HC Deb 31 October 1990 vol 178 cc514-7W
Mr. Straw

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list every sponsor of a city technology college with the amount promised and the city technology college concerned, in each case.

Mr. MacGregor

The principal sponsors of the city technology colleges announced to date are as follows:

Kingshurst

Hanson Industries—£1 million

Djanogly, Nottingham

Mr. Harry Djanogly—£1.1 million

Macmillan College, Teesside

BAT Industries—£1 million

Bradford

The Dixons Group plc—£1.1 million

Emmanuel College, Gateshead

The Reg Vardy Foundation—£1 million

Harris, Croydon

The Philip and Pauline Harris Charitable Trust—£1.25 million

Leigh, Dartford

Mr. G. N. Leigh—£1 million

Britschool, Croydon

The British Record Industry Trust—£1.1 million

Bacons, Southwark

Southwark Diocesan Board of Education—£1.5 million

Haberdashers' Aske's, New Cross

The Robert Aske Charity—£3.45 million

Corby

Mr. H. de Capell Brooke—£1.1 million

Derby

The Landau Foundation—£1.15 million

Telford

The Mercers' Company and Tarmac plc—£1 million each

Wandsworth

ADT—£1 million

Bristol

Cable and Wireless and The Wolfson Foundation—£1 million each

Total of principal sponsors' contributions—£20.75 million.

In addition, more than 100 companies/individuals have pledged an additional£11 million to the programme as a whole. This brings the total sponsorship to over £31 million. Discussions are continuing with other prospective sponsors, and I am confident that these talks will lead to further sponsorship.

Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) whether parents whose children are refused admission to a city technology college have the right of appeal to be heard by(a) an appeal body drawn up by the governors of a city technology college, (b) the Secretary of State, (c) the local commissioner and (d) any other independent body;

(2) if he will publish the admissions procedures that have been agreed for Bacon's city technology college;

(3) if he will make it his policy to ensure that parents whose children are refused admission to a city technology college are entitled to an appeal hearing.

Mr. Fallon

Details of the admissions policy and procedures for the Bacon's city technology college are available, free of charge, from the Bacon's project office, units 42/43, City Business Centre, Lower road, London SE16 2XB. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House. It is for the principal of each CTC to take full responsibility for the careful selection of the most suitable pupils for that school, using criteria agreed with my right hon. Friend. My right hon. Friend does not require CTCs to establish appeals procedures. The admissions procedures of CTCs are not subject to scrutiny by any independent body. However, if a CTC failed to apply the criteria agreed with him, this matter would be pursued by my right hon. Friend.

Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what grants he intends to make to Bacon's city technology college in(a) 1990–91, (b) 1991–92 and (c) 1992–93.

Mr. Fallon

My right hon. Friend has made provision for grants amounting to circa £7.1 million to be available to the Bacon's city technology college in this financial year. These relate to the management of the project and initial capital costs. The level of expenditure for the following financial years has not yet been agreed.

Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish the conditions that govern the payment of grants to Bacon's city technology college.

Mr. Fallon

The conditions which apply to the payment of grants to city technology colleges are set out in individual funding agreements between sponsors and my right hon. Friend. The model for these agreements, which has evolved in discussions over the past year, contains all the material terms and conditions of grant. Copies of the model have today been placed in the Library. These replace the model agreement placed in the Library in July 1989.

Ms. Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science at what rates, for pupils(a) under and (b) over school leaving age, he has agreed to pay annual per capita grant to city technology colleges; and what are the total amounts of annual per capita grant and earmarked annual grant respectively that he has agreed to pay each city technology college during 1990–91.

Mr. Fallon

The rate of annual per capita grant—APG—in respect of each pupil for the academic year 1990–91 is £2,075 for pupils under school leaving age, and £2,365 weighted in respect of pupils over school leaving age. The total amounts of APG and earmarked annual grant—EAG—which have been agreed for payment to city technology colleges during this period are as follows:

Total APG Total EAG
£ £
Kingshurst 1,820,602 189,918
Nottingham 1,397,707 145,699
Teesside 1,234,019 134,238

Total APG Total EAG
£ £
Gateshead 862,550 179,048
Bradford 934,689 194,682
Dartford 321,605
Croydon 294,478

In the case of Dartford and Croydon, the colleges are being paid APG on the basis of indicative figures only, as agreement has not yet been reached on the uplift appropriate to reflect the higher costs of operating in the London area.

In addition to the per capita figure for APG, provision is made within this grant for administration costs and diseconomies of scale during each college's start-up period, reflecting good practice in respect of new schools within the LEA maintained sector.

Ms. Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the pupil-teacher ratio, for pupils(a) under and (b) over school leaving age, in each city technology college during the current academic year.

Mr. Fallon

Overall pupil-teacher ratios in city technology colleges for the academic year 1990–91 are as follows:

Pupil teacher ratio (1990–91)
Kingshurst 14.082
Nottingham 12.706
Teesside 13.286
Gateshead 9.375
Bradford 10.588
Dartford 13.544
Croydon 14.516

The data necessary to calculate pupil teacher ratios in respect of pupils above and below school leaving age are not held centrally.

Ms. Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many(a) boy and (b) girl pupils (i) under and (ii) over school leaving age are registered to attend each city technology college being funded by his Department during the academic year 1990–91; and what was the total number of pupils planned for each city technology college when it became fully operational.

Mr. Fallon

Numbers of pupils under and over school leaving age registered at each city technology college for the academic year 1990–91 are as follows. Planned total pupil numbers in each category are shown in brackets:

College and opening date USLA pupils 1990–91 (full) OSLA pupils 1990–91 (full)
Kingshurst (1988) 540 (900) 150 (200)
Nottingham (1989) 336 (825) 96 (165)
Teesside (1989) 372 (900) (150)
Gateshead (1990) 150 (750) (150)
Bradford (1990) 180 (750) (230)
Dartford (1990) 811 (1,050) 110 (200)
Croydon (1990) 830 (900) 70 (200)
Pupil numbers disaggregated by sex are not held centrally.

Ms. Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) if he will take steps to ensure that parent governors at Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham city technology college are elected, in line with parent governors at maintained schools, and subject to disqualification or removal from office solely on grounds similar to those set out for parent governors at maintained schools under regulations 5 to 8 of the Education (School Government) Regulations 1989;

(2) if he will take steps to ensure that the parent governors at the Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham city technology college have the same rights to participate in the financial management of the college as will be accorded to parent governors in voluntary schools under local management of schools;

(3) if he was consulted about the provisions of the articles of association of the Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham college trust.

Mr. Fallon

My right hon. Friend was consulted about the provisions of the articles of association of the Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham city technology college trust. In considering these my right hon. Friend took into account the wishes of the CTC trust and the provisions which he considered appropriate for the sound management of the CTC. The same considerations will apply to the scheme of government of the college which will determine the functions of the governing body, including parent governors. As circumstances differ, provisions will not necessarily be identical with those which apply to LEA maintained schools.