To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have applied to the Department for power to innovate as a result of the Education Act 2002; and if he will list the areas of innovation applied for by each school. [112854]
There have been two formal applications to use the power to innovate, both of which have been approved. Both schools that applied were reorganising their school day and applied for exemption from the Changing of School Session Times (England) Regulations 1999 in order to change the timing and length of their school days mid-way through the year.As well as these two formal applications, the Innovation Unit has provided advice to schools and LEAs on a whole range of inquiries about using the power to innovate and making use of the existing freedoms and flexibilities that are available to schools. (In a number of cases, schools that have contacted the Unit did not realise the extent of the freedoms and flexibilities that are already available and that they did not need the power to innovate to achieve their aims).The Unit does not keep a detailed list of all the inquiries that it receives, as many are informal discussions that members of the Unit have with schools and LEAs.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have applied for earned autonomy as a result of the Education Act 2002; and if he will list the reasons for the application in each case. 112855]
Schools are not currently eligible to apply, as the relevant provisions of the Education Act 2002 have not yet been commenced and the necessary regulations have not yet been made.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many applications he has received for the establishment of academies as a result of the Education Act 2002; and if he will list for each application (a) the principal sponsors and (b) whether the application has been successful. [112856]
We have received 17 formal expressions of interest to establish an academy under Section 482 of the Education Act 1996 as amended by the Education Act 2002. These are detailed in the table. They do not include expressions of interest to establish city academies which were received prior to the commencement of the relevant sections of the Act.
LEA | (a) Principal | (b) Status |
Croydon | Lord Harris of Peckham | Approved |
Kensington and Chelsea | Martyn Arbib | Approved |
Greenwich | The Archdiocese of Southwark | Approved |
Hackney | Not yet announced | Approved |
Lewisham | The De La Salle Brothers | Approved |
Lewisham | The Haberdashers Livery Company | Approved |
Westminster | Chelsfield plc | Approved |
Westminster | Not yet announced | Approved |
Doncaster | Not yet announced | Under current consideration |
Kent | Not yet announced | Under current consideration |
Peterborough | Not yet announced | Under current consideration |
Solihull | Not yet announced | Under current consideration |
Leicester | Not yet announced | Referred for further development |
Sheffield | Not yet announced | Referred for further development |
Bexley | No sponsor | Not approved |
Bristol | No sponsor | Not approved |
Portsmouth | No sponsor | Not approved |