Quantock School Alumni

Commons Written Answers, 6 February 1997

[Referring to the Ofsted inspection of November 1996, Mr. Jamieson addresses his question to the Secretary of State for Education and Employment. The question is answered by the Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education and Employment, Mrs. Cheryl Gillan.]

Subject: Quantock School, Taunton

Mr. Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when she expects to publish the Office for Standards in Education report on the Quantock school, Taunton.

Mrs. Gillan: This is a matter for Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools. I have asked Mr. Chris Woodhead to write to the hon. Member.

Commons Written Answers, 17 February 1997

[Referring to the Ofsted inspection of November 1996 (qv.) and the previously raised issue of Quantock School's suitability as an MOD-accredited school, Mr. Jamieson addresses his question to the Secretary of State for defence. The question is answered by the Minister for the Armed Forces, Mr. Nicholas Soames.]

Quantock School

Mr. Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if his Department intends to send the Office for Standards in Education report on the Quantock school, Somerset, to the parents of service families whose children attend the school; (2) if he will make a statement on the suitability of the Quantock school, Somerset, to remain on the service children education authorities admissible schools list; (3) what recommendations the Service Children's Education Agency has made to his Department in response to the Ofsted report on Quantock school, Taunton; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Soames: Following the recent Ofsted inspection and report on Quantock school, the Service Children's Education Agency has recommended that copies of the report should be sent to service parents whose children attend the school and that the weaknesses identified in that report should be drawn to the attention of parents, that the school should be removed from the admissible school list and that parents who currently have children at the school should be allowed to place them in other schools if they so wish. Quantock school may be considered for readmission to the admissible list at a later date if it is able to meet the criteria proposed for inclusion on the list.

Mr. Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pupils attending the Quantock school, Somerset, are participants in the service children's boarding school allowance scheme; and at what cost to his Department.

Mr. Soames: The total number of service children attending Quantock school, and whose parents were in receipt of boarding school allowance, was 48 in the autumn term 1996 - the latest term for which detailed statistics are available. Information on how much individual schools have received in BSA payments is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Commons Written Answers, 17 February 1997

[Referring again to the Ofsted inspection of November 1996, Mr. Jamieson addresses his question to the Secretary of State for Education and Employment. The question is again answered by the Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education and Employment, Mrs. Cheryl Gillan.]

Subject: Quantock School

Mr. Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of Education and Employment what action her Department has taken in response to the recent Office for Standards in Education report on Quantock school, Somerset; and if she will make a statement.

Mrs. Gillan: Officials have written to the school about the weaknesses identified in the recently published Ofsted report and have sought firm commitments within two months on remedial action. We will consider what further steps may be necessary in the light of the response.

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