§ 19. Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what progress has been made on enhancing out of school hours educational opportunities for pupils in the last year. [40053]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisWe have successfully piloted 50 summer schools supporting 1,500 pupils and have expanded the programme elevenfold in 1998 to cover 560 schools and 16,000 pupils. With the help of practitioners and non-government policy makers we have published a national framework for study support. We have also set up study support centres at Newcastle United and Sheffield Wednesday football clubs. In addition, £200 million from the New Opportunities Fund is being made available to support out of school hours learning activities, and 50 pilot projects for this initiative are already underway.