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Schools: Radcliffe

Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for North East Milton Keynes of 30 November 2009, Official Report, column 827, on Radcliffe school, whether the decision on Academy status for the Radcliffe school is the responsibility of Milton Keynes council; what involvement he has in such decisions; and if he will make a statement. [303970]

Mr. Coaker [holding answer 3 December 2009]: Academies are always jointly commissioned with the relevant local authority and with its support. Once agreement has been reached the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families is responsible for approving the decision to transform a school into an academy, allowing the project to progress to the next stage of the development process.

Social Work Taskforce

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on what dates his Department received drafts of the Social Work Task Force's final report before it was finalised. [308102]

Dawn Primarolo: The Social Work Task Force was an expert group, jointly appointed by the Secretaries of State for Health and for Children, Schools and Families,
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to advise the Government on social wok reform. Officials from the Joint Social Work Unit (established by the two Departments to support the Task Force) worked with the chair and members of the task force on successive drafts of the final report from 13 October onwards. Ministers in both Departments were provided with a draft of the executive summary of the final report on 20 November. Ministers were also provided with a near-final version of the full report on 27 November in preparation for launch and publication on 1 December.

Vale of Berkeley College

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what documentation was made available to Graham Badman on Gloucestershire county council's proposals on Vale of Berkeley College for his evaluation of National Challenge Schools in Gloucestershire. [310390]

Mr. Coaker: DCSF officials gave Graham Badman the minutes from previous local national challenge board meetings. Vale of Berkeley college was discussed at these meetings. Graham Badman also had written information directly from Gloucestershire county council.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department has agreed to the request of Gloucestershire county council to extend the period of consultation on its proposed closure of Vale of Berkeley College. [310391]

Mr. Coaker: I can confirm that the Department has not received a request from Gloucestershire county council to extend the period of consultation on its proposed closure of the Vale of Berkeley college. The statutory process for the proposed closure of a school is a matter for the local authority. A five stage statutory process must be followed for school closures, with each stage informing the next.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what discussions took place between his Department and Gloucestershire county council on the format of the council's consultation on the proposed closure of Vale of Berkeley college. [310392]

Mr. Coaker: I can confirm that no discussions took place between the Department and Gloucestershire county council on the format of the council's consultation which proposes to close the Vale of Berkeley college. School closure is, and remains, a matter for a local authority. A five stage statutory process must be followed for school closures, with each stage informing the next.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when his Department was first informed of Gloucestershire county council's proposals with regard to Vale of Berkeley college. [310393]

Mr. Coaker: Gloucestershire county council submitted its draft implementation plan in response to Graham Badman's review of national challenge progress in Gloucestershire on the 11 November 2009. The plan stated that Gloucestershire county council accepted Graham Badman's recommendation to close Vale of Berkeley college from September 2010, subject to statutory proposals and consultation.

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