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28 Apr 2008 : Column 189W—continued
Electronic Government
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether mechanisms are in place to monitor the extent to which his Department’s (a) internal and (b) external (i) correspondence and (ii) distribution of publications is carried out electronically. [199197]
Kevin Brennan: The information requested is as follows.
(a) Internally (i) all correspondence is carried out electronically and (ii) distribution of publications is monitored by exception, as all publishing is online barring the bi-monthly staff magazine. (b) (i) Most external correspondence received in the Department is processed through the central Public Communications Unit, which monitors the method of response. In 2007 63 per cent. of correspondence was replied to electronically. (b) (ii) The Department has put in place a range of protocols which govern e-mail communications to key stakeholders including all schools all local authorities.
Extended Schools: Costs
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of delivering the extended schools programme in each year from 2007-08 to 2012-13. [200980]
Beverley Hughes:
From 2007-08 local authorities were given £238 million to support the development of extended schools in their area. In 2008-09 to 2010-11 a total of £1.3 billion of funding will be made available. Schools are also given an additional £150 million each
year through the schools standards grant which can support extended schools activities.
During 2007-08, a total of £9.7 million was split across the three national extended schools delivery partners to help schools and local authorities to deliver extended services. For 2008-09, a total of £9.9 million will be made available. We cannot estimate the costs from 2009 onwards, as the allocation of funding for the delivery partners is completed on an annual basis.
Faith Schools
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) primary and (b) secondary faith schools there were in England in each year from 1997, broken down by faith; and if he will make a statement. [201196]
Jim Knight: I refer the hon. Member to the following link
to Statistical First Release “Schools and Pupils in England: January 2007 (Final)”. Table 8 gives the information requested for the most recent year; figures for earlier years are available in equivalent publications for those years.
The earliest year for which this information is available electronically is 1998. Figures for this year can be found in volume ‘Schools in England 1998’, which is available via the following link:
Copies of these publications are available in the Libraries of the House. Further information can be provided only at disproportionate costs.
Folkestone Academy: Pupil Exclusions
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils were (a) permanently and (b) temporarily excluded from Folkestone Academy in each month since September 2007; and if he will make a statement. [201066]
Kevin Brennan: Folkestone Academy did not open until September 2007 and therefore information on the number of permanent and fixed period exclusions is not yet available.
Information on exclusions from schools is derived from School Census returns made by schools to the Department. Data on exclusions are collected two terms in arrears, with exclusions data for autumn term 2007 being returned via the May 2008 Census.
Foundation Schools
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools have (a) applied for and (b) been granted (i) trust and (ii) foundation status in each (A) month and (B) quarter since 1 January 2005; and if he will make a statement. [201128]
Jim Knight: Schools do not have to apply to the Department for Children, Schools and Families to become a trust or foundation school. A change of school category to foundation and the acquisition of a trust are ‘prescribed alterations’. To make such a prescribed alteration the governing body must publish statutory proposals in accordance with provisions are set out in the Education and Inspections Act 2006 and regulations made under that Act. Since 25 May 2007 proposals are decided by the governing body (or the Schools Adjudicator where proposals to acquire a trust have been referred by the local authority). There is no role for Ministers in the decision-making process.
To date 57 schools have acquired a trust under the provisions of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. 108 schools have changed category to foundation since January 2005. These are broken down by month and quarter as follows.
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