§ Mr. Damian GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the average cost in 2002–03 of schooling for an individual student taking three A-levels at(a) an English maintained secondary school and (b) an English maintained sixth form college. [110124]
§ Margaret HodgeThe Learning and Skills Council's published rates show that the basic cost to the public purse of delivering three A-levels to a student in 2002/03 at an English maintained secondary school was £2,899. This figure comprises £733 for the delivery of each A-level course, and £697 for each student for the 179W enrichment of their learning programme. The basic cost to the public purse of delivering three A-levels to a student at a sixth form college in 2002/03 was £2,641. This figure comprises £663 for the delivery of each A-level course, and £697 for each student for the enrichment of their learning programme. In each case additional funding may also be available to take account of the higher costs of delivering learning in particular geographical areas, in higher cost subjects, or to students with particular disadvantages or individual needs. We expect the funding gap between school sixth forms and sixth form colleges to narrow over the 2003/06 period while maintaining the real terms guarantee for school sixth forms.