Written Question
Thursday 5th February 2015
Asked by:
Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question
to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the decision was taken to withdraw approval for Luton Girls' Academy.
Answered by Edward Timpson
All free school projects approved to enter the pre-opening stage are paid a grant to support the project through to opening – the Project Development Grant (PDG). The PDG is essential to financially support the school during pre-opening. Where a project is withdrawn from the programme, payment of the PDG is stopped. To date, Ace Trust Limited has received two PDG payments amounting to £180,000 and the department will take steps to recover any unspent funds.
The Regional Schools Commissioner for North West London and South Central held a meeting with senior officers from Luton Borough Council on 14 November 2014. The department received written correspondence from the Corporate Director, Children & Learning at Luton Borough Council on 5 January 2015 and a subsequent telephone discussion took place on 14 January 2015 between officials and the team responsible for admissions and pupil place planning in Luton to discuss secondary pupil place need and the potential implications of withdrawing the Luton Girls’ Academy free school project. This ensured the views of the council were taken into account prior to any decision being made, and the impact on pupils was carefully considered.
The decision to withdraw approval for Luton Girls’ Academy was taken on 26 January 2015 and communicated to Ace Trust Limited in a letter dated 27 January 2015.
Written Question
Thursday 5th February 2015
Asked by:
Gavin Shuker (Independent - Luton South)
Question
to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many first choice school admissions applications were submitted to Luton Girls' Academy for entry in September 2014.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Luton Girls’ Academy was not planned to open for the start of the 2014/15 academic year so no applications were received for entry in September 2014.
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 27 Nov 2014
Oral Answers to Questions
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 24 Mar 2014
Oral Answers to Questions
"12. What assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of primary school places...."Gavin Shuker - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 24 Mar 2014
Oral Answers to Questions
"In Luton we are 630 primary places short of the number we require—a situation that would be much worse had a free school not been built by an arms-length council body that had to jump through all the hoops of the free school system. Is it not perverse that local …..."Gavin Shuker - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 10 Feb 2014
Oral Answers to Questions
"T2. Given the well documented problems that whistle- blowers encountered in reporting their experiences at Barnfield Federation to the Department for Education, will the Secretary of State commit to publishing all inquiry reports in full, including all the versions that have circulated outside the Departments involved?..."Gavin Shuker - View Speech
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 03 Dec 2013
PISA Results
"The architect of PISA has demonstrated categorically that the lowest-performing schools in the OECD have autonomy but not a collaborative culture. Is that not the perfect description of the Secretary of State’s reform programme?..."Gavin Shuker - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 23 Oct 2013
Co-operatives in Education
"It is a pleasure to speak in this important debate. I congratulate the hon. Member for Wycombe (Steve Baker) on securing the debate and on his eloquence in furthering the arguments I support. Despite co-operatives and the co-operative movement having a strong association and history with the Labour party, not …..."Gavin Shuker - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 23 Oct 2013
Co-operatives in Education
"My hon. Friend does not anticipate my remarks, as is often said when someone makes a good point that we would like to adopt. He does, however, pre-empt my central argument about the distribution of power in the education system. How do we reap the benefits of allowing people to …..."Gavin Shuker - View Speech
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Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 23 Oct 2013
Co-operatives in Education
"The hon. Gentleman genuinely pre-empts my next point—..."Gavin Shuker - View Speech
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