To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on plans to fund and integrate school federations as single collegiate institutions through a legal change in governance arrangements, as outlined in the recent Excellence and Enjoyment document. [117172]

Collaboration may be more or less formal, ranging from informal information exchange on an ad hoc basis to the legal establishment of formal governance arrangements. There is a wide range of collaborative projects which offer opportunities to primary schools.From 2002, all maintained primary schools will be able to federate/collaborate under the terms of the 2002 Education Act. Some limited pump-priming funding will be available as outlined on the federation website (www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/federations).