Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of conducting an area-based review of post-16 education and training institutions in (a) Tees Valley, (b) Birmingham and Solihull, (c) Greater Manchester, (d) Sheffield City Region, (e) Sussex Coast, (f) Solent and (g) West Yorkshire.

The Joint Area Review Delivery Unit supporting the area reviews will arrange for Hon. Members to receive a letter informing them when a review is being launched in any part of their constituency, which will also invite them to give their views.

Area reviews of post-16 education and training institutions are predominantly focused on general further education and sixth form colleges in order to ensure there is a high quality and financially resilient set of colleges in each area of England. Schools with sixth forms can opt in to a review if they wish to and the review’s local steering group agrees.

Each review will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the current post-16 provision in the area which will include the offer made by schools with sixth forms. Regional Schools Commissioners will sit on local area review steering groups and will identify any issues with school sixth form provision, particularly academy and free school sixth forms and University Technical Colleges, and feed these into the reviews. We expect Regional Schools Commissioners to take account of the analysis from area reviews in any decisions they make about future provision.

The area reviews are aimed at delivering a skills system that meets the economic and educational needs of areas whilst also ensuring the long term sustainability of colleges to support productivity. Existing government resources are being reprioritised to support delivery of the area reviews.