HC Deb 31 October 1994 vol 248 cc927-8W
Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many copies of the videotape promoting opt-out schools have been made; and at what cost;

(2) what were the production costs of the videotape promoting opt-out schools;

(3) how many copies of the videotape promoting opt-out schools have been distributed; to whom; and at what cost.

Mr. Robin Squire

The videotape, "Our Children, Our Choice", provides factual information on grant-maintained status through the experience of four schools. The production costs were some £48,000, and 10,000 copies have been made at a further cost of £16,000. Between June and September this year about[...]3,500 copies were distributed, including 500 which were sent to grant-maintained headteachers and governors. The remainder are being made available at the Department's "Going GM" conferences or in response to requests from schools and the public. The videotape frequently forms part of a larger order for publications about grant-maintained status and it is therefore not possible to identify specific distribution costs.

Mr. Nicholas Winterton

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications have so far been considered by her Department from schools seeking grant-maintained status; how many such applications are currently under consideration; and what is the normal length of time taken for the processing of such applications.

Mr. Robin Squire

A total of 1,125 schools have so far applied for grant-maintained status. Of these applications, 28 are currently being considered by the Department.

Applications are processed, on average, within about two months of the end of the statutory period for submission of objections. That average time would be shorter but for the minority of difficult cases requiring prolonged consideration, for example where the local education authority has published conflicting proposals affecting the school.

Mr. Nicholas Winterton

To ask the Secretary of State for Education which Department or office provides the inspectors who visit schools at her behest when considering applications for grant-maintained status; how long on average it takes inspectors to provide a report on their visit; how many such reports in total are currently awaited by her Department; and what steps she is taking to ensure the speedy and efficient delivery of such reports in the future.

Mr. Robin Squire

Schools applying for grant-maintained status are visited by inspectors from the Office for Standards in Education. No record is kept of the average time it takes for inspectors to provide a report of their visit but reports are normally provided speedily. Where the period following the publication of proposals includes school holidays during which the school cannot be visited, the process inevitably takes longer. Eleven reports on applications for grant-maintained status are currently awaited by the Department. Both Ofsted and the Department keep their procedures under continuous review to ensure that they are as efficient as possible.