§ 15. Vera BairdTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to assist areas which have difficulty in raising private finance sponsorship required to make a specialist school application. [154524]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe Department funds the Specialist Schools and the Youth Sport Trusts to assist schools to raise sponsorship. The Trusts can also act as a broker between sponsors and schools requiring assistance.
We have also created a "Partnership Fund", made up of Government and private sector funding, to help schools which can demonstrate that, in spite of their determined efforts over time, they have not be been able to raise the necessary level of sponsorship.