HC Deb 05 June 1990 vol 173 cc549-51W
Ms. Armstrong

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the representations he has received from school governing bodies regarding local management of schools.

Mrs. Rumbold

My right hon. Friend continues to receive representations from individual school governors and from school governing bodies. Many of these welcome the opportunities which delegated budgeting bring to them.

Mr. Allen

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many teaching jobs have been lost in each local education authority because of the introduction of LMS.

Mrs. Rumbold

No such information is available. However, LMS does not change total resources for education; there is no evidence that the introduction of LMS will lead to any reduction in the number of teaching jobs.

Mr. Allen

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list by local education authority the percentage of local management of schools spending which is incurred(a) by schools, (b) by central administration and (c) under other major headings.

Mrs. Rumbold

Budget information for 1990–91 is not yet available. However, some of the information the hon. Member has requested was included in LEAs' LMS schemes submitted to my right hon. Friend last autumn, on the basis of estimates and previous years' spending, and was published in the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Epping Forest (Mr. Norris) on 5 February,Official Report, column 451.

Mr. Allen

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of United Kingdom schools are currently under local management of schools; and what is his estimate for future years.

Mrs. Rumbold

Local management of schools is currently operating in England and Wales; it will be introduced in Northern Ireland from April 1991. Where a local education authority has a statutory LMS scheme, all the schools in the authority expect for the nursery and special schools fall within the scope of that scheme. At present 87 local education authorities in England and eight local education authorities in Wales have approved LMS schemes, and 81.8 per cent. of all schools in England and Wales are operating within those schemes. By April 1992 we expect all LEAs in England, including inner London, to have approved LMS schemes; 92.6 per cent. of all maintained schools in England and Wales will then be covered by schemes.

Mr. Allen

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his estimate of the saving to be made in the first and subsequent years on salary costs under local management of schools by employing a newly qualified teacher as against(a) a teacher on average salary and (b) a teacher at the top of the scale salary.

Mrs. Rumbold

The majority of teachers are on the top of the standard scale. From 1 January 1991 such a teacher without an incentive allowance and outside London will receive £16,000. On that date a good honours graduate entering the profession will be entitled to be paid at least £10,500.

Mr Allen

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will estimate the average school budget under local management of schools for the major types of school covered; and if he will show the percentage of that budget spent on the main expenditure headings.

Mrs. Rumbold

The information from which to make such an estimate is not yet available. According to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy education statistics 1989–90 estimates, schools' direct costs (secondary and middle deemed secondary schools) break down as follows;

  • Teaching staff—63.8 per cent.
  • Non-Teaching Staff—5.7 per cent.
  • Premises—14.8 per cent.
  • Support Services—6.2 per cent
  • Other—9.5 per cent.

Mr. Allen

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals he has for improving the training of school governors in order to cope with local management of schools; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Alan Howarth

In 1989–90 the Government supported, under the education support grant programme, expenditure of £4.9 million on governor training and £3 million on training support staff in schools, and, through the LEA training grants programme, £10 million to provide management training for heads and senior staff in schools. For the year 1990–91 the expenditure supported will be £5.1 million for governor training, £2 million for support staff training, and £8 million for head teacher training. Further support will be available in 1991–92. Local education authorities have a statutory duty to provide governors with such training as the LEA considers necessary. It is for LEAs to determine the nature and timetable of their training programme. LEAs were required to state in their schemes for the local management of schools what arrangements they have made for support and training; the Department will be monitoring the use of ESG funds and the level of training provided.