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Ethnic Monitoring

Mr. McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to include Irish as a category in his Department's ethnic monitoring of staff recruitment. [63875]

Mr. Mudie: The overriding principle of Civil Service recruitment procedures is that they should be fair, and selection should be on merit at each stage.

Monitoring in this area is based on ethnic origin, and not nationality. The 10 minority ethnic origin categories monitored by DfEE are those used in the 1991 census, which did not include an Irish category. The use of these categories will be reviewed in the light of any suggested changes for the 2001 Population Census.

Engineering Qualifications

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what representations he has received concerning the current range of engineering qualifications in further and higher education; and what work he has commissioned to review these qualifications. [63551]

Mr. Mudie: The Department has received a number of letters on these issues. The results of a Department- commissioned study of national occupational standards for engineering were published in 1996. National Vocational Qualifications at levels 2 and 3 were subsequently revised to take account of those standards. Draft Higher Level National Occupational Standards for Engineering were published recently and once those have been approved NVQs at level 4 will be revised. As part of its creation of a national framework of qualifications, the Qualifications

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and Curriculum Authority is working with the awarding bodies to ensure that other vocational qualifications in engineering meet the criteria for approval.

Departmental Staff

Mr. Robert Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the special advisers in his Department and the issues on which they specialise; and to what level they have been security cleared. [62840]

Mr. Mudie: The Special Advisers in the Department for Education and Employment are Conor Ryan (full time), Hilary Benn (full time), Tom Bentley (part time) and Sophie Linden (part time); equivalent to three full time posts. They advise on the full range of Education and Employment issues for which the Department is responsible. The additional post was agreed by the Prime Minister to provide support to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in dealing with written material, reflecting the particular circumstances he faces in undertaking his job on equal terms with other ministerial colleagues. In addition, Professor Michael Barber has been appointed as Standards and Effectiveness Adviser.

Special Advisers are subject to the usual security clearance arrangements.

Teaching Assistants

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many teaching assistants were in post in schools at 30 September. [60980]

Ms Estelle Morris [holding answer 27 November 1998]: The available information is shown in the table:

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Full-time equivalent number of education support staff in maintained (6) schools in England
January 1998

Other education support staff
Nursery assistantsSpecial needs support staffMinority ethnic pupil support staffTotalOf which medical staff, librarians and technicians (8)Total
Nursery1,8282096238(10)--2,138
Primary24,85216,6451,23015,329(10)--58,055
Secondary(10)--8,82315117,57616,04226,549
Special(7)(10)--(10)--59(9)16,53162016,590
Pupil Referral Units(10)--365163(10)--429
Total26,68026,0421,50249,53616,662103,760

(6) Includes grant maintained schools and middle schools as deemed

(7) Includes non-maintained special schools and special and general hospital schools

(8) Includes laboratory assistants/technicians, design technology assistants/technicians (including home economics assistants, craft technicians), IT technicians

(9) Includes teaching assistants and childcare staff employed to meet the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs.

(10) Not applicable.


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Teachers

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the schools which have been successful in bidding for advanced skills teacher status for a member of their staff. [63253]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Complete information about school participation is not yet available in respect of the bids for more than 1,100 AST posts submitted so far by local education authorities for 1999-2000. Schools and LEAs have until 5 February 1999 to bid for the funding from April 1999. We plan to create 5,000 advanced skills teacher posts over the two school years 1999-2000 and 2000-01. The specialist schools which have been successful in bidding for advanced skills teacher status for one or more members of their staff in the 1998-99 introductory phase are listed.












































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    Thomas Alleyne's High School


    Queen Mary's High School


    Queen Elizabeth Grammar School


    Beauchamp College


    King Edward VII Upper School


    The Robert Smyth School


    Benjamin Britten High School


    Denefield School


    Cowes High School


    Hugh Christie Technology College


    Ravens Wood School for Boys


    Cornwallis School


    Sandwich Technology School (GM)


    Peers School


    Didcot Girl's School


    St. Birinus School


    Davison CE High School for Girls


    Poltair Community School and Sports College


    Richard Lander School


    Redruth Community College


    Penryn Community School


    Fowey Community College


    Torquay Boys' Grammar School


    South Dartmoor Community College


    George Ward School


    Wyvern College.

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what guidance his Department has issued to schools on the provision of supply cover for advanced skills teachers while they are operating in schools other than those in which they are usually employed; [63247]

Mr. Charles Clarke [holding answer 10 December 1998]: The guidance in Circular 9/98, Teachers' Pay and Conditions of Employment 1998, applies. The funding available through the Standards Fund to the school which is an advanced skills teacher's main employer includes an element to meet the cost of supply cover when the advanced skills teacher is operating outside the school. Advanced skills teachers are expected to spend most of their time teaching in their own school.

Teachers (PE)

Mr. Michael J. Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many and what percentage of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools are PE trained. [63440]

Mr. Charles Clarke: In 1996-97, some 26,000 full and part-time teachers in English maintained secondary schools (approximately 13 per cent.) had a post A level qualification in physical education.

Similar information for primary teachers is not available. However, primary teachers are trained to deliver the whole primary curriculum including physical education.

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