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14 Dec 2006 : Column 1378W—continued
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost was of building each academy so far completed. [104936]
Jim Knight: The information requested is given in the following table. The average cost of post-16 places is higher than for pre-16 ones. The average cost of a completed Academy with 1,300 pupils and a sixth form in a high-cost inner-city area has been £25-30 million. The average cost of a new secondary school of this size and location has similarly been £25-30 million. The average cost per pupil of new build voluntary aided schools which the Department is currently funding is £24,446(1) as opposed to Academies at £19,792(2).
(1 )rounded to the nearest GBP.
(2 )rounded to nearest GBP and with one Academy’s capital cash limit undetermined.
| Open Academies | Current agreed capital cash limit (£) | Pupil number capacity |
| (1) Not yet determined | ||
Building Schools for the Future
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of how much has been spent on (a) schools capital investment and (b) the Building Schools for the Future programme in the 2006-07 financial year. [105562]
Jim Knight: Capital allocations for 2006-07 are budgeted to reach £5.9 billion, of which some £2 billion relates to Building Schools for the Future. These allocations are made to support local capital investment decisions by local authorities and schools. It is currently expected that some £700 million of capital grant, related to Building Schools for the Future, will be carried forward into 2007-08.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2006, Official Report, column 209W, how much of the £5.5 billion his Department allocated for schools capital investment in 2005-06 was (a) allocated to and (b) spent under the Building Schools for the Future programme. [105596]
Jim Knight: When the schools capital programme was set following the last spending review, some £2 billion was set aside for Building Schools for the Future in 2005-06. All of these funds have been allocated to BSF projects, and £166 million of unspent capital grant was carried forward to the current financial year.
Child Mentoring
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much his Department has spent on child mentoring schemes in each of the last three years; how much he expects to spend on such schemes in 2006-07; what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the financial support available for such schemes; and if he will make a statement. [106722]
Jim Knight: The Department does not collect information on the full range of child mentoring. The following tables provide the information that is available. Full evaluation will take place at the conclusion of each of these programmes.
(i): The Prince’s Trust Quality Assurance for Mentoring Care Leavers Programme:
(ii): The DfES National Peer Mentoring programme:
(iii): The DfES Formalised Peer Mentoring Pilot.
(iv): The Department is also establishing a pilot mentoring programme for 600 looked after children aged between 10 and 15. Delivery of this programme will be through the voluntary sector and the Department expect to award the contract shortly. Funding of up to £1.5 million has been made available over the two financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08.
Children in Care: Finance
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects the bursaries for looked after children to be made available. [108544]
Jim Knight: The £2000 bursary for all young people in care who go on to higher education will be available from autumn 2008. The exact details of the implementation will be confirmed following the outcome of the next comprehensive spending review.
Children's Fund: Finance
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the future funding of the Children’s Fund. [108852]
Beverley Hughes: The Children’s Fund will ultimately migrate into children’s trusts by 2008 and will build upon, complement and, in some cases, form the cornerstone of the trust’s overall preventive agenda. Given the contribution of Children’s Fund in providing good quality preventative services for 5-13 year olds and their families, we would expect that local authorities will continue to commission this work.
Decisions about funding beyond 2008 will be taken as part of the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR). We expect any funding identified in CSR to deliver the kind of services which Children’s Fund currently provide will be pooled with funding to deliver other outcomes for children and young people. This funding will be routed through local authorities and it is unlikely that it will be ring-fenced.
Dartington College of Art
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if he will urge the Higher Education Funding Council for England to continue to provide financial support at the present level to Dartington College of Art on the Dartington Estate near Totnes until 2014; [109401]
(2) if he will take steps to initiate talks between the Trustees of Dartington Trust and the Governors of the Dartington College of Art to broker a solution tothe current financial difficulties relating to the future of the college; and if he will make a statement. [109402]
Bill Rammell: During the passage of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 Parliament decided that Ministers should have no responsibility for funding individual higher education institutions. Against that background, the responsibility for the future of Dartington College of Arts must rest with the College itself. I understand the College has been looking at a number of options and I am sure that these will be fully explored. While I hope that the distinctive provision the College offers can be retained in the region, the final decision on the future of the College has to be taken locally.
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