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Open University
6. Brian White (Milton Keynes, North-East) (Lab): If he will make a statement on the future funding of the Open university. [154515]
The Minister for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education (Alan Johnson): The Higher Education Funding Council for England is about to undertake a comprehensive review of how funding for university teaching is allocated. In accordance with the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to the House on 8 January, a major focus of this review will be how the funding system might further support the development of part-time study. The review will relate to those institutions with large numbers of part-time students and will be particularly relevant to the Open university, where all students are part-time. The Open university currently receives around £14 million in widening access and improving retention funding from HEFCE, and that will improve next year when ward-based data are used to measure social disadvantage.
Brian White : I thank the Minister for his reply and for the work that he did in January to try to ensure that the review covers the needs of the Open university. Given the ongoing concern that the largest university in the country does not have the same access to funding mechanisms as full-time institutions, will my right hon. Friend ensure that officials in his Department and the funding agencies are aware of the objective of securing the future of the Open university?
Alan Johnson: I congratulate my hon. Friend, who has been a great advocate for the Open university. As he says, it is the biggest university in the country, but it and Birkbeck have a particular problem because they are
entirely composed of part-time students. I understand that the first meeting of both organisations with the chief executive of HEFCE, Howard Newby, went well and involved positive discussions. We will ensure that we keep on top of the issue and that the review comes to fruition as soon as possible.
Mr. Robert Key (Salisbury) (Con): Quite apart from the funding review, can the Minister confirm or deny that the Government are considering cutting or closing the Open university and transferring distance learning functions to other new universities?
Alan Johnson: I deny that emphatically. In a letter to my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes, North-East (Brian White) on 22 January, I described the Open university—in a fit of verbosity—as the "jewel in the crown" of British higher education. That has particular relevance on this side of the House, given its origins in the days when my hon. Friends were student revolutionaries. I reassure the hon. Gentleman that we have no plans to damage the Open university in any way.
Helen Jackson (Sheffield, Hillsborough) (Lab): In discussions with the Open university, will my right hon. Friend pay some attention to the important international role that its excellence plays? It can be exported by supporting and developing links with universities in developing countries, where often the only method of communication for learners is the radio. The Open university has an important role to play in the help and support that we give to developing and poor countries.
Alan Johnson: My hon. Friend raises an important point. Wherever we go in the world, the Open university is even more famous than some of the other more mentioned universities in the UK. [Interruption.] My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State reminds me that the Open university is now running a teacher training programme in South Africa. That is just one of the reasons why the Open university is successful. It is not concerned about imminent collapse: the concerns centre on the ability of other universities to obtain additional funding through the proposals in the Higher Education Bill. Because the Open university is composed of part-timers, it will not have the same opportunity, and the feeling is that the funding from HEFCE does not properly reflect the cost of part-time education. Those problems will be addressed in the review that my right hon. Friend announced on 8 January.
Mr. Tim Collins (Westmorland and Lonsdale) (Con): Does the Minister accept that Harold Wilson deserves immense credit for the creation of the Open university and that it has prospered and expanded under Governments of both colours so that it now represents a treasure for the whole nation? Does he recall that in times past the Open university pioneered breakfast television programming? Today, it has a successful presence on the internet. What can the Minister do to encourage the Open university to use the new possibilities created by digital interactive television?
Alan Johnson: I welcome the hon. Gentleman's comments about the formation of the Open university.
I have spoken about the issue he raises on many occasions, but I have a meeting arranged with the vice-chancellor of the Open university in the coming fortnight and I will ensure that the issue is on our agenda.Specialist Schools
7. Mr. James Gray (North Wiltshire) (Con): How many schools achieved specialist status in business and commerce in the latest group he has announced. [154516]
The Minister for School Standards (Mr. David Miliband): Twenty-five schools were awarded business and enterprise status as a result of the October 2003 specialist school round. In addition, two schools achieved specialist status in a combined specialism—business and enterprise with sport, and business and enterprise with visual arts.
Mr. Gray : I thank the Minister for that answer and I congratulate him on his commitment to business and commerce specialism in schools. Will he spare a thought for Abbeyfield comprehensive, a brand new school in Chippenham in my constituency, which was built under a private finance initiative scheme introduced by the Conservatives? The school spent much money and time on preparing a bid for business and enterprise specialism. It was told by the Department that the length of existence of the school did not matter and that the lack of exam statistics would not count against it, but was then very surprised to be turned down, apparently on the ground of its lack of exam statistics. Can the Minister comment on that and can he tell me whether Abbeyfield should reapply next year? If it does, will he give that application his personal and careful attention?
Mr. Miliband: The Department does owe an apology to Abbeyfield school, in that it was given mistaken information. However, its application for specialist status did not fail because of that error; rather, there were some significant weaknesses in its bid. I can assure the hon. Gentleman that we would welcome a further application for the March round, and I should point out to him and to all Members that the Department is there to work with schools to help their bids reach the right level, so that as many as possible go through as fast as possible. That applies as much to Abbeyfield as to any other school.
Mr. David Drew (Stroud) (Lab/Co-op): Does my hon. Friend accept that this important venture overcomes the dreadful divide between academic and vocational studies that has bedevilled this country? Does he agree that specialist schools are an important way in which we can develop consumer education and debt advice, for example, in line with the financial education that has become more widely taught in all aspects of our secondary education?
Mr. Miliband: My hon. Friend makes a good point. The development of business and enterprise specialisms does hold out the prospect that, along with curriculum reform, which the Tomlinson committee will discuss
next week, we can overcome the academic and vocational divide and encourage youngsters to combine such subjects, or general and specialist subjects, according to their aptitudes and interests. I very much welcome my hon. Friend's support for the programme.
Ann Winterton (Congleton) (Con): I know that the Minister will want to congratulate three schools in my constituency—Congleton high, Eaton Bank and Alsager—which have recently secured specialist status. I understand that to date, although specialist schools can select 10 per cent. of pupils by aptitude, very few do so. Bearing in mind the difficulties that might arise in a large rural constituency because of transport issues, and so on, will the Minister encourage flexibility in admissions to ensure that in a town such as Congleton, children go to the school to which their aptitude is best fitted, rather than to the one nearest their home?
Mr. Miliband: There is some flexibility in the specialist schools programme to allow up to 10 per cent. of pupils to be selected on the basis of aptitude in particular specialisms, such as music and sport. We certainly would not want flexibility of a type that suggested a return to anything approaching the 11-plus. [Interruption.] Perhaps I have not understood exactly what the hon. Lady is getting at. Schools need to adhere to the code of practice on admissions, which gives some room for the flexibility that she describes. However, if she would like to explain the matter to me further afterwards, I shall get back to her.
Jonathan Shaw (Chatham and Aylesford) (Lab): Will my hon. Friend congratulate Aylesford school on becoming a specialist sports school, hard on the heels of its receiving a share of a £60 million private finance initiative, which will provide bright new buildings? However, Ofsted has expressed the concern that specialist schools do not always fulfil the community links that they talk about in their applications. Is his Department keeping this issue under review, and what lessons has it learned in offering guidance to schools, particularly when they are reapplying for specialist status?
Mr. Miliband: Needless to say, Aylesford school is rarely far from my thoughts, and I am delighted to offer my sincere congratulations to all concerned. My hon. Friend raises an important point. Specialist schooling is about developing centres of excellence in every school in the country that are not just for the benefit of those schools' pupils, but which are available to the wider community, other pupils and the extended community of adults. Some difficulties have arisen, and we are working with the Specialist Schools Trust on precisely that point, to ensure that all new specialist schools deliver on the community aspects of their plan and on providing a resource for the whole community, as well as on improvement of their own institutions.
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