§ Mr. Radiceasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list in the Official Report for each local education authority in England for pupils of secondary age (a) the amount spent within that local education authority on assisted places, (b) the number of assisted places, (c) the average expenditure per assisted place pupil and (d) the percentage of the local education authority budget represented by expenditure on the assisted places scheme.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerThe latest available comparative information is as follows. The first three columns relate to the school year 1984–85. The final column takes as its base net institutional expenditure for the financial year 1984–85.
643W
644W645W
Expenditure (£) on assisted places scheme schools in the area Number of assisted pupils at schools in area Average expenditure (£) per assisted place pupil Assisted places expenditure as percentage of LEA secondary budget Birmingham 395,862 313 1,265 0.40 Coventry 199,475 140 1,425 0.60 Dudley — — — — Sandwell — — — — Solihull — — — — Walsall — — — — Wolverhampton 263,460 179 1,472 1.00 Knowsley — — — — Liverpool 589,969 425 1,388 1.20 St. Helens — — — — Sefton 486,869 356 1,368 1.80 Wirral 567,046 551 1,029 1.80 Bolton 286,067 300 954 1.10 Bury 227,527 264 862 1.40 Manchester 773,498 584 1,324 1.70 Oldham 263,194 241 1,092 1.30 Rochdale — — — — Salford — — — — Stockport 292,165 239 1,222 1.10 Tameside — — — — Trafford 129,437 112 1,156 0.70 Wigan — — — — Barnsley — — — — Doncaster — — — — Rotherham — — — — Sheffield 69,397 67 1,036 0.10 Bradford 179,294 155 1,157 0.30 Calderdale — — — — Kirklees 161,217 164 983 0.50 Leeds 410,662 308 1,333 0.60 Wakefield 260,430 194 1,342 0.90 Gateshead — — — — Newcastle upon Tyne 599,377 527 1,137 2.20 North Tyneside — — — — South Tyneside — — — — Sunderland — — — — Isles of Scilly — — — — Avon 1,258,337 909 1,384 1.60 Bedfordshire 495,204 342 1,448 0.80 Berkshire 253,737 169 1,501 0.40 Buckinghamshire 24,562 8 3,070 0.05 Cambridgeshire 412,901 227 1,491 0.80 Cheshire 320,449 245 1,308 0.40 Cleveland — — — — Cornwall 162,670 114 1,427 0.40 Cumbria 224,313 98 2,289 0.50 Derbyshire 320,870 146 2,198 0.50 Devon 621,759 416 1,495 0.80 Dorset 212,550 124 1,714 0.50 Durham — — — — East Sussex 295,373 200 1,477 0.70 Essex 434,924 144 3,020 0.30 Gloucestershire 75,077 33 2,275 0.20 Hampshire 1,080,446 785 1,376 0.90 Hereford and Worcestershire 614,567 377 1,630 1.00 Hertfordshire 723,505 539 1,342 0.80 Humberside 234,194 203 1,154 0.30 Isle of Wight — — — — Kent 383,547 210 1,826 0.30 Lancashire 622,453 579 1,075 0.50 Leicestershire 234,586 172 1,364 0.30 Lincolnshire 120,899 101 1,197 0.20 Norfolk 255,881 205 1,248 0.50 North Yorkshire 153,004 81 1,889 0.30 Northamptonshire 273,565 185 1,479 0.50 Northumberland — — — — Nottinghamshire 152,141 148 1,028 0.20 Oxfordshire 481,402 316 1,523 1.00 Shropshire 74,890 62 1,208 0.20 Somerset 571,209 357 1,600 1.60 Staffordshire 547,810 348 1,574 0.50 Suffolk 436,590 292 1,495 0.80 Surrey 856,911 502 1,707 1.30 Warwickshire 240,960 209 1,153 0.70
Expenditure (£) on assisted places scheme schools in the area Number of assisted pupils at schools in area Average (£) per assisted place pupil Assisted places expenditure as percentage of LEA secondary budget West Sussex — — — — Wiltshire 86,568 40 2,164 0.20
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) whether his Department has carried out any investigation into the change in pupil achievement following the Government's increased support for the assisted places scheme;
(2) what assessment his Department has carried out into the effects of its policy of increased support of assisted pupils on the education system in England.
§ Mr. DunnChanges in individual pupils' achievement cannot be measured directly. However, the Government are satisfied that the broadening of educational opportunities provided by the scheme has been wholly beneficial.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many pupils from each local education authority area who have been awarded assisted places at independent schools have dropped out of the scheme in each year since the scheme's inception.
§ Mr. Radiceasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average expenditure per pupil on the assisted places scheme.
§ Mr. Kenneth Baker£1,603 in the school year 1985–86.