Primary Schools: Grant-maintained Status (Hansard, 21 November 1990)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment (Baroness Blatch)
My Lords, my honourable friend the Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science wrote to all primary schools with fewer than 300 pupils last month letting them know that they are now eligible to apply for grant-maintained status. The letter made clear that each application received by the Secretary of State will be decided on its merits.

§ Lord Stallard
My Lords, I thank the Minister for that Answer. However, does she recall the concern expressed by the secretary of the Conservative-controlled Association of County Councils about the Government's booklet on grant-maintained schools entitled Questions Parents Ask? The booklet does not appear to present a balanced account of the pros and cons of grant-maintained schools. It almost strays beyond the proper domain of explanation and information and into the realms of value judgment. Is she also aware that the letter which she mentioned, and which I have read, does nothing to mollify those concerns? What is needed now is an unbiased, revised version of the booklet and another such booklet dealing with schools which are maintained by local authorities.

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, I speak from the Dispatch Box in order to defend the Government on such matters, not to defend individuals on the basis of hearsay or statements made outside this Chamber. There is a great deal of biased literature in this matter which does not emanate from the Government.

§ Lord Gainford
My Lords, will my noble friend join me in congratulating the parents, teachers and staff of the Cwmcarn School, which is the first school in Wales to gain grant-maintained status? Is she aware that this 678 school is situated in the constituency of the right honourable Member for Islwyn, whose party seems to be bent on abolishing grant-maintained status?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, I am not aware of the details of the school. But I know that the policy of that party is to abolish grant-maintained status. We believe that grant-maintained status extends choice and it has certainly improved satisfaction with those schools; indeed, they are oversubscribed. We believe that the number of grant-maintained schools is growing sufficiently for it to be a very adverse policy if the Labour Party should ever consider its abolition.

§ Baroness David
My Lords, can the Minister say how many eligible primary schools—that is, those with more than 300 pupils—have asked to become grant-maintained?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, we know that primary schools have applied for details about becoming grant-maintained but we do not know of any particular primary school which has had a ballot on the prospect of becoming grant-maintained. However, that is no reason why they should not be granted the right under the law to be considered along with any other application should they wish to apply for grant-maintained status.

§ Baroness Blackstone
My Lords, I believe that the Minister is saying that not a single primary school out of the 3,000 with over 300 pupils has applied for or been granted grant-maintained status. If that is the case, how can she possibly claim that applying for grant-maintained status and obtaining it is so popular among governing bodies, head teachers and parents in primary schools?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, I said that where grant-maintained status has been granted it has proved to be very popular—so popular in fact that all grant-maintained schools are oversubscribed. I was not specifically relating my remarks to primary schools. We do not see any reason why primary schools, should they wish to apply, should not be free to do so. They will be given serious consideration should we receive an application.

§ The Earl of Shrewsbury
My Lords, will my noble friend condemn the actions of Bolton Metropolitan Council, which has banned pupils from the grant-maintained St.James's School from using the council's swimming baths?

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, I shall certainly join my noble friend in condemning any action which either thwarts the application for grant-maintained status or applies a vindictive policy against a school that wishes to become grant-maintained. We know of many such examples, and that is only one.

§ Lord Tordoff
My Lords, will the noble Baroness kindly inform the House what possible relevance that has to the Question on the Order Paper?

§ Lord Glenamara
My Lords, is the noble Baroness aware that the grant-maintained scheme is one of the biggest pieces of nonsense introduced by this Government? It makes utter nonsense of the local authority system. Further, will she make quite clear to these schools that they will all be returned to the local 679 authority system after the next election? There will certainly be a change of Government because the country is fed up with this one.

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, I profoundly disagree with the noble Lord's views about grant-maintained status. Grant-maintained status improves choice for both children and parents. It makes better use of central funds, it frees local schools and it allows them to make decisions at a local level. Where schools have been awarded grant-maintained status, they are highly popular with parents and students. Where they have been established, they are oversubscribed in every single case.

§ Baroness David
My Lords, is the Minister aware that she is referring to secondary schools, whereas the Question refers to primary schools? I understand from what she said that no primary school has achieved grant-maintained status as yet.

§ Baroness Blatch
My Lords, I can only repeat that, because this has proved to be so popular in the secondary sector, we see no reason to restrict the freedom of a primary school should it wish to apply. Noble Lords opposite would not only restrict primary schools from becoming grant-maintained; they would also abolish the secondary schools which have already achieved grant-maintained status. We are simply saying that we believe that the maximum amount of freedom should be allowed under the law. We will support any primary school application which comes before the Secretary of State.