| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Group Foundation Bodies
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will take steps to ensure that local education authorities do not promote policies of encouraging schools to form group foundation bodies. [102827]
Ms Estelle Morris: The group foundation mechanism enables schools without existing foundations to enter the Voluntary sector. It is for governing bodies themselves to decide whether they should apply to establish or join a foundation body for their schools. If they do so, the foundation body will hold the schools' land for the purposes of the schools, appoint foundation governors for those schools and promote co-operation between member schools. Local education authorities have no major role in any decision by governing bodies considering membership of a foundation body.
School Organisation Committees
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make it his policy to prevent party political appointments, other than local education authority nominations, to school organisation committees. [102821]
Ms Estelle Morris: The local authority has no control over membership of three of the groups on the committee, and is prevented by regulation from appointing governors who are elected members to the schools group. Since decisions on plans or proposals can be reached only if all groups vote unanimously, party politics should not be a determining factor in local decision-making. Where the groups cannot agree, the case is referred to the Schools Adjudicator for decision.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to allow for appeals against the composition of school organisation committees. [102820]
Ms Estelle Morris:
School organisation committees must be set up in accordance with The Education (School Organisation Committees) (England) Regulations 1999. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State would consider any complaints or other evidence that a local education authority had failed to comply with the regulations, or exercised its functions unreasonably.
20 Dec 1999 : Column: 398W
Mr. Willis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to ensure that school organisation committees are representative of local community interests. [102819]
Ms Estelle Morris:
The composition of school organisation committees is set out in The Education (School Organisation Committees) (England) Regulations 1999. Committees comprise the main partners in the provision of education locally: the local education authority, Church of England and Roman Catholic diocesan interests, post-16 interests and schools. The regulations allow for a sixth group representing local community interests to be set up, but this is at the discretion of the local education authority and not a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.
Mr. Willis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will publish the political affiliation of members of school organisation committees. [102822]
Ms Estelle Morris:
The Department does not collect systematic information about membership of school organisation committees.
Mr. Willis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his answer of 6 December 1999, Official Report, column 421W, on teachers, if the grants are payable to (a) the school of each training graduate or (b) the company contracted to provide the service. [102844]
Ms Estelle Morris:
Training grants are paid to recommending bodies who are responsible for organising individual training programmes for trainees. The recommending body can be the school where the trainee is employed or another organisation capable of organising a training programme. The Teacher Training Agency (TTA) employs two contractors to administer the employment-based routes to Qualified Teacher Status including approval of training programmes, administration of funding and assessment arrangements and matching potential trainees with jobs. Neither of these organisations acts as a recommending body.
20 Dec 1999 : Column: 399W
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list (a) the categories of specialist comprehensives, (b) the number of schools in each category and (c) the number and percentage of successful and unsuccessful applications for specialist school status. [102865]
Ms Estelle Morris:
The numbers of specialist schools designated as arts, languages, sports or technology colleges which are deemed comprehensive schools are listed in the table.
| Category of specialism | Comprehensive | Other (21) |
|---|---|---|
| Arts Colleges | 29 | 0 |
| Language Colleges | 65 | 6 |
| Sports Colleges | 35 | 2 |
| Technology Colleges | 241 | 25 |
(21) The 33 other schools comprise 18 selective, 12 secondary modern and three special schools
| Number | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|
| Successful | ||
| March 1998 | 51 | 42 |
| October 1998 | 35 | 53 |
| March 1999 | 37 | 71 |
| June 1999 | 41 | 45 |
| Unsuccessful | ||
| March 1998 | 71 | 58 |
| October 1998 | 31 | 47 |
| March 1999 | 15 | 29 |
| June 1999 | 51 | 55 |
Home Education
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children are claimed to be being educated at home, or elsewhere outside school, on the basis of their parent signing a form presented to them by an education official; and if he will make a statement. [102970]
Jacqui Smith:
Data on the number of children educated otherwise than at school are not collected centrally. Under the Education Act 1996, parents can opt to educate their children otherwise than at school. In such circumstances, pupils can only be removed from a school roll where the school has received written notification from the parent that the pupil is receiving education otherwise than at school. Local Education Authorities have a duty to ensure that the education provided is suitable to the age, aptitude and ability and any special
20 Dec 1999 : Column: 400W
educational needs the child may have. It is Local Education Authorities to decide how to monitor these arrangements.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what action he proposes to take to ensure that claims that children are receiving home education are not used to disguise truancy; and if he will make a statement. [102971]
Jacqui Smith:
Local Education Authorities have a duty to monitor the quality of home education being provided and we expect them to carry out this duty. If home education is not being provided or is not of a satisfactory standard, Local Education Authorities can apply to the courts of an Educational Supervision Order. Alternatively they should pursue a School Attendance Order.
Where we receive specific complaints that schools may be using home education as a method to disguise truancy, we will investigate.
Mr. Gardiner:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which local authorities currently include a special educational needs factor in their local management of schools formula on the basis of an SEN audit. [102977]
Ms Estelle Morris:
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 8 December 1999, Official Report, column 587W.
Mr. Gardiner:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many employees of his Department availed themselves of early retirement packages and at what total cost in financial year 1996-97. [102976]
Mr. Wills:
During the 1996-97 financial year 660 employees of the Department for Education and Employment (including the Employment Service) took early retirement at a total cost in the year of £11.8 million.
Dr. Kumar:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the quality of education in (a) Middlesbrough, (b) Redcar and Cleveland, (c) Stockton and (d) Hartlepool local education authorities in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools since 1 May 1997, following the recent school inspections there. [102912]
Ms Estelle Morris:
It is the responsibility of Ofsted to inspect education in schools. The data are based on Ofsted's school inspections since the start of the current round in September 1997. The figures are expressed as a percentage of schools inspected.
20 Dec 1999 : Column: 399W
20 Dec 1999 : Column: 401W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |