The Earl of Bradfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
What numbers of schools have now opted out of local authority control; and whether this has led to a decline in the number of people employed by local education authorities and a consequent reduction in costs.
Lord LucasBetween 1991–92 and 1993–94 expenditure on administration and inspection by LEAs in England fell by about 25 per cent. in cash terms (30 per cent. in real terms). Almost certainly the rapid growth in the number of English grant-maintained schools—from 62 in April 1991 to 1,034 today—will have contributed to this reduction. Other factors have included the transfer of further education and sixth form colleges to the new FE sector funded by the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC), the introduction of local management for schools (LMS), and the establishment of a national inspection system for schools controlled by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED). Additionally, the 47,000 teaching and non-teaching staff at these grant-maintained schools are, of course, no longer employed by local authorities.