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2 Nov 2005 : Column 1184W—continued

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what discussions her Department has had with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority regarding the Futures: Meeting the Challenge document; [23357]

(2) whether the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority document Futures: Meeting the Challenge reflects the policy of her Department; [23448]

(3) on whose authority the publication of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority document Futures: Meeting the Challenge was approved. [23450]

Jacqui Smith: The QCA, a non-departmental body with a statutory remit to review the curriculum, independently published their Futures document in October. They keep the Department informed of the progress they are making on this work, and we are continuing to monitor developments with interest.

School Admissions

Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what meetings she has had with representative groups to discuss proposed changes to schools' admissions policies; and if she will make a statement. [22739]


 
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Jacqui Smith: During the last year, Ministers have talked with a wide range of groups, representing parents, schools, local authorities and other interested parties; and have listened to their views of the school admissions system. We know that what parents want is the choice of good schools; and what most schools want is the freedom to admit a wide range of pupils. This has informed our proposals in the White Paper.

On 18 October, we completed consultation on the revised statutory School Admissions Code of Practice, to which admission authorities for schools must 'have regard'. The Code provides guidance on good and poor practice within the school admissions process. The Secretary of State will be considering responses to the consultation before determining the final content of the Code.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what process a new or expanded school would have to adopt under the proposals in the White Paper if it wished to vary its admissions procedure after the first three years of operation. [23331]

Jacqui Smith: New or expanded schools that wish to vary their admission arrangements, after the first three years of operation, would be able to do so under the normal process used by all admission authorities to determine admission arrangements.

Legislation requires admission authorities to consult annually over their proposed admission arrangements. If agreement cannot be reached locally, another admission
 
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authority or a school can object to the independent schools adjudicator, if they believe that the arrangements are not in the best interests of local parents and children.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will seek to legislate to define acceptable admissions criteria for schools. [23332]

Jacqui Smith: We have recently consulted on a revised School Admissions Code of Practice, which contains a list of acceptable and appropriate admissions criteria.

All admission authorities must have regard to the statutory guidance in the code, when determining their admission arrangements. Local authorities are encouraged to object to the independent schools adjudicator, if a school's proposed admission arrangements are not in line with the code, or are not in the best interests of local parents and children.

We have amended legislation, however, to include aspects of admissions which we think must always be followed, such as giving priority to looked after children and no longer allowing schools to introduce selection by aptitude in technology.

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many appeals there were against allocation of school places in the London borough of Merton in each year since 1997; and how many were upheld. [22385]

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is shown in the table.
Maintained primary and secondary schools: appeals by parents against non-admission of their children, each academic year: 1996/97 to 2003/04 Merton local authority

Maintained primary
Appeals heardAppeals decided in parents' favour
Number of appeals lodgedNumberPercentage(65)NumberPercentage(66)
1996/9738725365.412850.6
1997/9827319471.17337.6
1998/9937422760.710747.1
1999/200024012451.73830.6
2000/0122914864.64329.1
2001/0216910662.71211.3
2002/031307456.91216.2
2003/041026058.8915.0

Maintained secondary
Appeals heard
Appeals decided in parents' favour
Number of appeals lodgedNumberPercentage1NumberPercentage(66)
1996/97835161.42243.1
1997/98864957.01632.7
1998/991438962.22325.8
1999/200014010272.93130.4
2000/011349671.63738.5
2001/021126860.72029.4
2002/031709052.92730.0
2003/041739052.02628.9


(65) Number of appeals heard by a committee expressed as a percentage of the number of appeals lodged by parents.
(66) Number of appeals decided in parents' favour expressed as a percentage of the number of appeals heard by a committee.
Source:
Annual Schools' Census and Admission Appeals Survey




School Closures

Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have been designated for closure in each of the last eight years, broken down by (a) local education authority, (b) type of school and (c) number of pupils in the school. [19695]

Jacqui Smith: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have closed in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) local education authority, (b) sector and (c) size. [23597]


 
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Jacqui Smith: The information is provided in the tables. The figures include closures of mainstream schools maintained by local authorities and maintained special schools but exclude independent schools.

The figures include schools that have closed as a result of an amalgamation or local reorganisation of schools and also those where a new school has opened in their place e.g. a school with a religious character, an Academy or a fresh start school. Figures relate to
 
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calendar years. Proposed school closures for 31 December 2005 are shown separately and included in the total.

Since September 1999 decisions on school closures have been determined locally by the LA (for proposals they published where there were no objections), the local School Organisation Committee (SOC) or, where the SOC have been unable to agree a unanimous decision, the independent schools adjudicator. Ministers have no role in the process.
(a) Closures by local authority

200020012002200320042005 (January to October )2005 proposed closuresTotal
Barnet115310
Barnsley9716
Bath and North East Somerset21710
Bedfordshire22
Bexley316313
Birmingham11341616656
Blackburn with Darwen222219
Blackpool2147
Bolton65213
Bournemouth2226
Bracknell Forest2226
Bradford741277
Brent11
Brighton and Hove213
Bristol City of10411218
Bromley12115
Buckinghamshire357217
Bury118212
Calderdale1236
Cambridgeshire2346217
Camden2114
Cheshire5165724
Cornwall2321412
Coventry1621212
Croydon22228
Cumbria24924526
Darlington645419
Derby31149
Derbyshire25310
Devon223815
Doncaster4581119
Dorset23510
Dudley11
Durham722415
Ealing1214
East Riding of Yorkshire314210
Enfield22
Essex1311593243
Gateshead22
Gloucestershire641617
Greenwich21032219
Hackney1123310
Halton88
Hammersmith and Fulham325
Hampshire16115216
Haringey831517
Harrow123
Hartlepool22
Havering2114
Herefordshire112
Hertfordshire41235310441
Hillingdon1124
Hounslow99
Isle of Wight11
Isles of Scilly55
Islington1337
Kent32364725
Kingston upon Hull City of4217
Kirklees22
Knowsley112
Lambeth21042119
Lancashire28126533
Leeds115241243
Leicester12328
Leicestershire12126
Lewisham11114
Lincolnshire22228
Liverpool312141413157
Luton234211
Manchester9725528
Medway12249
Merton1414
Middlesbrough16815
Milton Keynes421310
Newcastle upon Tyne441312
Newham112
Norfolk4329
North East Lincolnshire2226
North Lincolnshire224
North Somerset112
North Tyneside34411
Northamptonshire244218939
Northumberland3433114
Nottingham12322919
Nottinghamshire4376753466
Oldham6632219
Oxfordshire13314122
Peterborough156
Plymouth2349
Poole22
Reading12115
Redbridge1102215
Redcar and Cleveland2342415
Richmond upon Thames11
Rochdale612211
Rotherham22127
Rutland11
Salford1371526
Sandwell12221320
Sefton112131119
Sheffield385117
Shropshire112
Slough2237
Solihull112
Somerset213
South Gloucestershire336
South Tyneside327214
Southampton6410
Southend-on-Sea242412
Southwark11114
St. Helens224210
Staffordshire2216718
Stockport223916
Stockton-on-Tees242210
Stoke-on-Trent54557228
Suffolk22329
Sunderland573621
Surrey27337224
Sutton123
Swindon10212
Tameside4318
Telford and Wrekin124815
Thurrock342211
Torbay123
Tower Hamlets252110
Trafford246
Wakefield17641221
Walsall434213
Waltham Forest127212
Wandsworth224
Warrington12710
Warwickshire4512416
West Berkshire44
West Sussex2121520
Wigan514212
Wiltshire2348118
Windsor and Maidenhead112
Wirral123
Wokingham12115
Wolverhampton615315
Worcestershire21213321
York535417
Total328337293277318284191,856









 
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(b) Closures by sector

200020012002200320042005 (January to October)2005 Proposed closuresTotal
Middle deemed Primary6439527
Middle deemed Secondary6018711218125
Nursery15151511101177
Primary182236220207219220191,303
Secondary272929242016145
Special383519243924179
Total328337293277318284191,856

(c) Closures by size

Number of pupils200020012002200320042005 (January
to October)
2005 proposed closuresTotal
Not available3283375111673
1–100646571692271
101–50021219523120817863
501–1,000111513544
1,001–1,50011215
Total328337293277318284191,856




Note:
Pupil data are not available prior to 2002





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