Specialist Schools

HC Deb 26 June 2003 vol 407 cc1191-3

10. Ms Julia Drown (South Swindon)

What criteria he uses to assess applications for re-designations of schools as specialist schools. [121704]

The Minister for School Standards (Mr. David Miliband)

Specialist schools applying for re-designation are assessed against rigorous criteria. These consist of: first, progress in relation to the objectives of the programme and the targets set by the school; secondly, improvement in academic performance both in specialist subjects and across the whole school; thirdly, the quality of the specialist school development plans for the next four years.

Ms Drown

Will my hon. Friend consider widening the assessment criteria to take into account educational and wider community benefits? Churchfields school in my constituency partly serves one of the most deprived areas in the south-west and was widely welcomed as a specialist school. The school has turned itself around and come out of special measures. It has achieved a 50 per cent. increase in academic standards and one need only look at the performing arts to see the huge talent that it is developing, yet it has been told that it cannot continue as a specialist school.

Surely schools that are obviously benefiting from specialist school status—so widely welcomed in the community—should not have that status taken away. Will the Minister look again at the criteria to make sure that schools such as this can continue the success that they have so obviously developed from being specialist schools?

Mr. Miliband

My hon. Friend has spoken and written to me about the case of Churchfields school. I can assure the House that I do not decide; an independent panel looks carefully at every case and makes recommendations about re-designation. My hon. Friend will agree that the re-designation process has to be fair and objective. I know that Churchfields has appealed against the decision of the independent panel. The appeal will be considered in the new academic year to take account of its results this year. I look forward to the school making significant progress during that time.

Mr. David Cameron (Witney)

Will the Minister recognise the sense of disappointment often felt by heads, teachers, governors and parents when a school's application for specialist status is rejected? Will he look again at the application by Carterton community college in my constituency, a school without a sixth form which serves the local population around RAF Brize Norton and has a transient population? The headmaster is doing an excellent job in terms of discipline and results. The school applied for specialist status and was very disappointed not to get it. I hope that he will be able to look at the case again.

Mr. Miliband

I can do better than the hon. Gentleman hopes, in the following sense: our commitment is to work with the schools to help prepare them for specialist status so that they are in a position to make the most of it. I cannot revisit the decision to reject the application, but I am committed to working with the school to make sure that the application next time is of a sufficient standard to get through.

Jonathan Shaw (Chatham and Aylesford)

Does my hon. Friend agree that schools are far less likely to be rejected under this Government's specialist schools policy than under the previous Government, because we are putting in the money? When considering the specialist schools round, will he look carefully at Aylesford school in my constituency, which will share £60 million of private finance initiative new buildings, including a school in Ashford, about which I am sure the hon. Member for Ashford (Mr. Green) will be pleased? Will he look carefully at this school? The buildings are dilapidated, the staff are working very hard, the results are improving and it deserves to get the green light.

Mr. Miliband

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for getting me back on message. When we came to office, there were only 100 specialist schools. There are now 900 and we predict that that will rise to about 2,000 by 2006. He will agree that they are making a substantial contribution to the rising standards across the country. I will look seriously at individual cases as they come through, but every judgment is made on an objective and independent basis.

Dr. Vincent Cable (Twickenham)

What steps is the Minister taking to reduce the bureaucracy and red tape surrounding specialist school applications? One of my local schools, Hampton community college, which is desperately short of staff—especially senior staff—had to set aside three of its five most senior teachers for a term to make a bid that subsequently failed.

Mr. Miliband

That is an important and good point and I can provide some reassurance to the hon. Gentleman. The 250-page form is being reduced to a 50-page form in the new round, making a significant difference to the bureaucracy associated with the application for specialist status.