HC Deb 29 March 1996 vol 274 cc787-8W
Mr. Colvin

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about Defence Agency status for service children's education. [24412]

Mr. Soames

On 1 April 1996, the existing Service Children's Schools (North West Europe) defence agency and the Service Children's Education Authority will be merged to become a new defence agency to be known as Service Children's Education. The aim of SCE will be to provide or ensure an efficient and effective education service for dependent children residing with MOD personnel serving outside the United Kingdom; and to provide advice and support to service parents on the provision of local education authority, grant-maintained and independent education to service children in the United Kingdom. The new defence agency will be owned by the Adjutant General on behalf of the Secretary of State for Defence. The location of the SCE headquarters is under review but it will initially be based at Rheindahlen in Germany, with a small advisory branch in Worthy Down, Hampshire. The defence agency's 58 schools will be responsible for educating some 14,500 pupils and are located in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sardinia, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Belize, Falklands, Brunei, Naples and Viborg.

The chief executive will be required to build upon the SCS(NWE) and SCEA reputation for providing a high standard of service and to achieve even better value for money. The chief executive has been set the following key targets for the first year of operation:

  1. 1. To sustain an effective education service overseas which is comparable to sound UK practice, the agency will:
    • Exceed the United Kingdom Local Education Authority average percentage of pupils gaining GCSE grades A to C in five or more subjects by 2 per cent.
    • Achieve A-level pass rates at grades A to C that equal the UK average percentage.
    • Achieve an overall percentage pass rate for BTEC diploma of 90 per cent.
    • Exceed the UK average percentage pass rate at standard attainment tasks and tests at ages seven, 11 and 14 in English, maths and science by 2 per cent.
    • Achieve as a minimum a satisfactory standard in each Ofsted school inspection.
  2. 2. Formulate policy and seek approval for an overseas nursery education scheme by 30 June 1996.
  3. 3. Have three establishments and supporting organisations gaining accreditation in investors in people.
  4. 4. Introduce comprehensive monitoring, reporting and evaluation management procedures by 31 March 1997.
  5. 5. Achieve an overall efficiency improvement of 4 per cent. of which 2.5 per cent. will be achieved through a reduction in unit costs and the remainder through improved academic performance.
  6. 6. Introduce a new estate management system by 31 March 1997.
  7. 7. Implement an educationally sound programme of contact between all schools and their host nations, "partner" schools or local communities by 31 March 1997.
  8. 8. Achieve an index of satisfaction with service children's education within the Army's wives continuous attitude survey above 350.
  9. 9. Achieve the Treasury accounts direction by 31 March 97.

I have arranged for copies of the agency's framework document to be placed in the Library of the House.