§ 12. Mr. GarnierTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what progress is being made towards the Government's target of increasing the number of grant-maintained schools in Leicestershire.
Mr. SquireFive schools in Leicestershire have so far achieved grant-maintained status. Three of these are in my hon. Friend's constituency.
§ Mr. GarnierDoes my hon. Friend agree that one of the best ways to achieve such progress is to invite teachers and parents in Leicestershire to visit the three schools in my constituency—Abington, Bushloe and South Wigston? Will he agree that it is hardly surprising that, outside those schools, there is a queue of parents who come from outside the schools' catchment areas and who want to place their children at those schools, despite the fact that Leicestershire is, as my hon. Friend from Bosworth (Mr. Tredinnick) has just said, a Liberal-Labour LEA?
Mr. SquireMy hon. Friend is right. The story that he tells of Leicestershire is the same one that is repeated across the country for GM self-governing schools. I have some good news for all of my hon. Friends: from next Friday, a further 110 schools will formally become GM schools.