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Racism

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidelines local education authorities are given in relation to tackling racism in schools. [53534]

Jacqui Smith: The Department worked with the Commission for Racial Equality in drafting guidance for schools and local authorities on complying with their duties under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, and has since published advice to schools helping them to fulfil their obligations under this Act, and implement their statutory Race Equality Policy. Other guidance on managing exclusions to local authorities and schools advises them to take steps to ensure that they do not discriminate against pupils on the grounds of race, when making a decision whether to exclude. Schools are required to record whether a pupil has been excluded for racist abuse".

The Schools White Paper commits us to creating Advice on countering racist bullying. The Advice, which is intended for schools and local authorities, has now been published on the Department of Education and Skills' website. Many local authorities have contributed
 
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to the compilation of the Advice. All local authorities have been invited to dissemination events to be held this term.

Refuges

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures her Department has in place to ensure that a child whose parent moves into a refuge outside the local education authority (LEA) where the child is ordinarily schooled is given a temporary school place within the new LEA area. [57792]

Jacqui Smith: A local authority has a duty to provide a school place for any child of compulsory school age residing within its area whose parent requests one. This is the case whether or not the child resides permanently in the area.

Local authorities are expected to have a protocol in place to ensure that pupils who might have difficulties finding suitable school places are found places quickly.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how far from the school ordinarily attended by a child of someone who has moved into a refuge the refuge is required to be for temporary schooling nearer the refuge to be considered. [57794]

 
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Jacqui Smith: There is no qualifying distance for a child to be considered for a temporary school place. Where the parent or carer of the child wishes the child to attend a school closer to the refuge on a temporary or permanent basis, they have the same rights as any other parent to apply for a school place. They should initially contact the local authority for the area in which the refuge is situated, because many have protocols which ensure that vulnerable children are admitted quickly into a suitable school. Local authorities are under a duty to ensure that all children of compulsory school age living in their area have a school place.

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what average length of time a child whose parent moved into a refuge was absent from school in the last 12 months. [57795]

Jacqui Smith: The Department does not hold information on whether pupils have a parent who has moved into a refuge.

School Buses

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what regulations she will introduce to ensure that private bus operators who provide school bus services under the Education and Inspections Bill have properly trained operatives. [57387]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 10 March 2006]: We have no plans to make regulations under the Education and Inspections Bill relating to the training of bus drivers.
 
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School Capital Funding

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations she has received from church aided schools on proposed changes to the way capital funding is channelled to schools; and if she will make a statement. [57873]

Jacqui Smith: When considering options for changes to the way in which we pay capital grant to voluntary aided schools, we established a transition group which included representatives from the Foundation and Aided Schools National Association, which represents the views of many aided schools, and from local authorities, the churches and the voluntary aided sector generally. We have acted on the recommendations of that group in taking our current proposals forward. Members of that group have been fully supportive of these changes.

School Expansions

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many decisions on school expansion schools organisation committees have made in each of the last five years; and how many of these decisions in each year were that schools should expand; [54359]

(2) how many proposals for school expansion have been referred to the schools adjudicator in each of the past five years; and how many of these have resulted in school expansion. [54371]

Jacqui Smith: The following table sets out the numbers of primary and secondary school expansion proposals that have been decided by School Organisation Committees (SOCs) and the schools adjudicator in each of the last five years:

	SOC			Schools adjudicator
	Approved	Rejected	Total	Approved	Rejected	Total	Total per year
2000	41	1	42	0	2	2	44
2001	50	1	51	6	1	7	58
2002	89	0	89	6	1	7	96
2003	46	0	46	3	0	3	49
2004	36	2	38	7	1	8	46
2005	25	0	25	4	1	5	30
2006	1	0	(79)1	0	0	0	(79)1

⁽⁷⁹⁾ To date.

There is a statutory duty to implement any proposals that are approved.

School Finance

Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how much was allocated by her Department in Bath and North East Somerset for (a) capital projects and (b) revenue funding in each of the last five years; [54397]

(2) how much was allocated by her Department in South Gloucestershire for (a) capital projects and (b) revenue funding in each of the last five years; [54398]

(3) what the total expenditure was on maintenance and improvement of (a) primary, infant and junior schools and (b) secondary schools in Wansdyke constituency in each of the last eight years. [54364]

Jacqui Smith: Capital and revenue allocations made to Bath and North East Somerset local authority and its schools, and to South Gloucestershire local authority and its schools, in each of the last five years are set out in the following table:
£ million

	Capital allocations		Revenue funding
	Bath and North East Somerset(80)	South Gloucestershire(81)	Bath and North East Somerset	South Gloucestershire
2001–02	5.4	11	77.2	117.5
2002–03	12.5	15.9	81.8	126.8
2003–04	11.8	14.9	90.2	141.6
2004–05	7.3	19.1	96.2	149.9
2005–06	5.6	11	103.5	160

⁽⁸⁰⁾ Note: 2002–03 and 2003–04 included Targeted Capital Funding of £4.4 million and £4.9 million respectively.
⁽⁸¹⁾ Note: 2002–03 and 2004–05 included Targeted Capital Funding of £4.0 million and £2.5 million respectively.



 
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We expect local authorities and schools to take decisions on allocating capital funds for building maintenance and improvements in accordance with their local asset management plan. Accordingly, records
 
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of these categories of expenditure are not held centrally. However revenue figures are reported separately, and are shown below.
Revenue expenditure on the maintenance and improvement of school buildings and grounds since 1997–98Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 23 February 2006 £

	Bath and NE Somerset LA			South Gloucestershire LA
	Primary schools	Pre-primary and primary schools	Secondary schools	Primary schools	Pre-primary and primary schools	Secondary schools
1997–98	—	1,056	1,132	—	1,196	1,518
1998–99	—	1,474	1,204	—	1,139	1,686
1999–2000	737	737	1,208	1,081	1,081	1,367
2000–01	833	833	1,118	866	867	943
2001–02	820	820	2,004	1,448	1,449	750
2002–03	688	—	1,205	666	—	1,214
2003–04	654	—	1,147	582	—	1,087
2004–05	758	—	1,160	661	—	1,184

Note:
All figures are £1,000's.

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