§ Mr. WillisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will estimate the average amount of support that a specialist school receives through corporate and charitable sponsors. [156140]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeOn average a school applying for specialist status will receive £33,500 (67 per cent.) of the required £50,000 sponsorship from corporate and charitable sources (based on figures from the October 2003 application round). This includes an element of corporate and charitable sponsorship raised through the new Partnership Fund, which was introduced in 2002 to support schools in raising sponsorship. Schools raise the rest of the required amount through a combination of fund-raising, charitable donations from parents and other activities.