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Disturbed Children

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what guidelines she issues in respect of (a) expulsions from schools, (b) the need to take into account mitigating circumstances and (c) the need to provide counselling to disturbed children where appropriate; and if she will make a statement. [5435]

Mr. Forth: Guidance was issued by the Department in May 1994 to heads, governing bodies and local education authorities on the proper use of exclusion. This sets out what factors should be taken into account when considering exclusion. Further guidance on exclusions will need to be issued in due course, in the light of legislation currently before Parliament.

Guidance was also issued in May 1994 jointly with the Department of Health to LEAs and schools on good practice in the education of children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. This reflected the variety of programmes and approaches which may help such children. Counselling may be a valuable approach in some cases.

School Exclusions

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the number of school exclusions in (a) England and Wales and (b) London in (i) 1979-80, (ii) 1990-91 and (iii) 1995-96; and what proportion of the school roll these figures represent. [5278]

Mr. Forth: No data on exclusions from school were collected nationally before 1990-91. Between April 1990 and April 1991, 2,910 pupils were reported to have been permanently excluded from schools in England; this represented 0.04 per cent. of the total school population.

The Department will be collecting comprehensive figures for permanent exclusions in the school year 1995-96 as part of the annual schools census in January. These figures will be available later in 1997.

Lady Olga Maitland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what information she has collated on the number of permanent exclusions from school and on the characteristics of the pupils excluded, in the most recent year for which data are available. [5721]

Mrs. Gillian Shephard: Information on permanent exclusions from LEA maintained and grant-maintained schools is now collected as part of the annual schools census. Data collected this year on exclusions in the 1994-95 school year are summarised in the following tables:

DfEE exclusions census: school year 1994-95A. Permanent exclusions 1994-95 (9) by type of school (10)

		Excluded pupils
	Number	As percentage of school population
Primary
LEA	1,331	0.03
GM	34	0.03
Secondary
LEA	7,605	0.31
GM	1,592	0.29
Special	522	0.54
All schools	11,084	0.15

(9) Data grossed-up from returns from 99.3 per cent. of LEA maintained and grant-maintained schools and non maintained special schools.

(10) Primary and secondary school data include middle schools as deemed.

21 Nov 1996 : Column: 683

B. Permanent exclusions 1994-95 (11)and(12) by gender

		Excluded pupils
	Number	As percentage of school population
Primary
Boys	1,209	0.05
Girls	92	--
Secondary
Boys	7,191	0.48
Girls	1,663	0.11
Special
Boys	449	0.69
Girls	44	0.13

(11) Data as reported--i.e. omitting exclusions where relevant information missing from returns.

(12) Primary and secondary school data include middle schools as deemed.

C. Permanent exclusions 1994-95 (13)(14) by school

		Number of schools
Number of pupils excluded	Primary	Secondary	Special
0	17,315	1,060	950
1-2	1,110	1,133	241
3-4	22	606	39
5-6	2	357	9
7-8	0	168	3
9-10	0	82	0
11-15	0	69	0
16+	0	22	0

(13) Data as reported--i.e. omitting exclusions where relevant information missing from returns.

(14) Primary and secondary school data include middle school as deemed.

D. Permanent exclusions 1994-95(15) by age(16), ethnicity(17) and special educational needs

	Number excluded	Percentage of excluded pupils	Percentage of school population
Pupils aged
4	29	0.3	8.2
5	88	0.8	8.6
6	118	1.1	8.7
7	153	1.4	8.4
8	228	2.1	8.2
9	317	3.0	8.1
10	390	3.7	7.8
11	661	6.2	7.7
12	1,191	11.2	7.6
13	2,083	19.6	7.7
14	3,040	28.6	7.8
15	2,112	19.9	7.4
16	203	1.9	2.2
17	18	0.2	1.5
18	6	0.1	0.2
White	8,785	83.8	89.8
Black Caribbean	769	7.3	1.1
Black African	148	1.4	0.6
Black Other	182	1.7	0.8
Indian	98	0.9	2.7
Pakistani	208	2.0	2.1
Bangladeshi	46	2.4	0.8
Chinese	11	0.1	0.4
Other Ethnic Group	241	2.3	1.5
With SEN statements	1,764	17.6	2.8
Without SEN statements	8,257	82.4	97.2

(15) Data as reported--i.e. omitting exclusions where relevant information missing from returns.

(16) Age as at 31 August 1994.

(17) Ethnic groups as percentage of school population--data covers five to 15-year-olds derived from 1991 national census.

21 Nov 1996 : Column: 684

Former Pupil (Ridings School)

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps she proposes to take to provide counselling and education for the child whose name has been supplied to her, formerly of Ridings school. [5436]

Mr. Forth: None. These are matters for Calderdale local education authority.

GCSE

Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list for 1996 the percentage of 15-year-old pupils in total and by gender of the maintained sector of each local education authority (1) entered for GCSE in (a) English language, (b) mathematics, (c) science, (d) English language and mathematics together and (e) English language and mathematics and science together and (2) achieving (i) at least grade G in each, and (ii) at least grade C in each, and in each case their average point score. [3642]

Mrs. Gillan: This information for 1996 is not yet available.

Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if she will list the percentage of 15-year-old pupils of the maintained sector of each local education authority entered for GCSE in (a) English language, (b) mathematics, (c) science, (d) English language and mathematics together, and (e) English language and mathematics and science in total and by gender in (i) 1992 and (ii) 1995; and what were the percentage point changes in each case between 1992 and 1995; [3643]

21 Nov 1996 : Column: 685

(2) if she will list for (a) 1992 and (b) 1995 the percentage of 15-year-old pupils in total and by gender of the maintained sector of each local education authority (1) entered for GCSE in (i) science, and (ii) English language and mathematics and science together, and (2) achieving (A) at least grade G in each, (B) at least grade C in each, and in each case their average point score. [3641]

Mrs. Gillan: The information requested is set out in a number of tables, copies of which have been placed in the Library.

Resource Accounting

Mr. Tim Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what progress her Department is making with the introduction of resource accounting and budgeting; and in respect of which financial year she expects to publish the first set of resource accounts. [4984]

Mr. Robin Squire: DfEE will be introducing its resource accounting system from 1 April 1997. The Department, in common with others, is preparing to implement resource budgeting in time to form the basis for the 2000 survey. As set out in Cm 2929, the first published resource accounts for the Department and all other Departments will be in respect of 1999-2000.

Free School Transport

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what powers she has to intervene in respect of the provision of free school transport. [5150]

Mrs. Gillan: My right hon. Friend has limited powers under sections 496 and 497 of the Education Act 1996. She could intervene only if she were satisfied that a local education authority had failed to fulfil a statutory duty or had acted unreasonably, in the very strict sense in which the courts have interpreted that term, and that her intervention would be expedient.

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