§ Miss McIntoshTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many schools from(a) rural and (b) urban areas applied for specialist school status in the October 2003 application round; [156881]
(2) how many schools from (a) rural and (b) urban areas were granted specialist school status in the October 2003 application round. [156882]
§ Mr. MilibandOf the 403 schools which applied for specialist school status in the October 2003 application round, 118 (29 per cent.) were from rural areas and 285 (71 per cent.) were from urban areas. Of the 238 schools then granted specialist school status in that round, 71 (30 per cent.) were from rural areas and 167 (70 per cent.) were from urban areas. These proportions are in line with the overall national picture: 27 per cent. of the 3,126 maintained secondary schools in England are located in rural areas, and 73 per cent. are in urban areas.