Assisted Places Scheme

HL Deb 17 June 1997 vol 580 c109WA

Lord Lucas

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether their statement that "there will be no significant additional burden on local education authorities from educating children who would otherwise have entered the assisted places schemes each year" implies that LEAs and schools will receive no significant additional funding in respect of such pupils.

Baroness Blackstone

By how much pupil numbers in maintained schools will increase as a result of phasing out the assisted places scheme is not yet clear. But, with over 800,000 empty places within existing LEA provision, there is ample scope available to accommodate the 10,000 or so pupils who would otherwise have entered the scheme each year and who represent only about one-eighth of 1 per cent. of the total school population. The costs to the maintained sector of educating children who would otherwise have held assisted places will be one of the many factors taken into account in local authority settlements for 1998–99 and beyond.