HC Deb 13 November 1996 vol 285 cc281-3W
Mr. Jamieson

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many independent schools receiving funds from the assisted places scheme publish full accounts which are publicly available; and if she will list them. [3397]

Mrs. Gillan

All 355 schools participating In the assisted places scheme in England are conducted for charitable purposes, as required by section 479 of the Education Act 1996. Copies of their accounts are lodged with the Charity Commission and are publicly available.

Mr. Jamieson

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many pupils benefiting from the assisted places scheme have been (i) temporarily and (ii) permanently excluded from their school in each of the past five years. [3398]

Mrs. Gillan

The information requested is not collected centrally. Where an assisted pupil is expelled from a participating school, assistance under the scheme ceases from the date of expulsion.

Mr. Jamieson

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what checks are carried out by her Department of the administration by individual schools of applications under the assisted places scheme; and(a) how many random audit checks have been made to ensure parental assessments have been carried out, (b) how many of the random checks uncovered shortcomings in the school's administration and (c) what action was taken against schools where shortcomings were found in each of the past five years. [3399]

Mrs. Gillan

All schools' claims for fee remission are audited by independent auditors who have to be satisfied that the claims have been prepared in accordance with the regulations governing the scheme and are in agreement with the schools' own financial records. The auditors are expected to check a sample of the parental income assessments carried out by the school.

In addition, the Department carries out an annual audit survey on a random sample of participating schools to monitor their administration of the scheme, particularly with regard to their assessments of parental income. These surveys have identified a small proportion of cases with shortcomings which are drawn to the attention of the individual schools concerned in the sample and corrective action taken. After each survey, guidance is also issued to all schools in the scheme on the survey's findings to strengthen their administration.

Mr. Jamieson

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many schools receiving funds from the assisted places scheme have had a full Her Majesty's inspectorate of schools or Office for Standards in Education inspection in the past five years. [3400]

Mrs. Gillan

All participating schools are covered in the cycle of independent school inspections carried out by Ofsted and the great majority have been visited by HMI in the past five years.

Mr. Jamieson

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many pupils have benefited from the assisted places scheme in each of the past five years; and what were total funds(a) allocated and (b) spent in each year. [3401]

Mrs. Gillan

The information requested is given in the report of the Department for Education and Employment, Cm 3210, published in March 1996, a copy of which is available in the Library.

Mr. Jamieson

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many parents claiming funds under the assisted places scheme were(a) self employed and (b) unemployed in each of the past five years. [3402]

Mrs. Gillan

The information requested is not collected centrally.

Mr. Jamieson

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what checks her Department makes on schools which apply to receive pupils under the assisted places scheme. [3403]

Mrs. Gillan

Under section 479 of the Education Act 1996, the Secretary of State must have regard to the desirability of securing an equitable distribution of assisted places geographically and between boys and girls. Schools applying for admission to the scheme must be finally registered with the Department and conducted for charitable purposes only, and must satisfy stringent published criteria relating to the breadth and balance of their curriculum, the academic achievements of their pupils and the quality of their teaching staff. Information about the educational opportunities available, their intake policy and financial viability is also taken into account.

Mr. Jamieson

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list the independent schools which received funds from the assisted places scheme with, for each school(a) the number of pupils benefiting from the scheme and (b) the amount of money received in each of the past five years. [3404]

Mrs. Gillan

A copy of the relevant tables for the academic years 1991–92 to 1995–96 has been deposited in the Library of the House.

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