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Education Act

Volume 405: debated on Monday 12 May 2003

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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
CroydonLord Harris of PeckhamApproved
Kensington and ChelseaMartyn ArbibApproved
GreenwichThe Archdiocese of SouthwarkApproved
HackneyNot yet announcedApproved
LewishamThe De La Salle BrothersApproved
LewishamThe Haberdashers Livery CompanyApproved
WestminsterChelsfield plcApproved
WestminsterNot yet announcedApproved
DoncasterNot yet announcedUnder current consideration
KentNot yet announcedUnder current consideration
PeterboroughNot yet announcedUnder current consideration
SolihullNot yet announcedUnder current consideration
LeicesterNot yet announcedReferred for further development
SheffieldNot yet announcedReferred for further development
BexleyNo sponsorNot approved
BristolNo sponsorNot approved
PortsmouthNo sponsorNot approved