HC Deb 20 December 1988 vol 144 c199W
29. Mr. Page

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schools have applied for grant-maintained status; and how any applications he expects to receive.

50. Mr. McLoughlin

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schools have given an indication that they wish to apply to opt out of local authority control.

Mr. Riddick

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schools have made inquiries as to the possibility of opting out of local authority control.

Mr. John Marshall

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the progress in respect of opting out ballots under the Education Reform Act.

Mr. Stern

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many requests for grant-maintained status have so far been received by his Department.

Mr. Nicholas Bennett

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schools have conducted ballots with a view to opting out of the local authority system and becoming grant-maintained schools; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Harry Greenway

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schools he expects to opt out of the maintained system in their first year of eligibility to do so; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Butcher

A large number of parents and governors from schools of all kinds have made inquiries about grant-maintained status and about the formal procedures by which an individual school can seek to become grant-maintained. Four schools have already held secret postal ballots of parents which have shown large majorities in favour of making applications to. my right hon. Friend, and he will consider these on their merits in due course. I expect a good many more to follow suit over the coming months.