Written question asked by David Chaytor (Labour) on Wednesday, 28 October 1998, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 3 November 1998. It was answered by George Mudie (Labour) on Tuesday, 3 November 1998 on behalf of the Department for Education and Employment.

Dept for Education and Employment

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what plans he has to encourage co-operation and joint planning between further education colleges and neighbouring schools in respect of (a) 14 to 16 year old students and (b) 16 to 19 year old students.

Answer: Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to encourage co-operation and joint planning between further education colleges and neighbouring schools in respect of (a) 14 to 16 year old students and (b) 16 to 19 year old students. [57667] Mr. Mudie: We are keen to see greater collaboration between schools and colleges. For 14 to 16 year olds we are encouraging innovative arrangements for work related learning through school-college links. We have also invited Local Education Authorities to bid under the new £500 million Social Inclusion: Pupil Support Grant for projects involving colleges to tackle truancy and exclusion from school. For 16 to 19 year olds we are working closely with the Local Government Association, the Further Education Funding Council and other partners to promote co-operation between schools and colleges with the aim of increasing participation and achievement. We hope to make a further announcement in this area shortly.

Secondary information