HC Deb 02 February 1993 vol 218 cc135-7
10. Mr. Pawsey

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teachers are now employed in grant-maintained schools; and how many children are educated in such schools.

Mr. Patten

It is estimated that some 14,000 qualified teachers were teaching more than 236,000 pupils in January 1992 in schools in England that are currently grant maintained.

Mr. Pawsey

These are indeed impressive figures, which underline the success and the importance of grant-maintained schools. Can my right hon. Friend speculate about what the reaction of teachers and parents will be when they discover that the hon. Member for Dewsbury (Mrs. Taylor) has said that if the Labour party were elected to government they would abolish grant-maintained schools?

Mr. Patten

When I left the Department to come to the House today there were 622 yes votes for grant-maintained status. We are well on target towards the projected 1,500 by 1 April 1994. I can only imagine the despair in the hearts of teachers, governors, parents and others connected with the growing number of grant-maintained schools at the pledge of the hon. Lady—a pledge now on the record, including television—that if she ever gets into power she will abolish all grant-maintained schools straight away.

Mr. Steinberg

May I inform the Secretary of State that I am the consultant to the National Union of Teachers—and proud of it. Now that the policy of having an avalanche of schools opting out has failed, do the Government intend to force schools into grant-maintained status?

Mr. Patten

It is very interesting that the hon. Gentleman has come out as the NUT's representative in this House. He has taken up the battle from his hon. Friend the Member for Alyn and Deeside (Mr. Jones) who, I understand, laid down the burden a few weeks ago, although his name is still in the Register of Members' Interests, which is where I got the information. I apologise, of course, for the inaccuracy. I hope that when the hon. Gentleman is next consulted by the National Union of Teachers, he will advise it how out of touch with the general public is its campaign against testing.

Sir Michael Neubert

Is my right hon. Friend aware of how welcome today's announcement of grant-maintained status will be to the teachers at Frances Bardsley school in my constituency? It will enable them to continue to provide the excellent education that girls receive there and, perhaps more important, will ensure the continued availability of badly needed single-sex girls' places in the borough. If, as I hope will happen, the school bids to retain its sixth form, will my right hon. Friend give that proposal his most sympathetic consideration?

Mr. Patten

I, too, hope that grant-maintained schools and county-maintained schools will continue to diversify their spread of interests and to offer the choice and diversity in education that many of us wish to see.

Mrs. Ann Taylor

Will the Secretary of State withdraw the remark—a remark that he has made on several occasions—that in ballots concerning grant-maintained status, "no" votes arise only because of intimidation by local education authorities? Do the ballots of the last few days—in Conservative North Yorkshire, a school voted no by 67 per cent.; in Conservative Cambridge, a school voted no by 72 per cent.; in Conservative East Sussex, a school voted no by 80 per cent.; and in Conservative West Sussex, a school voted no by 90 per cent.—indicate intimidation by local authorities?

Mr. Patten

I congratulate the hon. Lady at having a second go during Question Time and I answer her question by making only two points. On eight out of every 10 occasions when parents are asked whether they wish their schools to be grant maintained, they vote yes, as they voted yes in Blackburn yesterday.

Dame Elaine Kellett-Bowman

In view of the outstanding success of grant-maintained schools in Lancashire, where the teachers are only too happy to come out from under the bureaucratic Lancashire county council, may I ask my right hon. Friend to suggest to any teachers who may be apprehensive to visit some of those schools to see how successful they are?

Mr. Patten

It is always good for hon. Members in all parts of the House to visit grant-maintained schools. I do not know whether the hon. Member for Dewsbury and her hon. Friends have ever been to a grant-maintained school. They should do so, because they would find queues of parents outside wishing to send their children there and they would see the walls bulging and standards improving continuously.