Grant-maintained Schools (Hansard, 15 July 1992)

§ Mr. David Hunt

All grant-maintained schools, irrespective of whether they are in the primary or secondary sector, are eligible for four forms of grant aid from my Department: transitional grant, annual maintenance grant. special purpose grants and capital grant.

Transitional grants enable schools to prepare for their new responsibilities in the grant-maintained sector and are payable in advance of the effective date of operation. Annual maintenance grant is based on what a school would have received for its running costs under its former LEA's local management of schools scheme. In addition, the grant includes an amount calculated to be the school's proportion of the LEA's expenditure on services which were previously provided centrally, thereby giving the school complete freedom in deciding which services it wishes to purchase to meet its own priorities, independently of the local authority. Special purpose grants mainly parallel the support available to LEAs through my Department's grants for education support and training—GEST—programme, much of which is currently retained at LEA level, again providing the grant-maintained school with the flexibility to decide its own priorities. Capital grants are available in the form of allocations for named projects and formula-based allocations for the purchase of equipment and small scale projects. All grant-maintained schools are automatically entitled to the latter, thereby guaranteeing them a certain level of funding.

The financial advantages of grant-maintained status are therefore, manifold. It is for governors and headteachers to decide together how to manage the funds, how to manage the curriculum, whom to employ, and what services and goods to buy. Grant-maintained schools therefore benefit from increased flexibility to spend their resources, free from LEA bureaucracy. A recent survey by the Grant Maintained Schools Centre revealed that:

88 per cent. of schools reported increased pupil numbers;
48 per cent. have reported increased classroom support staff;
82 per cent. have reported increased spending on books and equipment,
72 per cent. of those who responded reported increased teacher numbers.

GM heads reported greater flexibility, enhanced administrative support, and redirection of funds from LEA bureaucracy to classroom.

There can be no doubt about the benefit of grant-maintained status to parents, pupils and schools alike. I expect many more applications for grant maintained status over the coming months from schools wishing to take advantage of these benefits.