Record

GDS - Records of the Girls' Day School Trust and predecessors (GDST)
- 10 - Relationship with Central and Local Government
  - 1 - Central Government

StorageSite	UCL Institute of Education
Level	SubSubSeries
Reference Number	GDS/10/1/5
Title	'Educational Reorganization' (ER)
Date	1958-1975
Description	Various files regarding educational reorganisation and comprehensive reform from the 1950s to the 1970s. The files appear to have previously been part of a series labelled 'ER' and this reference has been added to each description. There are no files marked ER/4-29. The Labour Government in the 1960s supported comprehensive education and drafted a circular (10/65) 'The Organisation of Secondary Education' which proposed the end of selection at eleven plus and the elimination of separatism in secondary education and required that for all Local Education Authorities (LEA) to submit plans for reorganising secondary education along comprehensive lines. The Trust was one of many organisations asked to comment on the draft circular and sent a deputation to the Department of Education and Science (DES) in June 1965 to discuss the future of the Trust and its schools in line with comprehensive reform. The Trust felt it was ill equipped to deal with the full cross section of abilities or aptitudes. The Secretary of State indicated that the education system was still evolving and he hoped that Direct Grant schools would evolve within the system. After much debate in the government the Circular 10/65 was published in July 1965 and only requested that LEA submit plans for comprehensive education by 1966. The reaction of the LEAs varied; some LEAs planned an immediate change, others a gradual change and a few were resistant to the reforms. Direct Grant schools were worried as LEAs proposed sending unselected children and others suggested children would transfer at 13 instead of 11. The Trust held many internal discussions on how it would deal with the change including adapting the curriculum, changing the age of entry and removing selective entrance examinations. In 1966 the Trust produced two statements of policy on the educational reforms (referred to as circulars 1/66 and 2/66) giving guidance to head mistresses and members of governing bodies on how to deal with the reforms. The Government also created the Public Schools Commission to advise them on a future policy for private schools (see GDS/10/1/6). In 1969 the Labour Government made proposals to introduce an Education Bill which called for the end of selective education in all LEAs expect in the case of specialised schools. The Trust appealed against the bill but it was never enacted. The Government lost the 1970 election and the new Conservative Government withdrew the Circular 10/65 and replaced it with Circular 10/70, which allowed each authority to decide its own policy. In 1974 the Labour Government returned to power and issued circular 4/74 which confirmed that they would continue to develop a full comprehensive system at all stages of education.
Extent	20 folders, 1 oversized folder and 14 items.
Arrangement	These files have been arranged in numerical order using the ER reference number.
AccessStatus	Open
Related Material	Other papers regarding the withdrawal of the Direct Grant can be found in GDS/8/3.

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