HC Deb 14 November 1989 vol 160 cc219-20W
30. Mrs. Mahon

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last met the Grant Maintained Schools Trust; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Rumbold

My right hon. Friend last met the chairman and officials of the Grant Maintained Schools Trust on 17 October when he attended a dinner at a conference organised by the trust for teachers and governors in grant-maintained schools.

32. Mr. Teddy Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many applications he has received from schools seeking to opt out of direct local authority management and control; how many have been approved; and how many schoolchildren are affected.

45. Mr. Kirkhope

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many applications for grant-maintained status he has granted; and how many he expects to grant in the immediate future.

77. Mrs. Gorman

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schools have sought grant-maintained status.

106. Mr. Hunter

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schools have opted for grant-maintained status.

Mr. Shersby

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schools have now applied to opt out of local education authority control; and in how many cases he has given his consent.

Mrs. Rumbold

To date 50 schools have voted in favour of applying for grant-maintained status, of which 47 have so far published proposals. My right hon. Friend has taken decisions on 36 cases, of which 28 have been approved for grant-maintained status. Decisions on the remaining proposals will be taken on their merits in due course. Some 12,300 school-children are attending schools which became grant-maintained in September; the total number attending schools so far approved to become grant-maintained is 19,000.

100. Mr. Holt

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schools in Cleveland have begun proceedings to opt out of the local education authority control.

Mrs. Rumbold

I am not aware of any school in the Cleveland area having begun proceedings to opt out of local education authority control.

103. Mr. Barry Porter

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what formula his Department will use for central funding of schools which choose to opt out; what representations he has received on this matter; and if he will make a statement.

110. Mr. Franks

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what formula his Department will use in deciding the funding of schools which choose to opt out; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Rumbold

The financial arrangements for grant-maintained schools were set out in the Education (Grant-Maintained Schools) (Finance) Regulations 1989 (S.I., 1989/1287). These arrangements were explained in the Department's circular No. 21/89, issued on 23 August 1989, copies of which have been placed in the Library. A number of representations were received from schools, local education authorities and others in response to the Department's earlier consultation paper on these matters, issued on 10 March, and these were taken into account in preparing the regulations and circular mentioned earlier.