§ Mr. WillisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have applied to the Department for power to innovate as a result of the Education Act 2002; and if he will list the areas of innovation applied for by each school. [112854]
§ Mr. MilibandThere have been two formal applications to use the power to innovate, both of which have been approved. Both schools that applied were reorganising their school day and applied for exemption from the Changing of School Session Times (England) Regulations 1999 in order to change the timing and length of their school days mid-way through the year.
As well as these two formal applications, the Innovation Unit has provided advice to schools and LEAs on a whole range of inquiries about using the power to innovate and making use of the existing freedoms and flexibilities that are available to schools. (In a number of cases, schools that have contacted the Unit did not realise the extent of the freedoms and flexibilities that are already available and that they did not need the power to innovate to achieve their aims).
The Unit does not keep a detailed list of all the inquiries that it receives, as many are informal discussions that members of the Unit have with schools and LEAs.
§ Mr. WillisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have applied for earned autonomy as a result of the Education Act 2002; and if he will list the reasons for the application in each case. 112855]
§ Mr. MilibandSchools are not currently eligible to apply, as the relevant provisions of the Education Act 2002 have not yet been commenced and the necessary regulations have not yet been made.
§ Mr. WillisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many applications he has received for the establishment of academies as a result of the Education Act 2002; and if he will list for each application(a) the principal sponsors and (b) whether the application has been successful. [112856]
§ Mr. MilibandWe have received 17 formal expressions of interest to establish an academy under 53W Section 482 of the Education Act 1996 as amended by the Education Act 2002. These are detailed in the table. They do not include expressions of interest to establish city academies which were received prior to the commencement of the relevant sections of the Act.
LEA (a) Principal (b) Status Croydon Lord Harris of Peckham Approved Kensington and Chelsea Martyn Arbib Approved Greenwich The Archdiocese of Southwark Approved Hackney Not yet announced Approved Lewisham The De La Salle Brothers Approved Lewisham The Haberdashers Livery Company Approved Westminster Chelsfield plc Approved Westminster Not yet announced Approved Doncaster Not yet announced Under current consideration Kent Not yet announced Under current consideration Peterborough Not yet announced Under current consideration Solihull Not yet announced Under current consideration Leicester Not yet announced Referred for further development Sheffield Not yet announced Referred for further development Bexley No sponsor Not approved Bristol No sponsor Not approved Portsmouth No sponsor Not approved