House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 17 Dec 1996 (pt 2)

Learning Difficulties

Mr. Faber: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will use the introduction of mandatory baseline assessment to provide effective screening for children at risk of literacy and numeracy difficulties. [9496]

Mrs. Gillan: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Sir J. Hannam) on 3 December 1996, Official Report, column 611.

Schools (Ethnic Minorities)

Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how she plans to monitor ethnic minority achievement through the national curriculum. [8811]

Mrs. Gillan: As I announced on 5 September, we propose to use the baseline statistics on the ethnic composition of each school, which we will be collecting through the annual schools census, as a basis for considering ways of monitoring ethnic minority pupils' progress through national curriculum assessment. We aim to consult on these in due course.

17 Dec 1996 : Column: 485

Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if she will list the new arrangements for collecting baseline statistics on the ethnic composition of schools; [8812]

Mrs. Gillan: We included two new questions in the 1996 schools census covering (i) the total number of minority ethnic pupils, and (ii) the total number of pupils for whom English is a second language, in each school. For the 1997 schools census, we will include a more detailed count of the number of pupils in each ethnic group for the school as a whole, and a separate count, in secondary schools only, of the number of pupils aged 15 in each ethnic group at the start of the academic year.

Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when the School Curriculum Assessment Authority and the National Council for Vocational Qualifications will report their recommendations on how best to introduce ethnic monitoring for post-16 qualifications. [8814]

Mrs. Gillan: Current plans are that SCAA and NCVQ will provide advice to Ministers on the data collection recommendations in Sir Ron Dearing's report on 16 to 19 qualifications by May 1997.

Legislation

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many items of legislation relating to her Department have been repealed since January 1994; how many statutory instruments were introduced during the same period; and how many of the latter were (a) deregulatory and (b) fee orders. [9373]

Mr. Robin Squire: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster today.

Personal Services Industry

Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will place in the Library a copy of the existing guidance, covering the acceptance of job advertisements by jobcentres; if the jobs on offer require the applicant to work as a model, or in (a) a sauna bath, (b) a massage parlour, (c) an escort agency and (d) a kissogram agency. [9613]

Mr. Forth: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. Ian McCartney, dated 17 December 1996:

The Secretary of State for Education and Employment has asked me to write to you about your request that the Employment Service's existing guidance covering vacancies for employment as a model, in a sauna bath, a massage parlour, an escort agency or a kissogram agency be placed in the Library. This falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of the Agency.

The information requested is contained in the Guide to Job Broking volume 1 and I am arranging for a copy to be placed in the Library. The relevant instructions are contained in chapter 3, paragraphs 186 to 202.

17 Dec 1996 : Column: 486

In the light of recent events the Secretary of State has asked for this present guidance to be reviewed. This work is in hand and, subject to legal advice, should shortly be available. I will arrange for the new guidance to be sent to you and to be placed in the Library.

I hope this is helpful.

Schools (Performance)

Dr. Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when assessment she has made of the relative performance of grant-maintained and local authority schools. [9786]

Mr. Forth: The 1996 school performance tables show that 50 per cent. of pupils in grant-maintained schools achieved five or more good GCSE passes, compared with 41 per cent. of pupils in LEA schools. There was almost no difference in the performance of pupils in selective schools in the two sectors, but 46 per cent. of pupils in GM comprehensive schools achieved five or more good GCSE passes compared with 40 per cent. in LEA schools. Analysis of the GCSE performance tables from 1992 to 1996 shows that GM schools have made rather more progress than comparable LEA schools in raising standards year on year. In the 1996 national curriculum assessments for 7, 11 and 14-year-olds, a higher proportion of pupils in GM schools reached or exceeded the expected levels of performance at each key stage. Details are set out in the following tables:

Table 1: Percentage of 15-year-old pupils achieving graded GCSE results in 1996

Grades (per cent.) Grades (per cent.) Grades (per cent.)

1A: all schools

GCSE passes 5+ A*-C 5+ A*-G 1+ A-G

LEA schools 40.6 per cent. 87.1 per cent. 93.4 per cent.

GM schools 50.1 per cent. 91.1 per cent. 95.3 per cent.

1B: comprehensive schools only

GCSE passes 5+ A*-C 5+ A*-G 1+ A-G

LEA comprehensives 40.0 per cent. 87.0 per cent. 93.3 per cent.

GM comprehensives 46.4 per cent. 91.1 per cent. 95.6 per cent.

Table 2: time series comparison of LEA maintained schools with schools which became grant-maintained on or before 1 September 1992

Percentage of pupils achieving 5+ A-C GCSEs in 1992 Percentage of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C GCSEs in 1996 Percentage point increase 1996 over 1992

LEA maintained schools Selective Non-selective 89.2 32.2 93.4 38.3 4.2 6.1

GM schools Selective Non-selective 89.3 37.5 94.6 45.6 5.3 8.1

Table 3: Percentage of seven-year-old pupils achieving national curriculum level 2 and above

Key stage 1 English Mathematics Science

(1)TA (1)Test TA Test TA Test

LEA schools 79 -- 82 82 84 --

Reading 78 78

Writing 76 80

Speaking and listening 82

GM schools 85 -- 86 87 88 --

Reading 84 84

Writing 82 85

Speaking and listening 85 --

	Grades (per cent.)	Grades (per cent.)	Grades (per cent.)
1A: all schools
GCSE passes	5+ A*-C	5+ A*-G	1+ A-G
LEA schools	40.6 per cent.	87.1 per cent.	93.4 per cent.
GM schools	50.1 per cent.	91.1 per cent.	95.3 per cent.

1B: comprehensive schools only
GCSE passes	5+ A*-C	5+ A*-G	1+ A-G
LEA comprehensives	40.0 per cent.	87.0 per cent.	93.3 per cent.
GM comprehensives	46.4 per cent.	91.1 per cent.	95.6 per cent.

		Percentage of pupils achieving 5+ A-C GCSEs in 1992	Percentage of pupils achieving 5+ A*-C GCSEs in 1996	Percentage point increase 1996 over 1992
LEA maintained schools	Selective Non-selective	89.2 32.2	93.4 38.3	4.2 6.1

GM schools	Selective Non-selective	89.3 37.5	94.6 45.6	5.3 8.1

Key stage 1	English	Mathematics	Science
	(1)TA	(1)Test	TA	Test	TA	Test
LEA schools	79	--	82	82	84	--
Reading	78	78
Writing	76	80
Speaking and listening	82
GM schools	85	--	86	87	88	--
Reading	84	84
Writing	82	85
Speaking and listening	85	--

Note:

(1) TA = teacher assessment, Test = national test.

17 Dec 1996 : Column: 487

Table 4: Percentage of 11-year-old pupils achieving national curriculum level 4 and above

English Mathematics Science

Key stage 2 TA Test TA Test TA Test

LEA schools 60 57 60 54 65 62

GM schools 64 63 65 60 69 68

Table 5: Percentage of 14-year-old pupils achieving national curriculum level 5 and above

English Mathematics Science

Key stage 3 TA Test TA Test TA Test

LEA schools 60 56 61 56 59 55

GM schools 68 65 69 65 68 65

	English	Mathematics	Science
Key stage 2	TA	Test	TA	Test	TA	Test
LEA schools	60	57	60	54	65	62
GM schools	64	63	65	60	69	68

	English	Mathematics	Science
Key stage 3	TA	Test	TA	Test	TA	Test
LEA schools	60	56	61	56	59	55
GM schools	68	65	69	65	68	65

Work Accidents (Cost)

Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate she has made of the cost to the economy of accidents at work in each year since 1990; and if she will make a statement. [9442]

Sir Paul Beresford: I have been asked to reply.

The Health and Safety Executive estimates that the total cost to the economy of work accidents, including preventable damage-only accidents, and work-related ill health was between £6 billion and £12 billion in 1990.

The next updating of these costs by the Health and Safety Executive will be in 1998. The updating will cover costs for 1995-96, on which the necessary data will be compiled from the Labour Force Survey.

Building Research Establishment

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which projects that the Building Research Establishment is currently undertaking will cease on privatisation. [9391]

Mr. Robert B. Jones: I have been asked to reply.

I do not anticipate that any projects will cease as a result of privatisation.

Next Section

Index

Home Page