Grant-maintained Schools (Hansard, 14 June 1994)

§ 6. Mr. Oppenheim
To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received from county councils on grant-maintained schools.

§ The Secretary of State for Education (Mr. John Patten)
From time to time, I receive representations from individual county councils and the Association of County Councils; they vary.

§ Mr. Oppenheim
Is my right hon. Friend aware of the questionnaire that Derbyshire county council sent to GM schools, accompanied by a letter saying that the council was concerned about the performance of those schools now that they are free of council control? Bearing in mind that the county council's deputy leader has been gaoled for fraud and that the chief education officer has just left to sell contracted-out services to grant-maintained schools—both policies that he opposed when he was a Labour councillor—would not the county council be better advised to direct its searching inquiries inwards towards the council itself?

§ Mr. Patten
I am not responsible in law for what goes on inside Derbyshire county council—I wish I were. I had not heard that the ex-chief education officer of Derbyshire county council had joined the grant-maintained sector; I hope that that is the beginning of a trend. I believe that the leaflet and questionnaire that were circulated, which sought to intimidate the governors of GM schools—men and women who give up their time freely in the evenings—by asking what political parties they belong to, constitute a form of political intimidation which is becoming all too common in Labour areas such as Derbyshire and, for that matter, in Liberal-controlled areas such as Kent.

§ Mr. Skinner
Is the Minister aware that the parents of children who go to grant-maintained schools and—the great majority in Derbyshire—to local education authority schools are not worried about the issues put forward by the Minister, as was exemplified by the results last Thursday when in the three Derbyshire constituencies Labour voters numbered more than twice the number of Tory voters? The right hon. Gentleman should advise his hon. Friend the Member for Amber Valley (Mr. Oppenheim) to watch his back because he is going next.

§ Mr. Patten
My hon. Friend needs no advice from the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner). Perhaps the hon. Gentleman, with his background as a grammar school boy and someone who studied at Oxford, might be in a position to give some good advice to Derbyshire county council.

§ Lady Olga Maitland
rose—[Interruption.]

§ Madam Speaker
Order. The House must come to order now. High spirits are one thing, but we are going a bit too far this afternoon.

§ Lady Olga Maitland
Is my right hon. Friend aware that parents at more than 1,000 schools in England and Wales have voted overwhelmingly in favour of grant-maintained status? Does he agree that, contrary to the Labour party, they are exercising their right of choice?

§ Mr. Patten
I agree entirely with my hon. Friend. After all, all our universities are grant maintained, all our further education colleges are grant maintained, and all our sixth-form colleges are grant maintained. I look forward to the day when all our schools are grant maintained, too.

§ 7. Mr. Jamieson
To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools, in the last six months for which figures are available, have held ballots for grant-maintained status; what percentage have opted out; and what were the equivalent figures for the same period last year.

§ Mr. Jacques Arnold
To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on recent applications by schools for grant-maintained status.

§ Mr. Robin Squire
In the six months up to and including May, 176 schools held ballots on grant-maintained status and parents at 104 of those voted in favour of self-government. The equivalent figures for the corresponding period last year were 385 and 302 respectively.
In addition to the current total of 928 self-governing schools, 115 more have already been approved for grant-maintained status or have applications in the pipeline.

§ Mr. Jamieson
Will the Minister note that, due to the rejection by parents of the Government's failed opting-out policies, the target set by the Secretary of State for Education of two thirds of secondary schools being opted out by the end of this Parliament will not be reached until the year 2072? Will he also congratulate the parents at Roskear primary school in Camborne, Cornwall, whose ballot result was announced yesterday? On a very high turnout, 84 per cent. of them voted no.

§ Mr. Squire
Despite his education background, the hon. Gentleman is labouring under a few misunderstandings. There is no target for opting out schools. The hon. Gentleman tends to overlook the fact that, on average, three quarters of ballots result in a yes vote. More important, with self-governing schools we are seeing an increase in morale, a greater sense of achievement, greater value for money and, above all, more popularity with parents, as will be seen in September when in the main those schools are again over-full.

§ Mr. Arnold
Has my hon. Friend noticed the decision taken by 60 per cent. of the parents for St. Joseph's school Northfleet to become grant maintained, despite the wicked and misleading campaign of the Lib-Lab-controlled Kent county council which diverted £100,000 of education money to that wicked campaign? Is it not the case that when parents and schools are ready to take 100 per cent. of the decisions and spend 100 per cent. of the education money on their schools, they will do so?

§ Mr. Squire
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. He speaks with knowledge of what self-government means in schools as there are eight such schools in his constituency; his constituents are fortunate in that respect. It is undoubtedly the case that some local education authorities and Opposition Members are still trying to cling to political power via the control of schools. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State now has powers under the Education Act 1993 and he will not hesitate to use them if any seriously misleading information is circulated.

§ Mr. O'Hara
Given the Secretary of State's remarks about the grant-maintained status of universities, colleges and further education colleges, all of which were given that 507 status by legislation, is the Minister suggesting that he looks forward to legislation to force all secondary schools to become grant maintained?

§ Mr. Squire
That was a good try, but, as the hon. Gentleman is well aware, the impetus for grant-maintained status remains the parental ballot. We believe that it is right to trust parents, whether it leads to a no vote, as the hon. Gentleman said it could, or, indeed—as we may touch on shortly—a yes vote elsewhere. It is up to the parents to decide. My Government and my party have no difficulty with that concept. It is strange that the hon. Gentleman and his party have such difficulty trusting parents.

§ Mrs. Angela Knight
Will my hon. Friend join me in congratulating the parents, governors, teachers and head teacher of St. John Houghton school in Ilkeston in my constituency who have just balloted successfully to become grant maintained., despite heavy opposition from Derbyshire county council? Will he undertake to ensure that their proposals, which have been submitted to his Department, are scrutinised as quickly as possible and accepted before the end of the current school term so that the school has the whole summer to prepare for the implementation date at the beginning of September?

§ Madam Speaker
Order. Questions are much too long. Both questions and answers must be much more brisk.

§ Mr. Squire
I certainly undertake to expedite the proposals on merit when they come in and determine whether the school can join other schools in my hon. Friend's constituency and, indeed, across the country which are finding the benefit of self-government.