§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many unfilled vacancies for permanent members of teaching staff there were at each fresh start school on(a) 31 December 2000 and (b) 28 February; and when he expects them to be filled. [155165]
§ Ms Estelle Morris[holding answer 26 March 2001]: We do not collect this information centrally. However, the Department has provided each of the 25 schools which have undergone a "fresh start" since 1997 with additional funding to support their plans for raising standards. Those fresh start schools which have encountered difficulties over teacher vacancies have been able to use these funds both for supply cover, in the short term, and to offer the recruitment and retention allowances needed to attract and keep permanent teaching staff in the longer term.