HC Deb 08 March 1993 vol 220 cc440-1W
Lady Olga Maitland

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the results for each local education authority of the religious allegiance statistics for pupils in maintained schools collected under his Department's circular 16/89, including the religious allegiance figures for pupils aged five to 11 years at the beginning of the school year 1990–91 and the percentage of such pupils in each local education authority of each religious affiliation according to the said circular and those for whom no information is available; and if he will give the corresponding information for England as a whole.

Mr. Forth

The information supplied by many local education authorities and self-governing state schools in 1990–91 was incomplete and of poor quality. I do not intend to publish the results, but I will write separately to my hon. Friend on this matter.

Lady Olga Maitland

To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will list for each local education authority the number of determinations granted to schools by the standing advisory council on religious education under section 12 of the Education Reform Act 1988, the total number of county and controlled schools, and the percentage of such schools which have been granted exemption from daily Christian worship; and if he will give summary figures for England as a whole;

(2)what percentage of schools have been granted exemption from daily Christian worship; and if he will list them.

Mr. Forth

The information is not available in the form requested. The following table lists for each local authority where a determination has been granted, and for England as a whole, the number of determinations granted, the number of county schools, and the number of determinations as a percentage of county schools.

It is not possible to give the percentage of county schools with determinations since more than one determination may apply to a single school. Controlled schools cannot be granted determinations because they are not subject to the requirement that worship should be wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character. Controlled schools are not therefore included in the information. Information on which schools have been granted determinations is not held centrally.

London Education Authority Determinations granted County schools Determinations as percentage of county schools
Bedfordshire 6 230 2.6
Berkshire 13 219 5.9
Birmingham 6 311 1.9
Bolton 1 68 1.5
Bradford 69 192 35.9
Brent 59 56 105.0
Buckinghamshire 2 240 0.8
Cambridgeshire 1 223 0.4
Coventry 4 95 4.2
Ealing 23 91 25.3
Gloucestershire 2 176 1.1
Harrow 5 53 9.4
Hertfordshire 2 384 0.5
Hounslow 12 63 19.0
Kirklees 8 136 5.9
Lancashire 6 311 1.9
Merton 4 46 8.7
Newham 5 66 7.6
Rochdale 8 53 15.0
Rotherham 5 112 4.5
Salford 1 59 1.8
Surrey 2 289 0.7
Tameside 1 67 1.5
Trafford 3 68 4.4
Waltham Forest 1 67 1.5
Westminster 1 18 5.5
Wirral 1 94 1.1
Wolverhampton 2 88 2.3
ENGLAND 253 15,313 1.7