§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 23 May 2003,Official Report, column 555W, on specialist schools, if he will list those non-selective, non-specialist secondary schools that are not defined as mainstream; and if he will describe the type of school in each case. [122302]
§ Mr. MilibandIt is not possible to define non-selective, non-specialist, non-mainstream schools (i.e. special schools) as either primary or secondary as many special schools provide for children of all ages. A list of such schools which have at least one pupil in the secondary age range of 11 to 15 has been placed in the Library.
§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 10 June 2003,Official Report, column 784W, on specialist state schools, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of modern foreign languages as a catalyst for whole school improvement compared to other subject specialisms. [121779]
§ Mr. MilibandThe October 2001 Ofsted survey of the programme ('Specialist Schools: An evaluation of progress') looked at the Language specialism alongside the three other specialisms which were part of the programme in 2000 (Sports, Arts and Technology). The survey found that four out of five of the well-established specialist schools covered by the survey were in large measure achieving the aims of the programme and making good use of the advantages it brings. The survey said that for these schools specialist status had often been a catalyst for innovation and helped to sustain or accelerate the momentum of school improvement.