A. C. F., ‘The Struggle for the Schools’ in Beck, G. R. (ed.) The English Catholics 1850–1950, 1950, pp. 393.Google Scholar seq.

4 PRO ED 136–271, 136–226. passim.

5 Beales. pp. 398. seq.

6 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to J. H. F. McEwen, 15 July 1943.

7 The public campaign in the autumn was carefully monitored by the Board, PRO ED 136–412. Collection of newspaper cuttings on Catholic rallies in London and Manchester, October 1943.

8 PRO ED 136–412. E. Keeling. Report to Butler on visit to Godfrey, 16 July 1943.

9 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Desmond Morton, 19 July 1943.

10 PRO ED 136–412. Morton to Butler, 22 July 1943, Butler to Morton, 27 July 1943.

11 PRO ED 136–412. E. Sutton to Butler, 22 July 1943.

12 PRO ED 136–412. Sir George Schuster to Butler, no date.

13 PRO ED 136–412. Lord Perth to Butler, 5 Aug. 1943.

14 PRO ED 136–412. Notes on Sutton's loan scheme, July 1943. Butler to Schuster, 23 October 1943. Note from legal advisers on Perth's claim, 12 Aug. 1943.

15 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Perth, draft, Aug. 1943.

16 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to FitzAlan. draft, Aug. 1943.

17 Butler, R. A.. The Art of the Possible. 1971. p. 107.Google Scholar

18 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Downey, 11 Aug. 1943.

19 PRO ED 136–412. Downey to Butler, 13 Aug. 1943.

20 PRO ED 136–412. S. Goodfellow to Downey, 14 Aug. 1943.

21 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Downey, 12 Aug. 1943.

22 PRO ED 136–412. Downey to Butler, 31 Aug. 1943.

23 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Heaton.? Aug. 1943.

24 PRO ED 136–412. Sir M. Holmes. Memo. Telephone conversation with Morton, 26 Aug. 1943.

25 PRO ED 136–412. Chuter Ede to Brown, 19 Aug. 1943.

26 PRO ED 136–412. Brown to C. Pearce, Gen. Sec. London Teachers’ Association. Pearce to Brown, 19 Aug. 1943. Enclosed in Sir R. Topping to Butler, 26 Aug. 1943.

27 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Topping, 30 Aug. 1943.

28 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Chuter Ede, 20 Aug. 1943.

29 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Downey, 23 Aug. 1943.

30 PRO ED 136–412. Board meeting with Downey, 27 Aug. Downey's account, 30 Aug. 1943.

31 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Downey. 1 Sept. 1943.

32 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Downey. Personal, 1 Sept. 1943.

33 PRO ED 136–412. Downey to Butler, 3 Sept. 1943.

34 PRO ED 136–412. Meeting, Butler and Godfrey, 28 Aug. Note, 30 Aug. 1943.

35 PRO ED 136–412. Heaton to A. W. H. Jones, 23 Aug. 1943.

36 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to FitzAlan, 1 Sept. 1943.

37 PRO ED 136–412. Minute. 30 Aug. 1943.

38 PRO ED 136–412. Holmes to Butler, 2 Sept. 1943.

39 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Chuter Ede, 9 Sept. 1943.

40 PRO ED 136–412. Minute, 9 Sept. 1943.

41 PRO ED 136–412. Bishop of Salford to Butler, 15 Sept. 1943.

42 PRO ED 136–412. Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle to Butler, 14 Sept. 1943.

43 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Anderson, Chancellor of the Exchequer, 14 Sept. 1943.

44 PRO ED 136–412. War Cabinet. Lord President's Committee, 24 Sept. 1943.

45 Butler, op. cit. p. 108.

46 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Anderson, 2 Oct. 1943. draft. Not sent.

47 PRO ED 136–412. McCormack to Butler, 3 Oct. 1943.

48 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Downey, 30 Sept. 1943.

49 PRO ED 136–412. Marshall to Butler, 8 Oct. 1943. Note on Marshall's figures, 11 Oct. 1943.

50 PRO ED 136–412. Minute. Limitation of Financial Liability of Managers for Building Costs of Voluntary Schools, 15 Oct. 1943.

51 Liverpool Echo. 16 Oct. 1943. Times, 16 Oct. 1943.

52 PRO ED 136–412. Bill Discussion. The Roman Catholic Hierarchy, Oct. 1943.

53 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Downey, 20 Oct. 1943. Downey to Butler, 21 Oct. 1943.

54 Davies, J., ‘Palliatives and Expedients’, North West Catholic History, 20, p. 47 seq.Google Scholar

55 PRO ED 136–412. E. C. Ross to Butler, 27 Sept. 1943.

56 PRO ED 136–412. Sir R. Carey to Butler, 26 Oct. 1943.

57 PRO ED 136–412. Rev. J. Coughlan to Butler, 6 Oct. 1943. Butler's note.

58 PRO ED 136–412. Canon E. F. Braley to Butler, 21 Oct. 1943.

59 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Braley, 27 Oct. 1943.

60 PRO ED 136–412. Notes for meeting with R. C. Bishops, 2 Nov. 1943.

61 PRO ED 136–412. Morton to Butler, 1 Nov. 1943, Churchill to FitzAlan, 4 Nov. 1943.

62 PRO ED 136–412. Discussion with Representatives of R. C. Hierarchy Regarding the Fixing of Ceiling Figures for R. C. Schools, 2 Nov. 1943.

63 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Anderson, 3 Nov. 1943.

64 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Downey, 5 Nov. 1943.

65 PRO ED 136–412. Downey to Butler, 10 Nov. 1943.

66 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Downey, 12 Nov. 1943.

67 PRO ED 136–412. Downey to Butler, 17 Nov. 1943.

68 PRO ED 136–412. Minute, 19 Nov. 1943.

69 PRO ED 136–412. Minute. Meeting, Butler and Godfrey, 12 Nov. 1943.

70 PRO ED 136–412. Minute. Meeting, Butler and FitzAlan, 18 Nov. 1943.

71 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Downey, 16 Dec. 1943.

72 PRO ED 136–412. Butler to Downey, 16 Dec. 1943. Downey to Butler, 17 Dec. 1943.

73 PRO ED 136–458. Griffin to Butler, 7 Jan. 1944.

74 PRO ED 136–458. Butler to Griffin, 11 Jan. 1944.

75 PRO ED 136–458. Minute. Meeting, Butler, Griffin, McCormack, 21 Jan. 1944.

76 PRO ED 136–458. Estimated Costs to R.C.s Under Clause 95, 17 Jan. 1944. Board Comments on R.C. Estimates, 2 Feb. 1944.

77 PRO ED 136–458. Minute. Meeting, Chuter Ede and McCormack, 28 Jan., Butler and Griffin, 3 Feb. 1944.

78 PRO ED 136–458. Bishop of Shrewsbury to Griffin, 31 Jan. 1944. Butler's comments.

79 PRO ED 136–458. Butler to Griffin, 8 Feb. 1944, Butler to Griffin, 5 Feb. 1944.

80 PRO ED 136–458. FitzAlan to Churchill, 2 Feb. 1944, Churchill to FitzAlan, Feb. 1944, Board draft.

81 PRO ED 136–458. Butler to Griffin, 13 March 1944, Butler to Griffin, 1 April 1944, Butler to Griffin, 3 April 1944.

82 PRO ED 136–458. Griffin to Butler, 17 March 1944, Butler's comments, Griffin to Butler, 20 April 1944.

83 Davies, op. cit. p. 65, PRO ED 136–458, Brown to Pearce, 13 June 1944.

84 Butler, op. cit. p. 120.