HC Deb 29 November 1977 vol 940 cc242-4
3. Mr. Durant

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will make a statement on her policy in relation to the placement by local education authorities of children in schools in the private sector of education.

14. Miss Joan Lestor

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will give figures indicating the number of fee-paying places taken up by local education authorities in independent and voluntary schools for each year since 1970.

The Secretary of State for Education and Science (Mrs. Shirley Williams)

The Government are committed to reducing local education authorities' take-up of places at non-maintained schools to the minimum required in the light of the criteria set out in my Department's circular 6/77, and I therefore expect a substantial drop in the number of places over the next few years. In 1976–77 just under 6,000 new places were taken up by English authorities under standing arrangements with non-maintained schools—about 2,200 of these at independent schools and the rest at direct grant schools. The figures do not include handicapped pupils or arrangements made in respect of other pupils on an individual basis. I regret that figures are not available for earlier years.

Mr. Durant

Is the Secretary of State aware that the cuts in the rate support grant, particularly in areas like Berkshire—together with her very tough attitude—are making it increasingly difficult for local education authorities to provide the parental choice for single-sex and denominational schools that they would wish?

Mrs. Williams

We have made it quite clear in our circular that the only ground upon which local authorities should take places in independent schools is if there is an absolute shortage of provision in the maintained system or an absolute shortage of provision in the denominational system. It is not part of our policy to make these places available simply for academic purposes.

Miss Lestor

Will my right hon. Friend say how many such places have been approved for the years 1978 and 1979? Is she pursuing discussions with the Chancellor regarding the wastage of public money in relation to the charitable status of independent schools?

Mrs. Williams

On the first point, my hon. Friend will appreciate that we have gone only a very short way in getting returns, because the period has not yet elapsed. However, it is clear that there will be an overall reduction of at least 25 per cent. in these places in the current year. That, of course, includes those children who started and, therefore, carry on to the end of the period—which is normally accepted by local authorities. The second part of my hon. Friend's question goes much wider than myself, but I can say that studies and investigations are being made.

Mr. St. John-Stevas

Is not the effect of the Secretary of State's policy to deprive parents of modest means of educational opportunity? [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] Yes, exactly. Is the right hon. Lady not encouraging parental choice in theory but denying it in practice? Is that what she intends, or is it perhaps that her right hand does not know what her left hand is doing?

Mrs. Williams

The Secretary of State's right and left hands work harmoniously together. I would say to the hon. Gentleman that it is absolutely clear, in our view, that a system which enables parents to choose places in independent schools, with authorities paying for them, is a system that will wreck the effort to get higher standards in the maintained sector. Within this sector we believe that many parental wishes can be met but we are quite clear that the first priority is the attainment of high standards in maintained schools.

Mr. Hooley

Is it true that the Government themselves are proposing to set up a special private school for the children of European scientists who will be working on the JET project?

Mrs. Williams

It is not a private school. Discussions are going on about whether there should be a school which meets European qualifications for those pupils who come here from Community countries. Of course, the baccalaureate is normally the qualification which they need. However, my hon. Friend would be wrong in assuming that this will be an independent school in the sense that we understand it.

Mr. St. John-Stevas

Surely the Secretary of State cannot possibly support her statement that the use of—

Mr. Speaker

Order. We must have questions and not arguments.

Mr. St. John-Stevas

It was a question, Mr. Speaker. How can the right hon. Lady support her statement that the use of the private education system would wreck the maintained system when the foundation of that system—the 1944 Act—envisaged the use of the private school because local authorities have to see that schools are available, and do not have to provide them?

Mrs. Williams

The hon. Gentleman appears to forget that since the 1944 Act there has been a 1976 Act, which gave me the power, among other things, to restrict places in independent schools. The House, by its own vote, is now committed to comprehensive education, and creaming off a substantial number of children to independent schools is simply not compatible with good comprehensive education.

Back to
Forward to