Grant-maintained Schools (Hansard, 25 June 1997)

§ Mr. Chaytor
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many schools in England and Wales currently have grant-maintained status; and what is the total additional budget allocation granted to these schools since 1990 in addition to that which they would have received through their local management of schools funding allocation; [5231]
(2) if he will list the public sources of funding made available to grant-maintained schools and not available to local authority schools indicating the total sums dispensed under each heading since 1990. [5332]

§ Mr. Byers
Responsibility for education in Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales. There are currently 1188 grant maintained (GM) schools in England. They receive two types of recurrent grants: annual maintenance grant (AMG) in respect of general school running costs and special purpose grants (SPGs) paid for specific purposes. The AMG that GM schools receive includes elements to cover school meals and the central administration and services provided directly by LEAs to LEA maintained schools. These are additional to the school budget shares which LEA schools receive through their LMS schemes.
Special Purpose Grants (SPGs) are intended to mirror existing funding arrangements operating in the LEA sector and to reflect specific aspects of GM status.
554W
The calculation of grants to individual GM schools is a matter for the Funding Agency for Schools (FAS). I have therefore written to Sir Christopher Benson at the Funding Agency to ask him to provide with the figures and detailed background information requested.

§ Mr. Chaytor
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much public money has been allocated to(a) the Grant-maintained Schools Foundation, (b) the Grant-maintained Standing Advisory Committee, (c) the Association of Heads of Grant-maintained Schools, (d) the National Association of Grant-maintained Primary Schools and (e) the Association of Grant-maintained and Aided Schools since the inception of these organisations. [5333]

§ Mr. Byers
The total grant paid by the Department to the Grant Maintained Schools Foundation since its inception in April 1994 is £2.6 million. Grant to GMSF ceases from 30 June 1997. The Grant Maintained Schools Advisory Committee (GMSAC) has received £0.3 million since April 1994. Prior to that, the Grant Maintained Standing Advisory Committee (the predecessor of GMSAC) was funded from the total grant paid by the Department to the Grant-Maintained Schools Centre (the predecessor of GMSF).
The Department has offered a maximum sum of £15,000 to each of the Association of Heads of Grant Maintained Schools, the National Association of Grant Maintained Primary Schools and the Association of Grant Maintained and Aided Schools to support effective consultation and communication with the GM sector.