§ The Earl of Clancartyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they agreed to print a leaflet to be sent out to schools publicising the National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education report All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education as part of the consultation process preceding the 23 July deadline for response to the review of the National Curriculum; and whether this leaflet has been printed; and [HL4104]
Further to the Written Answers by Baroness Blackstone on 29 July (WA212), whether the availability of the National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education report All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture and Education on the Internet, but without schools having been sent copies of the report or publicising materials, has allowed a proper consultation process within schools for responses to the review of the National Curriculum. [HL4105]
§ The Minister of State, Department for Education and Employment (Baroness Blackstone)We agreed with the Advisory Committee a range of methods to publicise the report, which included: issuing a joint DfEE/DCMS press release on the day of publication with details of how to obtain the report; placing the report on the department's website (where its availability is highlighted on the department's home page); and including details of the report in the June issue ofSpectrum, a monthly publication which goes to all schools advising them of recently published important documents and circulars. The idea of a leaflet for schools was discussed along with a number of others but was not finally agreed. Schools would have had ample time to obtain the report and consider it in preparing their responses to the National Curriculum review if they wished to do so. The committee's report was informed by substantial 69WA consultation with schools, teachers and a wide range of other bodies during its production between February 1998 and May 1999. While it informs and complements the review of the National Curriculum, it is not one of the formal consultation documents.