HC Deb 24 February 2004 vol 418 cc403-7W
Mr. Andrew Turner

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in which year each(a) language college and (b) specialist school achieved specialist status; how many and what percentage of pupils at each obtained five A*-C GCSEs in each year since two years before it achieved specialist status; and how many language (i) GCSEs at A*-C grade and (ii) A-levels were obtained at each in each year since two years before it achieved specialist status. [155270]

Mr. Miliband

[holding answer 23 February 2004]The information requested has been placed in the Library.

The list below shows the year in which each specialist school, including Language Colleges (a specialism which has existed since 1995), achieved specialist status. The list also shows how many and what percentage of pupils at each school obtained five A*-C grades at GCSE in each year from two years before it achieved specialist status.

Number of specialist school designations, de-designations and re-designations1 by year
1994–95 1995–96
Specialism Designated De-designated Re-designated Designated De-designated Re-designated
Arts
Business and enterprise
Engineering
Language 6
Mathematics and computing
Science
Sport
Technology 49 52
Combined

The information requested regarding language GCSEs and A-Levels is not published at school level. To collate this information would involve disproportionate costs.

Mr. Andrew Turner

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in which year since 1992 each specialist school was established as such; in which year each of those schools which ceased to have specialist status did so; and what the value is of(a) capital grants and (b) revenue funding to each school consequent upon its specialist status since its establishment. [155276]

Mr. Miliband

[holding answer 23 February 2004]The following table shows the number of schools designated, re-designated, or de-designated as specialist schools, by specialism, for each of the years since the programme began in 1994. Funding information is not readily available at school level for each of these years. However, the table shows the overall level of capital grants and recurrent funding for each year.

Designated specialist schools receive a one-off £100,000 capital grant and £126 per pupil per annum for four years. At current rates, a typical specialist school of 1,000 pupils would receive £100,000 capital funding and £504,000 revenue funding over a four-year phase.

Number of specialist school designations, de-designations and re-designations1 by year
1994–95 1995–96
Specialism Designated De-designated Re-designated Designated De-designated Re-designated
Totals 49 0 0 58 0 0
Year total 49 58
Cumulative 49 107

1996–97 1997–98
Specialism Designated De-designated Re-designated Designated De-designated Re-designated
Arts 6
Business and enterprise
Engineering
Language 25 19
Mathematics and computing
Science
Sport 11
Technology 50 41 2
Combined
Totals 75 0 0 77 2 0
Year total 75 75
Cumulative 182 257

1998–99 1999–2000
Specialism Designated De-designated Re-designated Designated De-designated Re-designated
Arts 11 12
Business and enterprise
Engineering
Language 11 15 1
Mathematics and computing
Science
Sport 15 11
Technology 46 13 42 4 1
Combined
Totals 83 13 0 80 5 1
Year total 70 76
Cumulative 327 403

2000–01 2001–02
Specialism Designated De-designated Re-designated Designated De-designated Re-designated
Arts 28 34
Business and enterprise
Engineering
Language 28 27
Mathematics and computing
Science
Sport 30 34
Technology 51 5 2 56 4 2
Combined
Totals 137 5 2 151 4 2
Year total 134 149
Cumulative 537 686

2002–03 2003–04
Specialism Designated De-designated Re-designated Designated De-designated Re-designated
Arts 82 57 3 233
Business and enterprise 18 64 82
Engineering 4 10 14
Language 31 32 1 196
Mathematics and computing 12 64 76
Science 24 97 121
Sport 60 68 1 230
Technology 78 2 1 59 4 564

2002–03 2003–04
Specialism Designated De-designated Re-designated Designated De-designated Re-designated
Combined 10 10
Totals 309 2 1 461 9 0 1,526
Year total 308 452 1,446
Cumulative 994 1,446
1The term re-designation is used here to indicate a school which was de-designated but subsequently regained specialist status.
Note:
The first specialist schools became operational in September 1994 under the technology specialism. Further specialisms have since been added with the first language colleges becoming operational in September 1995 followed by sports and arts colleges in September 1997.
The first business and enterprise, science, maths and computing and engineering colleges became operational in September 2002. The first music and humanities colleges were designated in January 2004 but do not become operational until September 2004.

Funding (calculated by financial year)
£ million
Capital Revenue Total
1994–95 5.0 3.0 8.0
1995–96 7.0 9.0 16.0
1996–97 7.0 16.0 23.0
1997–98 7.5 25.6 33.1
1998–99 8.0 32.8 40.8
1999–2000 7.6 42.2 49.8
2000–01 13.2 58.7 71.9
2001–02 15.4 78.6 94.0
2002–03 30.8 114.4 145.2
2003–04 56.0 193.0 249.0
Total 158 573 731