HC Deb 03 March 1989 vol 148 cc338-9W
Mr. Latham

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make it his policy not to regard it as an adverse factor, in deciding upon an application for grant maintained status, that the school in question accepts children from the ages of 11 to 14 years only, coming from a locally maintained primary school and proceeding to a locally maintained upper school with age range 14 to 19 years.

Mrs. Rumbold

All secondary and middle-deemed secondary schools are eligible to apply for grant-maintained status irrespective of age range. My right hon.

Mr. Latham

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will outline the methods and criteria by which he will resolve disputes between the apportionment of expenditure on a defective roof at a grant-maintained school where the governors consider that the defect is an inherent problem of construction requiring capital expenditure and the local education authority consider it to be a maintenance responsibility.

Mrs. Rumbold

Both maintenance and capital expenditure at a grant-maintained school will be the responsibility of the school governing body; the local education authority will not be involved. Grant-maintained schools will be able to apply to the Department for capital grant at 100 per cent. to cover approved capital expenditure, including expenditure on major structural repairs. My right hon. Friend will consider bids for capital grants from grant-maintained schools on their merits in the light of the resources available.

Mr. Latham

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will outline the methods and criteria by which he will resolve disputes between a grant-maintained school and the local education authority if the authority were to change the catchment areas of the primary schools feeding the grant-maintained school to that school's disadvantage.

Mrs. Rumbold

The admissions arrangements for a grant-maintained school will be as agreed with my right hon. Friend and included in the school's articles of government. They will not normally be affected by admissions arrangements for primary schools.