HC Deb 04 March 2003 vol 400 cc954-5W
Mr. Hawkins

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to prevent the sale of school playing fields provided for under-eights; and if he will make a statement. [100327]

Mr. Miliband

[holding answer 3 March 2003]: Before October 1998, there was nothing to prevent a local authority selling a school playing field if it wanted to. Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 was introduced in October 1998 to protect school playing fields from indiscriminate disposal. Section 77 requires local authorities and schools to obtain the written consent of the Secretary of State before disposing, or changing the use, of school playing fields and applies to all maintained schools, irrespective of pupils' ages. In addition, the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 prescribe minimum areas of team game playing fields for those schools with pupils who have attained the age of eight years. Although the regulations do not require team game playing fields to be provided for pupils under eight years, section 77 protects all areas of playing fields which have been provided, whether in response to regulatory requirements or otherwise.

Applications to dispose, or change the use, of school playing fields are assessed against the following criteria:

  1. (a) schools' needs: that playing field provision and curriculum requirements at the school making the disposal—irrespective of the age of those pupils that attend the school, and at the statutory needs of other schools in the local area, will be met;
  2. (b) community needs: that community use of a school's playing fields is taken into account, with alternative facilities made available if necessary; and
  3. (c) finance: that any sale proceeds are re-invested to provide new or improved sports facilities at schools, or are used to help to raise standards by providing better educational facilities.

Only those applications that meet the criteria are approved. All applications made since July 2001 have been scrutinised by the independent School Playing Fields Advisory Panel to make sure that they conform to the published criteria. The Panel comprises representatives from the National Playing Fields Association, the Central Council of Physical Recreation, the education organisation: Learning Through Landscapes, the National Association of Head Teachers and the Local Government Association.