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13 Mar 2006 : Column 1863W—continued
Departmental Telephone Numbers
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the (a) 0800, (b) 0845 and (c) 0870 telephone numbers for the public administered by (i) her Department and (ii) agencies which report to her. [56536]
Maria Eagle: The Department for Education and Skills employs a number of 0800, 0845 and 0870 telephone numbers for the public as follows (number of lines in brackets):
Devolution
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her policy is with regard to (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department giving evidence to the (i) Scottish Parliament, (ii) National Assembly for Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland Assembly committees; and to what categories of document she gives (A) full access, (B) restricted access and (C) no access to the (1) Scottish Parliament, (2) National Assembly for Wales, (3) Northern Ireland Assembly and (4) House of Commons Select Committees. [37379]
Bill Rammell: Requests for the attendance of Ministers or officials to give evidence to the devolved legislatures, and for the provision of information to the assemblies, will be considered on a case-by-case basis. This consideration will reflect: the principles set out in the Cabinet Office guidance 'Departmental Evidence and Response to Select Committees' (July 2005); the policy outlined in the Department for Constitutional Affairs' Devolution Guidance Note #12 'Attendance of UK Ministers and Officials at Committees of the devolved legislatures'; and the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. The principles underlying the provision of information to House of Commons Select Committees are set out in 'Departmental Evidence and Response to Select Committees', particularly sections 4B and 4C.
Education (Peterborough)
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in the (a) primary school and (b) secondary school sector in the Peterborough local education authority area have disapplied the National Curriculum (i) in respect of specific purposes in Key Stage 4 under section 91 of the Education Act 2002, (ii) through a statement of education need and (iii) for a temporary period under section 93 of the Education Act 2002 in the last five years; and how many pupils were affected in each year. [55263]
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Jacqui Smith: The Department does not hold records of how many primary and secondary schools have disapplied the National Curriculum in respect of specific purposes in Key Stage 4 under section 91 of the Education Act 2002, through a statement of education need or for a temporary period under section 93 of the Education Act 2002.
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) were required to monitor the use of the Key Stage 4 disapplication regulations, under section 91 of the Education Act 2002, in secondary schools up until September 2002 when this requirement was withdrawn in order to simplify the arrangements and reduce the administrative burden for schools. The last year of monitoring was 2000–01 and QCA's records show that five secondary schools in the Peterborough local education authority area used the regulations for a total of 179 pupils. The total number of secondary schools in England that used the Key Stage 4 regulations in that academic year was 1,292, affecting 55,787 pupils.
Education Maintenance Allowance
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if her Department will revise the education maintenance allowance criteria to include students who are an academic year in advance of their peers. [56410]
Maria Eagle: We do not currently have any plans to revise the EMA criteria to include young people who are required to be in compulsory education. The purpose of the education maintenance allowance (EMA), is to provide an incentive to engage young people aged 16 to 18 in learning.
EMA is not based on the academic level a pupil reaches. It is targeted at those who have reached the end of their compulsory education, who have the option of dropping out of learning. People under the age of 16 are required to be in compulsory education.
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students under the age of 16 years who have entered further education a year in advance have (a) applied for and (b) been granted the education maintenance allowance. [56411]
Maria Eagle: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC), which is responsible for the operation of the education maintenance allowance (EMA), has provided information that 2,251 learners under the age of 16 applied for EMA during the academic year 2004/05 and 341 applied in the academic year 2005/06. None of these young people have received EMA as it is not available to young people who are required to be in compulsory education. We are not able to confirm how many of these young people entered further education because the level of study is not known at the point of application.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what account is taken in the administration of educational maintenance allowances of the circumstances which might lead to absences from school or college, with particular reference to young carers. [34809]
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Maria Eagle: Operational responsibility for education maintenance allowance (EMA) transferred from DfES to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) on 1 April 2005. LSC have provided the following response to clarify the procedures in place to manage EMA payments when learners are absent:
In general a student should only be paid when they have attended all the sessions for which they are required for EMA purposes, and will not receive a weekly payment if they fail to attend. However, it is acceptable for a school or college to deem an absence to be authorised.
The institution decides which absences are acceptable, taking into account guidance provided by the LSC.
There are many legitimate reasons for absence including the need to look after a family member or another person for whom the student has caring responsibilities.
Education Provision (Hendon)
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students in Hendon receive the education maintenance allowance; and if she will make a statement. [56756]
Maria Eagle: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council, who operate education maintenance allowances for the DfES and hold the information about take-up of the scheme. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, has written to my hon. Friend with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 9 March 2006:
I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question that asked how many students in Hendon receive Education Maintenance Allowance.
Information on the number of young people who have applied, enrolled and received EMA is available at Local Education Authority (LEA) level, but not at constituency level. By the end of January 2006, 2,020 young people in the Barnet LEA area had received one or more EMA payments in the academic year 2005/06.
I hope this information is helpful and addresses your question. If you would like further details please contact Sharon Holmes at the LSC National Office on 0114 207 4567 or sharon.holmes@ lsc.gov.uk.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many school support staff (a) there are in Hendon schools and (b) there were in 1997; and if she will make a statement; [56812]
(2) how many (a) teachers and (b) teaching assistants there were in Hendon schools in (i) 2005 and (ii) 1997; and if she will make a statement. [56850]
Jacqui Smith: The following table provides the full-time equivalent number of teachers, teaching assistants and other support staff in maintained schools in Hendon constituency, in January 2005 and 1997.
Note:
Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
Source:
Annual School Census
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Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools in (a) Hendon and (b) Barnet were in (i) special measures and (ii) other categories of concern in (A) 2005 and (B) 1997; and if she will make a statement. [56823]
Jacqui Smith: Details of the total number of schools in Barnet local authority which were in Ofsted categories of cause for concern at the end of the academic years 1996/97 and 2004/05 are set out in the following table. The figures in brackets show the number of schools in a category in the Hendon constituency.
| End of academic year | Special measures | Serious weaknesses | Underachieving | Inadequate 6th form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996/97 | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 2004/05 | 4(1) | 1(1) | 1(0) | 0 |
The statutory categorisation of Serious Weaknesses was introduced in September 1997 and that of Inadequate 6th Form in September 2001; underachieving was an Ofsted administrative category. All three of these categorisations were replaced from September 2005 by a new statutory category of a school requiring significant improvement.
Currently there is one school in Barnet which is subject to special measures (this is not in the Hendon constituency); and a further two schools require significant improvement, including one in Hendon. Proposals in the current Education Bill will ensure that swifter action is taken by local authorities to turn round schools which fail an Ofsted inspection.
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what percentage of 14-year-olds in Hendon reached the required standards in English and mathematics in (a) 2005 and (b) 1997; and if she will make a statement; [56824]
(2) what percentage of children in primary schools in Hendon reached the required standard in mathematics, English and science in (a) 2005 and (b) 1997; and if she will make a statement; [56825]
(3) if she will make a statement on the A and AS-level results in Hendon in (a) 2005 and (b) 1997; [56843]
(4) what percentage of secondary school students in Hendon achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A*-C in (a) 2005 and (b) 1997; and if she will make a statement. [56912]
Jacqui Smith: Pupils nationally have made excellent progress since 1997. At Key Stage 2 there has been a 16 percentage point improvement in English and a 13 percentage point improvement in mathematics up to 2005. The improvement in the proportion of 15-year-olds achieving five A*-C grades at GCSE and equivalents has been 11 percentage points. At Key Stage 3, there have been improvements in the core subjects of English, mathematics, science and ICT. The 2005 provisional results show increases of 17, 14, 10, and 19 percentage points respectively since 1997.
These improvements flow directly from the success of our National Strategies. At primary level the introduction of the daily literacy and mathematics hours
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mean that compared with 1997, 84,000 more 11-year-olds left school in 2005 with the necessary basic skills in reading, writing and numeracy. In the four years since the introduction of the Key Stage 3 strategy, now extended to the Secondary National Strategy, the model of support and challenge for teachers has been very effective. The Strategy has made great gains in improving the life chances of 14-year-olds—the greatest improvements have been in the areas of highest deprivation. Last year's results mean that approximately 103,000 more 14-year-olds achieved the target level for their age in English and 86,000 more did so in mathematics, than in 1997.
The proportion of 11 and 14-year-old pupils achieving the expected levels in English and mathematics and the GCSE and equivalent achievements of young people, in 1997 and the latest available year, in the Hendon constituency are available on the 'In Your Area' website at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea/. 2005 figures are not yet available at constituency level for 14-year-olds but will be published on the 'In Your Area' website shortly.
The 'In Your Area' website does not hold information relating to the achievements of 11-year-old pupils in science or the A/AS-level results by constituency. This information is given in the following tables.
(5) 1997 figures for average A-level point score include GCE A and AS qualifications.
(6) 2005 figures include GCE/VCE A/AS and VCE Double Award qualifications as well as Key Skills at Level 3 achievements by A-level candidates.
This information is consistent with that published in the School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables (formerly Performance Tables) in 1997 and in 2005. The points awarded for A-level grades in those years are given as follows:
| Grade | 1997 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|
| A | 10 | 120 |
| B | 8 | 100 |
| C | 6 | 80 |
| D | 4 | 60 |
| E | 2 | 40 |
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Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children there were on average in infant classes in Hendon in (a) 2005 and (b) 1997; and if she will make a statement. [56844]
Jacqui Smith: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Legislation limits infant class size to a maximum of 30 pupils to a school teacher. The statistics show that since 1997 there has been a decrease in the average size of infant classes in Hendon and across England as a whole.
Data on infant class sizes at national, local authority and parliamentary constituency level can also be found at the following link: Schools and Pupils in England: January 2005 (Final) in the additional information" sections 4 and 5.
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