HL Deb 31 January 2000 vol 609 c2WA
Lord Baker of Dorking

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why the Small Schools Support Fund, announced in October 1999, extends to special schools in the maintained sector but is not available to non-maintained schools like Dorton House in Sevenoaks, Kent, whose quality has been recognised by OFSTED. [HL654]

Baroness Blackstone

The Small School Support Fund will be delivered through DfEE's Standards Fund. The primary aim of the Standards Fund is to enable the Secretary of State and local education authorities to direct funding on specific educational priorities to raise educational standards in the maintained sector. Although Dorton House, as a non-maintained school, is therefore not directly eligible for support from the Standards Fund, current guidance to local education authorities is clear that eligible expenditure under the Standards Fund may include expenditure reimbursed by an LEA which is incurred by the persons responsible for the maintenance of a special school not maintained by the LEA.