HC Deb 05 November 2001 vol 374 cc59-60W
Tim Loughton

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which school grounds in Sussex have been sold since May 1997. [12596]

Mr. Timms

No data were collected centrally on how many school grounds were sold before October 1998. Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 was introduced in October 1998 to stop the indiscriminate sale of school playing fields. Before October 1998, there was nothing to prevent a local authority selling school playing fields if it wanted to. As local authorities and governing bodies of all maintained schools are now required to obtain the Secretary of State's consent before disposing of playing fields or any part of a playing field, which can be said to comprise school grounds, we have collected information about the sale of school playing fields since October 1998. For the purposes of answering the question I have, therefore, equated school grounds to school playing fields.

Since 1 October 1998, the Secretary of State has approved the sale of various areas of school grounds that fall within the definition of school playing fields under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 at the following schools in West Sussex and East Sussex:

  • Beacon Community College, Crowborough;
  • Bamham Primary School, Bognor Regis;
  • Chichester High School for Girls, Chichester;
  • Lindfield Junior School, Haywards Heath1;
  • The Forest School, Horsham;
  • Hazelwick School, Crawley;
  • Catherington Special School, Crawley, and
  • Deerswood Special School, Crawley.
  • 1School closed 31 August 2000