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Faith Schools

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the faith schools which receive public funding, specifying the amount in each case.[45760]

Mr. Timms: There are approximately 5,000 voluntary schools maintained by Local Education Authorities (LEAs) in England with either a religious or church-related character. LEAs' Section 52 budget statements do not identify these schools separately; it is therefore not possible to provide the information requested without incurring disproportionate costs. All LEA maintained schools are funded on a similar basis, via a local formula methodology, which is based predominately on pupil numbers, along with other specific factors which relate to individual schools' needs.

NVQs (Grants)

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what (a) the number of grants paid out and (b) the average grant allocation given to individuals to obtain National Vocational Qualification level II was in each of the last five years. [45626]

Margaret Hodge: There is a range of support payments available to eligible students and trainees studying towards National Vocational Qualification Level 2, including: Education Maintenance Allowances paid to young people who stay on at school or college and available on a pilot basis in 30 per cent. of England; Access Funds paid to students in cases of hardship and also used to fund residential support for certain specified courses for which a young person needs to live away from home; Training Allowances for 16–24 year

26 Mar 2002 : Column 897W

olds in unwaged work based learning; and help with the childcare costs of those in learning. In addition, the Department provides significant funding to cover the tuition costs of the education and training provided to individuals.

It is not possible, however, to identify either the total number of NVQ Level 2 students helped or the average value of financial assistance received by individuals. Information held by the Department does not differentiate between those individuals studying towards NVQ Level 2 and those aiming for other types and levels of qualification.

Schools

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her policy is on surplus places in schools; and if she will publish the numbers and percentages of surplus places for each local education authority in England [46933]

Mr. Timms: Our policies are focused on raising educational standards. It is wasteful for resources to be locked into maintaining surplus places in schools. Wherever possible these should be freed up and directed towards improving standards. In planning school provision, local education authorities should look for opportunities for removing surplus capacity, with a view to bringing supply and demand for school places into better balance. Their initial focus should be on those schools with 25 per cent. or more of their places unfilled, having particular regard to standards at those schools. The overall aim should be to maximise parental preference and to provide good quality education in the most cost-effective way. The Department's annual survey of surplus places allows us to monitor how local education authorities are meeting this challenge. The Audit Commission has again drawn attention to this issue and, with District Auditors, is promoting good practice.

26 Mar 2002 : Column 898W

Local education authorities have again made progress in the removal of surplus places. The survey returns indicate that there were 699,770 surplus school places in January 2001, representing 9 per cent. of the total capacity of 7.8 million places. This is an overall reduction of 10,219 places on the 2000 figures. Since 1998 a total of 74,050 surplus places have been removed. This reduction means that more money will be spent raising school standards rather than maintaining empty buildings.

The following tables are based on the returns made by the local education authorities in respect of all maintained primary and secondary schools in their area. They set out the numbers of surplus places as at January 2001 for each local authority area, listing primary and secondary separately, together with the proportion that these represent of total capacity. They also highlight the numbers of schools which at that date had surplus of 25 per cent. or more, and at least 30 surplus places, together with the proportion that these represent of the total number of schools.

The number of schools with 25 per cent. or more surplus places has again risen for the second successive year, to 2,441 compared with 2,406 in 2000. As with the 2000 survey, the number of primary schools in this category has risen (2,139 in 2001 which represents 12 per cent. of all primary schools, compared to 2,013 (11 per cent.) in 2000) while the number of secondary schools has declined (302 in 2001, which represents 9 per cent. of all secondary schools, compared with 393 (11 per cent.) in 2000).

The returns also provide the Department with details of the action authorities propose to take on schools with 25 per cent. or more surplus. The returns indicate that in many cases action is being taken, or is planned. Where planning strategies are unclear in areas with particularly high levels of surplus, the Department will be following up with the authorities concerned.

Surplus places by local authority area at January 2001

Primary1 Secondary
Actual surplus2 Schools with surplus of 25 per cent. or more3 Actual surplus Schools with surplus of 25 per cent. or more3
LEA Name Number of placesSurplus as a percentage of total places Number Per cent. Number of placesSurplus as a percentage of total places Number Per cent.
301Barking and Dagenham1,260724467400
302Barnet768300639300
370Barnsley1,7548891,223917
800Bath and NE Somerset1,1979812721618
820Bedfordshire4,1611528194,121101119
303Bexley1,2746582,1951100
330Birmingham7,531731104,195668
889Blackburn7805356106111
890Blackpool561526286400
350Bolton1,816777487300
837Bournemouth4224001,02610110
867Bracknell Forest1,0731141280112117
380Bradford7,4191536232,7758311
304Brent1,6008471,317918
846Brighton and Hove1,860106101,1679220
801Bristol3,3701115131,568800
305Bromley533223442200
825Buckinghamshire6,036133418901313
351Bury1,155746220217
381Calderdale1,757989789500
873Cambridgeshire4,287920101,364413
202Camden89985129098220
875Cheshire7,9721350173,149749
908Cornwall3,97492711200100
201Corporation of London63
331Coventry2,730911121,6457211
306Croydon1,5335331,277715
909Cumbria5,7111335124,01611819
841Darlington8559514421700
831Derby, City of1,88888102,15813214
830Derbyshire6,4921044123,9188715
878Devon5,33392581,519400
371Doncaster5,4591725221,205516
835Dorset2,496916122,248713
332Dudley2,83110810724415
840Durham6,6871457232,916838
307Ealing2,50810711242200
811East Riding of Yorkshire3,3391120151,026516
845East Sussex2,56871171,036400
308Enfield8253352,8731216
881Essex11,414949106,616745
390Gateshead1,7471045551500
916Gloucestershire5,8961231122,043525
203Greenwich2,5691210151,3239214
204Hackney1,8981171285810111
876Halton2,2761715281,16212222
205Hammersmith and Fulham99011411488700
850Hampshire10,9681051125,200757
309Haringey1,1036341,4711119
310Harrow2,25611598519110
805Hartlepool88292770910117
311Havering2,44011812931600
884Herefordshire2,2341415181,08510214
919Hertfordshire9,153941109,632121315
312Hillingdon1,4427341,1887318
313Hounslow1,8541069545300
921Isle of Wight640824775600
420Isles of Scilly10242250362300
206Islington1,9631291879310111
207Kensington and Chelsea942134155831400
886Kent6,55261847,623855
810Kingston upon Hull City of4,6291715191,91511213
314Kingston upon Thames2943136317110
382Kirklees3,48391492,279839
340Knowsley2,6321515251,3951219
208Lambeth2,22811691,65619330
888Lancashire12,6531287175,773789
383Leeds9,4781441173,5457512
856Leicester City3,916131821943500
855Leicestershire3,60371673,157747
209Lewisham1,1736231,82614215
925Lincolnshire6,0251037134,1979914
341Liverpool6,7661533213,112939
821Luton2,13910610426400
352Manchester4,4901124161,9438313
887Medway Towns1,641712132,9281315
315Merton1,23198161,31215218
806Middlesbrough2,012137157878218
826Milton Keynes3,5091417201,72813327
391Newcastle upon Tyne2,0391011152,00410524
316Newham1,5726461,323700
926Norfolk6,8761038103,020748
812North East Lincolnshire2,256141322838718
813North Lincolnshire1,57510111,027917
802North Somerset872623691500
392North Tyneside1,861117131,77012315
815North Yorkshire6,4381349151,675412
928Northamptonshire5,605102593,5017610
929Northumberland3,8741834243,254101119
892Nottingham City of2,5441014143,52921630
891Nottinghamshire6,350933117,984131526
353Oldham2,22210881,1347213
931Oxfordshire4,10482294,7491137
874Peterborough1,825116101,2389323
879Plymouth City of2,026934795416
836Poole5695136768111
851Portsmouth1,414959179200
870Reading5255131,23516338
317Redbridge926400649300
807Redcar and Cleveland1,517106121,43012323
318Richmond upon Thames4384135697113
354Rochdale1,78688111,4349214
372Rotherham2,561101091,383716
857Rutland6792142223410133
355Salford3,1191413152,23415319
333Sandwell2,248810102,55112315
343Sefton3,5601315161,280629
373Sheffield4,6471020141,102400
893Shropshire3,099122417588315
871Slough1,0269310333400
334Solihull1,533869277200
933Somerset3,15981252,8649410
803South Gloucestershire2,4041010101,285717
393South Tyneside1,2519351,1611019
852Southampton2,036111015658500
882Southend774512695600
210Southwark1,8068461,1481118
342St. Helens1,672106101,000800
860Staffordshire7,441104213899223
356Stockport2,9641115151,171700
808Stockton on Tees1,633935668500
861Stoke on Trent4,835192124934616
935Suffolk6,1141232134,610856
394Sunderland4,7001625269835212
936Surrey10,9671362193,737748
319Sutton902625670517
866Swindon2,58813812352300
357Tameside1,3997561,0647211
894Telford and the Wrekin1,3198127898215
883Thurrock2,0791451195711110
880Torbay430439238300
211Tower Hamlets2,7841310141,028717
358Trafford1,55789121,053616
384Wakefield3,1411015121,096500
335Walsall2,2439661,504715
320Waltham Forest1,78987118847213
212Wandsworth1,48596114655111
877Warrington2,573131318492400
937Warwickshire4,7541120102,7128411
869West Berkshire1,56712812331300
938West Sussex6,4511028114,374938
213Westminster395413697900
359Wigan2,590913121,1616210
865Wiltshire4,9281234162,6439618
868Windsor and Maidenhead382537314300
344Wirral3,7651216162,325914
872Wokingham77763638000
336Wolverhampton3,0491215171,171716
885Worcestershire5,0681227144,28510915
816York1,6371158779700
Total449,037102,13912250,73373029

1 Primary figures show surplus after taking account of summer entry.

2 Actual surplus is defined as the difference between capacity and number on roll for all schools where capacity exceeds number on roll.

3 Schools with less than 30 surplus places are not included.


26 Mar 2002 : Column 901W


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