Grant-maintained Schools (Hansard, 20 May 1993)

§ Mr. Nigel Evans
To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools which have voted in favour of becoming grant-maintained are waiting for their applications to be accepted by his Department.

§ Mr. Forth
There are 166 schools whose proposals for self-governing (grant-maintained) status are currently246W under consideration in the Department. A further 87 have voted in favour of applying for self-governing status but have yet to publish proposals.

§ Mr. Tim Smith
To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list all those organisations which have been approved by his Department as registered grant-maintained school auditors under the CIPFA scheme of audit regulation approved by his Department on 18 January.

§ Mr. Forth
Self-governing state schools (grant-maintained) are required to have an external audit of their accounts undertaken annually by one of the following: the Audit Commission; members of one of the professional accountancy bodies which are recognised supervisory bodies and who are also registered to audit limited companies in accordance with the companies legislation; or people or members of any other body approved by the Department of Trade and Industry to audit limited companies or approved by the Department of Education to audit grant-maintained schools.
This Department has approved the CIPFA scheme of audit registration for this purpose but, as with the other professional bodies who can audit grant-maintained schools, is not responsible for approving the individuals or organisations applying for registration. That is a matter for the professional bodies concerned, who both register and monitor the auditors.
I understand that the CIPFA has registered the following bodies under its scheme for the audit of grant-maintained schools:

Surrey county council

Dudley metropolitan borough council

Hampshire county council

Norfolk county council

London borough of Croydon

Derbyshire county council

Bedfordshire county council

Dorset county council

Hertfordshire county council

Lincolnshire county council

Nottinghamshire county council

Kent county council

Cambridgeshire county council

Gloucestershire county council

Northamptonshire county council

The requirements for external audits of grant-maintained schools are specified in an audit code issued by this Department. This includes an obligation on schools to notify the Department of the auditors they appoint.