§ Sir Thomas ArnoldTo ask the Secretary of State for Education how many recent applications for voluntary aided status have been received; and which were(a) accepted and (b) rejected.
§ Mr. ForthSince January 1990 the Secretary of State has decided 15 applications for new voluntary aided schools; of these five were approved and 10 were rejected. Four of these approvals were for new primary schools, including a Roman Catholic, Church of England/ Methodist, interchurch and a Jewish school. The fifth approval was for a Jewish secondary school. The 10 unsuccessful applications included three RC, three C of E, 463W one Church of England/Methodist, two Jewish schools and one Muslim. The last decision is currently being reconsidered.