§ Mr. David NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has had about the consequences of future trends in devolved school budgets under local management of schools for the viability of small rural primary schools; what safeguards exist to protect such schools; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ForthThe Department has received a number of representations within the last four weeks on issues arising from the local management of schools—LMS—including the funding of small rural schools. Under LMS, local education authorities—LEAs—can provide additional support to small schools in two ways: they may offer salary protection to schools with fewer than 330 pupils, and they may build factors into their formulae which allow for the higher costs of providing a balanced curriculum in small schools.