§ Ms. RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he intends to issue any guidance on the admission criteria and procedures, especially relating to the use of interviews, that may be used in selecting pupils to attend city technology colleges.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerPupils admitted to CTCs will have demonstrated their aptitude to benefit from the particular type of education to be offered, will represent a wide range of abilities and, so far as practicable, a cross section of the community of the area in which the college is situated. It will be for CTCs themselves to decide how to give effect to these criteria in their admission arrangements, which may include the use of interviews.
§ Ms. RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) whether he has established or intends to establish any guidance or standard requirements regarding the curriculum to be taught in city technology colleges;
(2) in which respects it is anticipated that the curriculum laid down for a city technology college will differ or add to the requirements of the national curriculum; and which elements would be compulsory in the curriculum for students attending such city technology colleges beyond the age of 16 years.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerAs a condition of grant CTCs will offer a curriculum which is broad and balanced with an 15W emphasis on science and technology, including the applications of information technology across the curriculum. We shall expect the curriculum for all pupils in years one to five to cover all the core and foundation subjects of the national curriculum, national arrangements for assessments will apply, and provision will be made for the teaching of religious education and for collective worship. A wide range of courses will be available for post-16 pupils.
§ Ms. RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has established criteria or formulae for determining the levels of private and/or public funding that can be made available for the establishment of individual city technology colleges, either as revenue or capital.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerThe basis of our recurrent grant to CTCs will be an average of equivalent expenditure by local education authorities on maintained schools in similar areas. Capital costs will vary according to individual circumstances, including for example the cost of acquiring a site and whether any refurbishment or additional building works are needed. In each case sponsors will be required to make a significant contribution to those costs.
§ Ms. RuddockTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will issue guidance to local education authorities on the availability of lists of parents' names and addresses to parents of children in schools which are currently state schools but are considering opted out or city technology college status.
§ Mr. Kenneth BakerI refer the hon. Member to the answer that my hon. Friend the Member for Mitcham and Morden (Mrs. Rumbold) gave her on Monday, 7 November at column3.