Schools (Wiltshire) (Hansard, 16 December 1996)

§ Mr. Key
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when schools inspectors last visited(a) Fovant school; (b) Dinton school and (c) Barford St. Martin school in Wiltshire. [8900]

§ Mr. Robin Squire
Fovant church of England first school was inspected under the statutory four-year cycle by Ofsted-registered inspectors between 3 and 5 October 1994, and Barford St. Martin's church of England first school between 19 and 21 September 1994. Dinton first church of England school is due to be inspected by Ofsted in February 1997.
Members of Her Majesty's inspectorate visited Fovant school in April 1996 and Dinton school in connection with Wiltshire local education authority's proposals for Fovant and Dinton schools in October 1996.

§ Mr. Key
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many schools in Wiltshire have been given grant-maintained status during 1996. [8901]

§ Mr. Forth
Four schools in the Wiltshire local education authority area have become grant maintained since 1 January 1996.

§ Mr. Key
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if Wiltshire local education authority has expressed itself(a) in favour of closure of the Fovant school and (b) against grant-maintained status for the school. [8902]

§ Mr. Squire
Wiltshire local education authority published proposals to cease to maintain Fovant school on 16 May. The authority has made a statutory objection to the proposals for grant-maintained status published by the governing body of the school.

§ Mr. Key
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people have made representations to her or to her Department(a) in favour and (b) against grant-maintained status for Fovant school in Wiltshire. [8903]

§ Mr. Squire
My right hon. Friend has received two statutory objections to the proposals for grant-maintained status for Fovant school, and one non-statutory objection.

§ Mr. Key
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people have made representations to her or to her Department(a) in favour and (b) against closure of Fovant school in Wiltshire. [8904]
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§ Mr. Squire
My right hon. Friend has received 11 statutory objections to the proposals to close Fovant school, including one from the governing body of the school.

§ Mr. Key
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when the original application for grant-maintained status from the governors of Fovant school in Wiltshire was dated; when it was recorded as received by her Department; and when she expects to reach a decision. [8905]

§ Mr. Squire
Proposals for the acquisition of grant-maintained status for Fovant schools were published on 29 February 1996, and a copy received in the Department on the same date. My right hon. Friend will reach a decision as soon as is compatible with full consideration of all the relevant issues, including the separate local education authority proposals to choose the school.

§ Mr. Key
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the target time scale for a decision on an application by a school for grant-maintained status. [8906]

§ Mr. Squire
We aim, so far as possible, to reach a decision on proposals for grant-maintained status where there are conflicting proposals by the local education authority, within five months; of publication of the authority's proposals.