HC Deb 04 November 2002 vol 392 cc27-8W
Mr. Chaytor

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many specialist schools were designated before 1 September 1997; how many such schools and what percentage of the whole were(a) city technology colleges and (b) grant maintained schools; and what the average percentage was of children in receipt of free school meals in (i) specialist schools designated prior to 1 September 1997 and (ii) city technology colleges and grant maintained schools designated as specialist schools before 1 September 1997. [77012]

Mr. Miliband

The information requested is as follows181 specialist schools were designated before 1 September 1997.

  1. (a) None of these are city technology colleges (CTCs).
  2. (b) 98 of these are grant maintained secondary schools, which is 54 per cent. of the total.
Free school meal (FSM) eligibility as at January 2002.
  1. (a) 13 per cent of pupils attending the 181 specialist schools designated before 1 September 1997 were eligible to receive a free school meal.
  2. (b) No CTCs are specialist schools, and therefore, are not applicable. 11 per cent. of pupils attending the 98 grant maintained secondary schools were eligible to receive a free school meal.