HC Deb 11 January 2001 vol 360 cc627-8W
Mr. Boswell

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proportion of children of compulsory school age in each local education authority in England are(a) educated in that authority's special schools, (b) educated in special provision in that authority's mainstream schools, (c) receiving special education in private schools or in another local education authority, (d) educated otherwise and (e) not being educated. [143439]

Jacqui Smith

[holding answer 20 December 2000]: The available information is to be placed in the House of Commons Library: proportion of pupils of compulsory school age in maintained special schools, proportion of pupils of compulsory school age receiving special education in independent schools, proportion of pupils of compulsory school age receiving special education in non-maintained special schools and the proportion of pupils of compulsory school age not on the roll of a school or pupil referral unit.

Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 places a responsibility on local education authorities to provide suitable education outside school for children unable to attend school because of illness, exclusion from school or otherwise. By 2002 provision for pupils excluded from school must be full-time.

Statutory guidance from the DfEE advises local education authorities to set up systems for collecting data on the number of children of all ages who are out of school, and their achievements. Such a register will help authorities ensure that vulnerable groups do not become lost in the system between education and employment.

Information is collected on the number of pupils with special educational needs in mainstream schools.

This is published in the Statistical First Release "Special Educational Needs in England—January 2000" in November 2000. A copy of this publication is available from the Library and can also be accessed on the Department's statistical website www.dfee.gov.uk/statistics. However, this does not specifically distinguish between forms of special provision in mainstream schools.

We do not collect information about those pupils receiving special education in another local education authority. However, we have included in the table information about pupils receiving education in non-maintained special schools (including hospital special).