HC Deb 16 July 2001 vol 372 cc27-8W
Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills to what extent, and according to what time scale, school budgets are reduced following the exclusion of pupils from schools. [3644]

Mr. Timms

We have significantly increased the standards fund grant available to schools and local education authorities to tackle poor behaviour and provide education to excluded pupils, from £17 million in 1996–97 to £131 million in 2000–01 and again to £174 million this year—a 10-fold increase. Before April 2000, most of this money was held centrally by local authorities to support authority-wide initiatives to tackle poor behaviour and provide education to excluded pupils. For the first time in April 2000 the majority of this funding was devolved directly to schools so that they could decide how best to tackle poor behaviour. Schools have, therefore, benefited by an additional £100 million in 2000–01 and £126 million this year. Where a child has to be permanently excluded some of the money previously held by local authorities, which is now in schools, reverts back to the local authority. The exact amount of between £3,000 and £6,000 is agreed locally. This money can be used by the authority to provide education outside school or to support a reintegration package at a new school. By September 2002, all permanently excluded pupils must be offered full-time education and not the 2–3 hours per week all too typical in the past.

Schools delegated budget shares are also reduced following permanent exclusion under the principles introduced by the last Government. I have placed in the Library a copy of "Supplement to Circular 11/99" which explains this in more detail.

Chris Grayling

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school decisions to exclude pupils were reversed by local education authorities in the last year for which figures are available. [3642]

Mr. Timms

Appeals against permanent exclusions from maintained schools are heard by independent appeal panels established by local education authorities. Figures published on 4 May show that in the school year 1999–2000, 948 appeals were lodged by parents. Of these, 863 were determined, 546 were rejected and 317 were allowed.

Provisional information on exclusions was published in the statistical first release "Permanent Exclusions from Schools and Exclusion Appeals, England 1999/00" on 4 May 2001, copies of which are available from the Library, or alternatively can be accessed from the Department for Education and Skills statistical website www.dfes.gsi.gov.uk/statistics. Final exclusion figures will be published in a statistical first release on 19 July 2001.