§ Mr. TrimbleTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many(a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools he estimates will receive (i) more and (ii) less funding under the new common funding formula. [100975]
§ Jane KennedyThe intention is to introduce the common formula in the calculation of school budgets for 2004–05.
It is not possible at this stage to assess the impact of the common formula with any degree of precision as the size of the Aggregated School Budget (ASB) for 2004–05 has not yet been determined and final decisions about the make-up of the formula have still to be made.
§ Mr. TrimbleTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with representatives of(a) primary and (b) secondary schools with regard to changes to the common funding formula, with particular reference to threshold funds. [100976]
§ Jane KennedyThe main forum for discussion about the Common Funding Formula is the LMS Steering Group. The membership of the Group includes representatives of the managers of all grant-aided schools in Northern Ireland. The last meeting was held in September 2002, when the Department's proposals for the handling of threshold payments were discussed.
In addition to discussion at this formal forum, the Department also engages with representatives of schools and teachers through meetings such as Standing Conferences, and by responding positively to requests for meetings with representative associations such as the Secondary Heads Association and the Primary Principals Association.