§ Mr. WillisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many year six children attending Bristol local education authority primary or junior schools422W failed to gain places in Bristol local education authority secondary schools in each year from 1997–98 to 1999–2000. [148623]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisThe Department does not hold this information. It is for local education authorities to ensure that sufficient school places exist for the children in their area. Each authority is required to prepare and publish an annual School Organisation Plan which includes information about the capacity of its schools, the projected pupil numbers, and any conclusions about the need to add or remove places over a five-year period. The Department publishes annually figures showing the overall number of surplus places based on returns from LEAs. In each of the three years referred to the total capacity of the twenty-two local education authority secondary schools in Bristol exceeded the number of pupils on roll by more than 2,000.