§ Mr. Bob Dunnasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action he intends to take, other than the provision of leaflets, to make parents aware of the opportunities made available by the assisted places scheme, bearing in mind the hostility to the scheme of some primary head teachers.
§ Dr. BoysonAbout 54,000 copies of the leaflet "Assisted Places at Independent Schools: A Brief Guide for Parents" have been issued by my Department to date. We shall continue to make the leaflet and the list of schools invited to participate in the scheme freely available, revising them from time to time as appropriate. However, we believe that the most effective publicity for the scheme will be that undertaken locally, and that the schools offering assisted places are themselves best placed to publicise the scheme in their own areas. We hope that local education authorities and maintained schools will co-operate in publicising the additional educational opportunities being made available to children in their areas.
§ Mr. Bob Dunnasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish in the Official Report the names of those local education authorities which have refused to inform parents, by any means, of the opportunities afforded by the assisted places scheme.
§ Dr. BoysonWhile my right hon. and learned Friend hopes that local education authorities will co-operate with schools696W offering assisted places in publicising the opportunities available under the scheme there can be no compulsion on them to do so. At present he is not aware of any authorities which have refused to inform parents, by any means, about the scheme.
§ Mr. Bob Dunnasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish in the Official Report the names of those schools who are participating in the assisted places scheme from the counties of Kent, Surrey, East and West Sussex and from the London boroughs of Bromley, Bexley, Lewisham and Southwark.
§ Dr. BoysonNo school will be committed to taking part in the assisted places scheme until a participation agreement has been signed, which we hope for most schools will be before the end of this year. The schools invited to participate in the scheme situated in the areas specified are listed below. Charterhouse, St. John's school, Leatherhead, Epsom college, Eastbourne college and Hurstpierpoint college were not included in the list published on 6 October but have since increased their offer of places and been invited to participate. Tormead school, Guildford, Surrey was invited to participate but has since withdrawn and is not included in the list below.
Kent
- Ton bridge School
- King's School, Rochester
- Walthamstow Hall, Sevenoaks
- Ashford School
- Kent College, Canterbury
- Dover College
Surrey
- Royal Grammar School, Guildford
- Cranleigh School
- King Edward's School, Witley
- Charterhouse, Godalming
- Reigate Grammar School
- Caterham School
- St. George's College, Weybridge
- St. Maur's Convent, Weybridge
- Sir William Perkin's School, Chertsey
- St. John's School, Leatherhead
- Epsom College
East Sussex
- Brighton College
- Brighton and Hove High School
- Eastbourne College
- St. Leonard's-Mayfield School
West Sussex
697W
- Lancing College
- Hurstpierpoint College
Bromley
- Eltham College
- Bromley High School
Lewisham
- St. Dunstan's College, Catford
- Colfe's School, Lee
- Sydenham High School
Southwark
- Dulwich College
- James Allen's Girl's School
- Alleyn's School, Dulwich