Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the timetable is for a decision to be taken on the future of the Rock Ferry High School site.

School playing fields are protected by Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. Schools and local authorities must obtain the Secretary of State’s approval before they can dispose of their land. Applications to dispose of school playing fields are considered by the school playing fields advisory panel, and are approved only when it is demonstrated that the application meets published criteria. I am aware of an application by Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council to seek approval to dispose of part of the playing fields at the closed Rock Ferry High School. The application is currently being processed by officials at the Education Funding Agency, who have sought further detail from the council about the proposal. The application can only be considered when sufficient information is available to enable the panel and the Secretary of State to assess where the capital receipt of the sale of the land will be spent and whether a local Residents’ Association will manage the remaining field for local use. The Secretary of State will consider the recommendation of the panel before making her final decision.