§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment in relation to a petition needed to trigger a ballot on the future of grammar schools in Barnet,(a) what is the total number of signatures required for a petition, (b) what methods exist (i) for the parents seeking change, to validate the total required and (ii) for independent validation of the total required and (c) who has provided the data on which the number of signatures required is based. [102757]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisThe School Standards and Framework Act 1998 and the Education (Grammar School Ballots) Regulations 1998 define the number of signatures required to trigger a ballot on the future of selective admissions to grammar schools (the petition threshold) as 20 per cent. of the total number of eligible parents. The Secretary of State has appointed an independent ballot administration company, Electoral Reform (Ballot Services) Ltd. (ERBS), to receive and check petitions and run any ballots. The ERBS has calculated that in Barnet the petition threshold is 7,209. The legislation does not require the ERBS to submit the number of eligible parents to scrutiny by (i) parents or (ii) any other body.
In order to calculate the petition threshold, the ERBS required the three grammar schools in Barnet to provide details of all schools from which pupils came in the last three years. Those schools where a total of five or more children had transferred, over the last three years, to a grammar school in Barnet qualified as feeder schools and had to provide the ERBS with lists of eligible parents. From this information, the ERBS calculated the total number of parents entitled to sign a petition or vote in a ballot, and subsequently the petition threshold.
§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list, in relation to petitions needed to trigger ballots on the future of grammar schools in Barnet,(a) the names of the schools in respect of which parents are eligible to be balloted and (b) the number of parents eligible to be balloted in each of these schools; and how many children transferred to each of the Barnet grammar schools from each of the primary schools in each of the last three years. [102755]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisThe information requested is shown in the following table. The number of parents eligible to ballot entered at column two, is that provided 395W by the schools themselves and includes some duplication where parents have more than one child attending feeder schools. After entering all the names onto a single computer database, Electoral Reform (Ballot Services)
396W
Number of pupils transferred to each grammar school in each of the past three years Henrietta Barnett St. Michael's Catholic School Queen Elizabeth Name of school Number of parents eligible to ballot 1997 1998 1999 1997 1998 1999 1997 1998 1999 Alpha Preparatory School 327 — — — — — — 5 1 — Aylward School 628 1 1 1 — — — 2 — — Belmont School 589— — 1 — — — 3 1 2 Broadfields School 382 2 1 — — — — 6 1 2 Brookfields 493 — 2 2 — — — 1 — — Brookland Junior School 556 3 5 1 — — — — 3 2 Buckingham College 177 — — — — — — 2 2 1 Channing Junior School 727 3 2 — — — — — — — Christ Church C E School 256 — — — — — 1 1 1 3 Coleridge Infant and Junior School 669 4 2 — 1 — — — — — Colindale Primary School 540 3 — 2 — — — 1 1 2 Courtland 299 — — — — — — 1 1 3 Cromer Road School 296 — — — — — — 4 — 1 Deansbrook Junior School 465 1 — 2 — — — — 5 1 Dollis School 693 — 2 2 — — — 1 2 3 Drizen 109 — — — — — — — 3 2 Elmgrove Middle 390 — 1 — — — 1 1 1 2 Eversley School 642 — 2 1 — — — 6 2 3 Fairway Junior School 267 3 1 — — — — 3 2 1 Foulds 441 — 1 1 — — — 1 1 Frith Manor School 851 1 — 4 1 — — 2 — 1 Garden Suburb Junior School 558 3 2 7 — — 1 4 7 7 Gower School 201 — — — — — 1 — 2 2 Grange Park 960 — — 1 — — — 3 — 2 Grimsdyke School 573 — — — — — — 1 2 5 Hadley Wood School 282 2 — 1 — — — 3 2 4 Hartsbourne JMI School 306 — — — — — — 4 — 2 Holland House School 235 1 4 — — — — 1 1 1 Kerem 316 1 — 1 — — — — 1 2 Lochniver House School 516 — — — — — — 1 3 3 Manor Lodge School 513 — — — — — — 3 1 1 Michael Sobell Sinai School 985 1 1 3 — — — — 2 2 Monken Hadley School 165 — — — — — — 4 — 1 Moss Hall Junior School 535 2 2 1 1 — — 3 3 5 Mount Stewart School 580 1 2 — — — — 2 — 4 Northbridge House 1,325 1 1 2 — — — — — 1 Oliver Goldsmith 655 — — 1 — — — 2 — 2 Osidge Junior School 568 — — — — 1 — 3 2 4 Our Lady of Grace Junior School 365 — — — 1 2 3 — — — Our Lady of Lourdes School N12 275 — — 1 6 3 2 — — — Our Lady of Lourdes School N11 274 — — — 1 3 3 — — — Our Lady of Muswell School 375 — — — 5 3 8 — — — Queenswell Junior School 477 2 1 1 — — — 1 4 1 Radlett Prepatory School 732 3 1 1 — — — 13 7 7 Roe Green 311 — — 2 1 — — 1 — 1 Rokesly School 415 1 1 — — — — 1 1 2 Rosh Pinah School 638 2 — — — — — 2 2 — Sacred Heart School 523 2 1 — 4 13 11 — 2 1 Salcombe Preparatory School 815 — — — — — — 3 1 1 St. Agnes 408 — — — 2 2 1 — — — St. Andrew C E School 307 — 1 1 — — — 4 3 2 St. Bernadette School 592 — — — 7 3 3 — — — St. Catherine R C School 392 — — — 1 — 2 1 3 1 St. George's School 530 — — — 7 2 7 — — — St. James 295 1 2 1 — — — — — 2 St. John Vianney 334 — — — 1 1 3 — — — St. Johns' School 262 2 — — — — — 1 3 — St. Joseph RC Junior School NW4 395 — — — 5 2 2 — — — St. Joseph School W9 354 1 — — 1 5 3 — — — St. Martha's Convent School 243 — — — 6 3 4 — — — St. Martin De Pores School 343 — — — 2 2 2 — — 2 St. Mary Magdalen School 510 — — — 1 5 — — — — St. Mary's N3 622 3 — 3 — 1 — 3 5 1 St. Mary's Preparatory School NW4 348 1 1 — — — — — 2 2 Ltd have carried out checks and have removed those names entered more than once. The total number of eligible parents from the 'cleared' database was 36,045 which resulted in a petition threshold of 7,209.
397W
Number of pupils transferred to each grammar school in each of the past three years Henrietta Barnett St. Michael's Catholic School Queen Elizabeth Name of school Number of parents eligible to ballot 1997 1998 1999 1997 1998 1999 1997 1998 1999 St. Mary's Primary School NW3 422 — 2 1 3 2 1 — — — St. Michael's CE Primary School 657 — 2 2 — — — 1 2 2 St. Monica's School 609 — — — 10 13 2 3 — 1 St. Nicholas' School 103 1 1 — — — — 3 — — St. Paul's C E School Mill Hill 280 — — 1 — — — 7 3 4 St. Paul's School N21 591 1 — 2 — — — 1 1 1 St. Robert Southwell 492 — — — 1 1 2 — 1 — St. Theresa's RC School 296 1 1 1 5 4 5 — — — St. Vincent's RC School 90 — — — 9 6 6 1 1 — Stanburn School 558 — — — — — — 5 6 2 Underhill Junior School 523 — — — — — — 2 5 1 Walker School 595 — 1 — — — — 1 4 2 Wolfson Hillel School 553 1 1 3 — — — 1 — 3 Woodridge School 288 1 1 — — 1 — 1 1 —