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58. Mr. McAvoy : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to increase the numbers of 16 to 19-year-olds participating in full-time education.
Mr. Jackson : The Government are committed to increasing the participation of 16 to 19-year-olds in education and training, and believe that every young person should either be in full-time education or in a job with time off for good quality training. Recent examination reforms and the Education Reform Act will raise standards in schools giving more young people the qualifications and the motivation to stay on in full-time education. This is the key to improving participation. In 1988, after the first year of the GCSE examination, staying on rates for 16 and 17-year- olds rose to a record level. The Government wish to ensure that young people continuing their education at age 16 have access to a range of opportunities that will equip them with the general skills, knowledge and understanding they will need for adult and working life. Young people will have the choice of pursuing that goal through either the academic route-- comprising mainly A and AS courses--or the vocational route--where they can choose from courses leading to about 4,000 qualifications. My right hon. Friend has asked the Schools Examinations and Assessment Council and the National Curriculum Council to work with the main vocational bodies to advise on the core skills that A/AS level students should develop and how work on them should be built into the A/AS curriculum.
Expenditure
34. Mr. Wall : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from local education authorities regarding their spending on education.
62. Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from local education authorities regarding their spending on education.
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Mrs. Rumbold : My right hon. Friend discussed the education component of the Government's proposed local authority grant settlement for England for 1990-91 with representatives of the local authority associations at a meeting on 26 October. That was in addition to the statutory consultations about the overall settlement conducted by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment following his 6 November announcement. Many of the letters and other representations which my right hon. Friend receives from local education authorities about a range of education issues also touch on spending.Pupil Profiling
35. Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the introduction of pupil profiling.
Mrs. Rumbold : I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central (Mr. Cousins) on 4 December at column 14.
Maintenance and Repairs
36. Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how much money has been allocated for school maintenance and repairs over the past 12 months.
Mr. Alan Howarth : It is for individual local education authorities and, under local management, their schools to determine how much money should be allocated for school maintenance and repairs. The latest outturn data on recurrent spending show that in 1987-88 local authorities in England spent some £435 million on repairs and maintenance in primary and secondary schools.
Research Students
38. Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science by how much the maintenance grant of £3,725 per annum paid by the research councils to research students has increased in real terms since 1979.
81. Mr. Eadie : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the level of maintenance grants paid by the research councils to research students outside London.
104. Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the annual post-graduate award for research students living away from home outside London paid by the research councils.
Mr. Robert Jackson : I refer the hon. Members to the reply that I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Oldham, Central and Royton (Mr. Lamont).
Mr. Sedgemore : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the annual maintenance grant paid by the research councils to research students outside London ; and what estimate he has made of average lifetime earnings of post-doctoral scientists in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Jackson : The annual maintenance grant paid by the research councils in 1989-90 to research students attending an establishment outside London and living
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away from home is £3,725. The Department does not collect or hold information on the lifetime earnings of post-doctoral scientists in the United Kingdom.Science Budget
39. Dr. Bray : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the science budget as a percentage of gross domestic product in 1979-80 ; and what he expects it to be in 1990-91.
Mr. Jackson : In 1979-80 the science budget was 0.160 per cent. of the gross domestic product. In 1990-91 it is estimated that it will represent 0.163 per cent.
64. Mr. Boswell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the planned budget for pure science and the research councils.
Mr. Jackson : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my right hon. Friend to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey) on 15 November at column 272-76 .
Design and Technology
40. Mr. Kirkhope : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the progress of implementing design and technology as part of the national curriculum.
Mrs. Rumbold : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey) on 7 December at column 313 .
Bishopshalt School
44. Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will announce his decision on the application of Bishopshalt school, Hillingdon, to opt out of local education authority control.
Mrs. Rumbold : My right hon. Friend expects to make an announcement soon.
Research Councils
46. Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last met representatives from each of the research councils ; and what was discussed.
Mr. Jackson : My right hon. Friend has occasional meetings with representatives of individual research councils to discuss matters of current concern. He met the heads of all the research councils at a reception he held on 14 September.
Surrey University
48. Mr. Ian Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to visit the University of Surrey.
Mr. Jackson : My right hon. Friend has no present plans to do so.
Student Loans
53. Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has had on his plans to introduce student loans ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Jackson : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Leicester, West (Mr. Janner).Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many banks have agreed in principle to operate the student loan scheme.
Mr. Jackson : Ten banks have formed Student Loans Company Limited to undertake preparatory work for the student loans scheme. Additional financial institutions will be invited to become shareholders in the company when a brochure is issued.
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to advertise the Government's scheme for student loans ; at what estimated cost ; and over what period.
Mr. MacGregor : The Government will ensure that students and potential students are fully informed of the public support available.
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assessment he has made of the costs of the administration of the student loans scheme by (a) the public sector, (b) competitive tender and (c) the student loans company.
Mr. MacGregor : I have nothing to add to the estimates of the costs of administration of the student loans scheme which have already been published.
59. Mr. Doran : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last met Lloyds bank to discuss student finance.
70. Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last met Lloyds bank to discuss student finance.
77. Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last met representatives of the Royal Bank of Scotland concerning student finance.
80. Mr. John P. Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last met Lloyds bank to discuss student finance.
94. Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last met the Clydesdale bank to discuss student finance.
Mr. Jackson : Ministers and officials have had a series of discussions with representatives of the financial institutions as proposals for the student loans scheme have developed. Ten banks have now formed a company, Student Loans Company Limited, to undertake preparatory work for the scheme.
Schools Repairs
60. Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action he proposes to take to improve the state of repair of schools.
Mr. Alan Howarth : It is primarily for each local education authority to ensure that the schools it maintains are kept in an acceptable state of repair. But my right hon. Friend is aware of concern that some school premises fall
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below that standard. Accordingly, Government plans for 1990-91 allow for capital borrowing by local authorities in respect of schools, colleges and other educational services of £436 million. For current spending, the Government's proposals for the 1990-91 local authority grant settlement allow for increased spending on repairs and maintenance relative to the levels assumed in the comparable total for 1989-90. Otherwise, the Department promotes improvements in the quality of school premises through the guidance issued by its architects and buildings branch.Professional Development Scheme
61. Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will examine the professional development scheme operated by the British Computer Society as a possible model for career planning for scientists trained and supported by the research councils.
Mr. Jackson : The British Computer Society professfional development scheme is designed for the particular needs of professionals in information technology. It is not anappropriate model for the career planning of scientists, although aspects may be relevant to them. Responsibility for the career planning of scientists employed by research councils and by higher education institutions rests with their employers.
Teacher Training Courses
63. Mr. Franks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received concerning the joint circular on the approval of initial teacher training courses ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Howarth : My right hon. Friend has received no representations about DES circular 24/89 and Welsh Office circular 59/89 on the approval of initial teacher training courses. The circular was the subject of full consultation before it was issued.
Pupil-Teacher Ratios
66. Mr. Rowe : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the current pupil-teacher ratio in England and Wales (a) in primary schools and (b) in secondary schools ; and what were the comparable figures 10 years ago.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The pupil-teacher ratios within maintained primary and secondary schools in England in 1989 and 1979 were as follows. Corresponding figures for Wales are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
|Primary |Secondary
----------------------------------------
1989 |22.0 |15.3
1979 |23.1 |16.7
Modern Languages
67. Mr. Andrew MacKay : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the level of modern languages taught in schools.
Mrs. Rumbold : The Government are concerned to increase both the number of pupils continuing to study a
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modern foreign language until age 16 and beyond and their standards of language competence. That is why the national curriculum includes a modern foreign language as a foundation subject at secondary level to be studied by all pupils between the ages of 11 and 16. The national curriculum working group on modern foreign languages is expected to recommend, by July 1990, attainment targets and programmes of study for modern foreign languages based on current best practice, in order to raise standards and to provide a stimulating and worthwhile challenge to pupils of all abilities during their period of compulsory secondary schooling.Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last met the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council ; and if he will make a statement.
72. Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last met the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council ; and if he will make a statement.
84. Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last met the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : My right hon. Friend has discussions from time to time with members of the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council on matters of current interest.
City Technology College, Langbaurgh
74. Mr. Holt : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will consider establishing another city technology college in Langbaurgh in east Cleveland.
Mrs. Rumbold : City technology colleges are focusing on urban areas because it is there that the aspirations and expectations of pupils and parents are, generally, furthest from fulfilment. Macmillan college, the Teesside city technology college, already provides for children in the inner city area of Middlesborough. There are no plans to establish a further city technology college in the vicinity.
96. Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the numbers of representations he has received (a) in favour and (b) against the establishment of a city technology college in Telford.
Mrs. Rumbold : My right hon. Friend has received 36 letters following the announcement by the Mercers' Company of its intention to sponsor a city technology college in Telford. Thirty-one are against the proposal and five sought further information.
42. Mr. Robert G. Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assessment he has made of the contribution of city technology colleges to educational practice in schools and to inner- city areas in which they are situated.
Mrs. Rumbold : It is a key aim of the city technology college programme that the colleges should make a major
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contribution to the development of higher standards in all schools. It is too early yet to evaluate their impact in detail but it is already clear that they are immensely popular with parents and pupils. With three city technology colleges now open, and eight more with firm opening dates, we are now looking very carefully at how the good practices they are pioneering can best be disseminated.Asbestos
75. Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he intends that asbestos removal from schools should be included in local schemes of management or financed by the local authority ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Howarth : Under LMS it is for local education authorities to decide whether to retain responsibility centrally for asbestos removal or to delegate responsibility and funding for this within their schemes of local management.
GCSE
76. Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what were the number of GCSE passes at grade C and above by school children in Basildon for 1988 and 1989.
Mrs. Rumbold : Figures for the Basildon area are not available centrally, but in 1988 there were 583,000 results at grade C and above in the GCSE in schools within the Essex local education authority. Figures for 1989 are not yet available.
Supply Teachers
78. Mr. Alexander : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received from schools in Nottinghamshire about the adequacy of supply teacher cover for schools where teachers have to be absent on national curriculum training courses.
Mr. Alan Howarth : My right hon. Friend has received one letter dealing solely with this subject from the governors of a Nottinghamshire infant school.
Industrial Links
85. Mr. Trotter : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what progress is being made in encouraging links between schools and local industry and commerce.
88. Mr. Page : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps are being taken by his Department to improve links between education and industry.
Mr. Alan Howarth : Good progress is being made in encouraging links between schools and local industry and commerce. Preliminary analysis of a recent DES survey indicates that around 90 per cent. of secondary schools now have such links.
The Department is involved with others in a range of initiatives designed to assist in the establishment of links between schools and industry. In particular, it publishes guides to good practice and selectively funds particular
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projects and organisations. Funding for teacher training in this area is made available to local education authorities through the LEA training grant scheme.Teachers
86. Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps his Department is taking to encourage mature entrants, with practical work experience in other fields, to train as teachers.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The Department has a range of teacher recruitment measures, one of whose main aims is to increase the number of mature entrants to teacher training recruited from other careers. The teaching as a career unit (TASC) targets older people with special publications, and through its national and local advertising. In conjunction with ICI, the Department has run a well-subscribed programme of taster courses for people considering switching to a career in teaching, and the number of courses is being increased in 1990-91. We are also funding part-time and shortened courses of initial teacher training which take account of students' existing commitments and previous qualifications. The introduction of the licensed teacher route will also facilitate the entry into teaching of mature entrants.
107. Mr. Key : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he plans to announce the next steps towards the introduction of new arrangements for determining the pay and conditions of teachers.
Mrs. Rumbold : My right hon. Friend is currently considering the views expressed by the six teacher unions and the employers at his meeting with them last month.
101. Mr. Robert B. Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has available for the percentage of teachers leaving the profession each year in (a) the United Kingdom as a whole and (b) Hertfordshire.
Mr. Alan Howarth : Teachers in Scotland and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. Figures for England and Wales and for Hertfordshire for the year ending 31 March 1987 (the latest available) are shown in the table.
Percentage of teachers in England and Wales and in Hertfordshire
leaving full-time service in maintained nursery, primary and
secondary schools (MNPS)
Per cent.
Year ending 31 March 1987
|England and |Hertfordshire
|Wales
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Percentage of teachers leaving
full-time service in MNPS |7.7 |8.6
of which:
transfers to other service,
full or part-time, in the
maintained sector<1> |1.3 |1.1
transfers to teaching in the
independent sector<1> |0.3 |0.5
retirements and deaths |2.4 |2.3
others<2> |3.7 |4.6
<1>The Department's "Database of Teacher Records" does not provide
complete coverage of the independent sector or of part-time service in the
maintained sector, so these figures may be slightly under-stated.
<2>Many of these will be women withdrawing from teaching temporarily for
family reasons.
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Exams
87. Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the Government's current policy with regard to the A and A/S level exams.
Mrs. Rumbold : I refer my hon. Friend to the replies that I gave on 14 November to the hon. Members for Heywood and Middleton (Mr. Callaghan) and for Stoke-on-Trent, Central (Mr. Fisher) at column 218 and that my right hon. Friend gave on 28 November to my hon. Friend the Member for Battersea (Mr. Bowis) at column 181.
ILEA
89. Mr. Jacques Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the current state of preparations for the assumption by the London boroughs of the current educational responsibilities of ILEA.
Mrs. Rumbold : The inner London councils are making good progress towards becoming LEAs. Most of the management posts in their education departments have been filled, and councils are developing their own packages to assist the recruitment and retention of good-quality teaching staff. I am looking forward to the operation of an efficient and responsive education service in the capital after 1 April 1990.
Severe Learning Difficulties
90. Mr. Irvine : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he is taking to provide further help for schools for children with severe learning difficulties.
Mr. Alan Howarth : Responsibility for providing for pupils with special educational needs lies with individual local education authorities : this includes provision for pupils with severe learning difficulties.
Wandsworth
92. Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has to visit the London borough of Wandsworth.
Mrs. Rumbold : My right hon. Friend would welcome the opportunity to visit Wandsworth, and plans to contact the borough about a possible date.
School Buildings, Nottinghamshire
95. Mr. Ashton : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what level of grant he has made available to Nottinghamshire county council for new school buildings next year.
Mr. Alan Howarth : My right hon. Friend expects to announce his decisions on the distribution of annual capital guidelines for education to LEAs before Christmas.
History Curriculum
97. Mr. Wood : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to announce the new history curriculum.
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Mrs. Rumbold : My right hon. Friend and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales are waiting for the final report of the history working group, which is now expected by the end of January. When they have considered that report they will publish their proposals for history in the national curriculum.Greenhouse Effect
98. Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what provision he has made for research into the greenhouse effect in 1989-90, 1990-91 and 1991-92.
Mr. Jackson : I understand that in 1989-90 the research councils have allocated about £29.3 million towards research into all aspects of global climate change, including research into understanding the processes of climate change and the impact of such changes. This amount includes about £8 million by the Agriculture and Food Research Council, £19.3 million by the Natural Environment Research Council and some £2 million by the Science and Engineering Research Council. In addition, other research undertaken by the councils, especially AFRC, bears on environmental aspects.
As stated in his answer on 15 November to my hon. Friend the Member for Rugby and Kenilworth (Mr. Pawsey) at columns 272-76, my right hon. Friend has announced allocations totalling £18.6 million in 1990-91 and 1991- 92 in respect of the construction costs of the RRS James Clark Ross, and a minimum allocation of £2 million per annum for the years 1990-91 to 1992-93 to provide for a remote sensing instrument for the ERS-2 satellite. He also announced that he has sought the advice of the Advisory Board for the Research Councils on the allocation of the science budget for 1990-91 and 1991-92. His decisions after receiving that advice will be announced in due course. Within the totals allocated, it will be for the research councils to decide their priorities for specific research areas.
Teachers' Negotiating Body
99. Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received with regard to the establishment of a new teachers' negotiating body.
Mrs. Rumbold : My right hon. Friend has received a variety of representations regarding the establishment of new permanent arrangements for determining teachers' pay.
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