HC Deb 08 May 1990 vol 172 cc4-6
6. Mr. Amess

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schools have so far shown interest in obtaining grant-maintained status.

Mr. MacGregor

Ballots about grant-maintained status have been held at 88 schools. Parents at 66 of them have voted in favour of proceeding with an application. I have approved 37 of the 48 proposals which have reached me for decision.

Mr. Amess

Is my right hon. Friend aware that not all parents, pupils and teachers are satisfied with the arrangements for the reorganisation of sixth forms in the constituency that I represent and in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Billericay (Mrs. Gorman)? Will my right hon. Friend take the opportunity to reaffirm the Government's support for the principle of schools trying to seek grant-maintained status? Will he join me in condemning as utterly irresponsible any local education authority trying to rubbish a ballot of parents, as is happening in a school in Basildon at the moment?

Mr. MacGregor

I am happy to confirm to my hon. Friend that I am a strong supporter of the grant-maintained policy. I believe that it has many advantages, which I frequently talk about, and I am absolutely clear about that. It has the advantage of quick decision taking, the school and the governing body have complete control over their affairs, it has greatly improved morale in schools and, perhaps most important of all, it is popular with parents, as is shown by the large increase in the numbers of pupils going to such schools. It would not be right for me to intervene when a particular ballot is taking place, as the issue may come to me later for a decision.

Mr. Dunn

rose——

Mr. Skinner

Is the Secretary of State—[Interruption.]—The right hon. Gentleman only kept the education job because the Prime Minister did not know where his hon. Friend, the Member for Dartford (Mr. Dunn) was when she wanted him.

Mr. Speaker

Order. The hon. Gentleman has only been called because I saw him.

Mr. Skinner

The hon. Gentleman was off on holiday on an obscure island.

Is the Secretary of State aware that, instead of using the money in the way that he has just described, he would do well to send some money to Derbyshire for nursery school provision especially at Langwith in my constituency?

Mr. MacGregor

I do hot know what the hon. Gentleman is talking about, and this is not the first time. There is no extra money for grant-maintained schools. The advantage of the grant-maintained school is its ability to run itself without constant referral back. I suspect that the hon. Gentleman is confusing grant-maintained schools with city technology colleges and, not for the first time, he has not made his point.

Mr. Dunn

Can the Secretary of State confirm that if the Opposition had their way the grant-maintained provisions of the Education Reform Act 1988 would be abolished, as would grammar schools, church schools, sixth forms in schools, sixth form colleges and the independent sector? Under the Opposition's proposals we would be required to have a comprehensive system for 11 to 16-year-olds with tertiary colleges. That is against the majority of opinion in this country.

Mr. MacGregor

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. From all the Opposition have been saying, it is clear that they have learnt nothing and that they have stuck by the policies of the 1960s. My hon. Friend is right to say that a number of the reforms that we are carrying out—I refer to the grant-maintained school reform—are very popular with parents, and I hope that the Opposition will think again about their opposition to those general policies.