To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the current number of staff in his Department dedicated to (a) the operation of local management of schools and (b) opted-out schools.

Local management of schools is operated by local education authorities, not by the Department. There are 9.8 full-time-equivalent staff working in the Department's local management of schools unit, which is responsible for policy, development and implementation.A total of 53 staff currently work in schools 4, division B, which is responsible for policy on grant-maintained schools, including transitional arrangements and recurrent and capital funding.