08 August 2003
Ministers this week handed local authorities £37m to encourage popular schools to expand to try to prevent the annual parental scramble to enrol children at high-performing institutions.
The Department for Education and Skills has said schools could receive up to £500,000 to increase their pupil intake under the scheme, launched on August 4 by standards' minister David Miliband.
The rush to enrol children at successful institutions has become an embarrassing side-effect of the introduction of annual school performance tables.
DfES officials have issued guidance for local education authorities to back the voluntary expansion scheme by approving proposals from individual schools. The department wants local authorities to approve applications 'unless there is evidence the school's expansion will have a damaging effect on standards in the area'.
Ministers also launched a scheme to encourage the development of new 'specialist' secondary schools in areas of high demand.
Miliband said: 'We're determined to give more pupils and parents the chance to attend high-quality schools. We're also making it easier for a diverse range of schools to be set up in all parts of the country.'
The National Association of Head Teachers backed the expansion of specialist schools in a policy paper published this week.
'Inclusive schooling is essential, but inclusion does not mean that all children should be placed in mainstream schools,' it said.
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