§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance is given to(a) local education authorities and (b) learning and skills commissions on the operation of school sixth forms in rural areas. [142312]
§ Mr. MilibandNo specific guidance has been issued to local education authorities or the Learning and Skills Council on the operation of sixth forms in rural areas.
Under section 2 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000, the Learning and Skills Council has a duty to secure the provision of proper educational facilities for people who are above compulsory school age but have not attained age 19. LEAs have powers to secure post-16 educational facilities under Section 15A and 15B of the Education Act 1996, which are discretionary.
Our published principles underpinning 16–19 provision set out our expectation that provision will be organised to show that young people have access, within reasonable travelling distance, to high quality learning opportunities across the school, college and work-based training routes that will meet their interests, aptitudes and aspirations and will promote participation and attainment in learning.
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what powers local learning and skills commissions have to overturn recommendations from local education authorities with regard to reorganisation of school sixth forms. [142313]
§ Mr. MilibandLocal education authorities have powers under sections 28 and 29 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 to publish statutory proposals to establish or discontinue schools with sixth forms, including 16–19 schools, and to make changes to schools—for example they may propose to add or close a school sixth form. LEAs may implement their proposals if there are no objections during consultation, otherwise the proposals will be decided locally by the School Organisation Committee for the area.
If the local Learning and Skills Council disagrees with the proposals it can object during consultation and use its vote on the School Organisation Committee to have the case referred to an independent schools adjudicator.
Only if the LSC has published final re-organisation proposals do they take precedence over any simultaneous related LEA/school proposals. In these cases a decision on the LEA's proposals must be deferred pending a decision by the Secretary of State on the LSC proposals.
§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidelines there are on the minimum acceptable size for a school sixth form; and whether these guidelines were communicated to(a) local education authorities, (b) learning and skills commissions and (c) Ofsted. [142311]
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§ Mr. MilibandWe do not prescribe a minimum acceptable size of school sixth form. The issue is whether a sixth form provides a high quality, broad curriculum for its students, rather than its size.
We have made clear in our published principles for the organisation of 16–19 provision that well-managed collaboration can enable popular and successful sixth forms, including small sixth forms, to remain viable and to share and build on their particular areas of expertise.