§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to ensure sixth478W form colleges get the same level of financial support as secondary schools implementing the new A level curriculum. [112823]
§ Mr. Wicks[holding answer 3 March 2000]: We have taken steps to ensure that both colleges in the FE sector and schools with sixth forms have the resources they need to introduce the revised post-16 qualifications from September this year. At the Government's request, the Further Education Funding Council has revised its funding system so as to offer colleges a clear incentive to provide students with broader programmes of study than the traditional norm. In addition, £35 million was added to the overall education standard spending settlement for 2000–01 to reflect the potential costs to local education authorities nationally of implementing the reforms in the schools they maintain.