§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list, for each of the last five years, the total(a) number and (b) percentage of non-specialist schools that have declared themselves to have a specialism in which the option to select 10 per cent. of pupils by aptitude has been exercised. [185248]
§ Mr. MilibandThe Department does not collect this data. Schools do not identify themselves as schools selecting by aptitude in their annual returns to the Department. The admission authority for any school which can identify itself as having a specialism may introduce 10 per cent. selection by aptitude as part of its502W published admission arrangements. Such arrangements are subject to local consultation, and any objections may be referred to the Schools Adjudicator.
Schools are not required to identify themselves as having selection by aptitude as part of their annual returns to the Department, and so we do not have an exact figure for the number of schools taking advantage of this provision. However, based on research carried out in 2001 by Anne West of the LSE, we estimate that just under 6 per cent. of schools in the specialist schools programme select an, pupils on the basis of aptitude for the specialism, arid that overall around 2 per cent. of all secondary schools do.
§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skils what assessment he has made of the change in costs to local education authorities and individual admission authorities arising from the administration of 11-plus tests as a result of the implementation of the workforce agreement. [185250]
§ Mr. MilibandI refer to the Written Statement I laid before the House on Tuesday 13 July on school funding for 2005–06 (column 55WS refers). The Written Statement to the House sets out how we have considered, with our partner signatories—including the local government employer organisation, the costs of implementation of the National Agreement. It announces what funds will be available to schools to implement the Agreement in 2005–06.
We believe that the minimum guarantee set out will cover the cost pressures associated with workforce reform and implementation of the contractual changes. We will of course continue to monitor implementation on the ground. One of the areas that we have promised to return to with our partners in the autumn will be to look at the support involved in the transfer of exam invigilation work from teachers in secondary schools. We will also look at any issues around administration of the 11-plus examination also at that time.