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Physical Education
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the provision of physical education in (a) state and (b) private schools. [64427]
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Ms Estelle Morris:
OFSTED inspections report on individual schools' provision of National Curriculum subjects including physical education. At a national level, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools reports annually to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on compliance with the National Curriculum requirements, including physical education, in state schools. The provision of physical education in private schools is the responsibility of individual headteachers and governing bodies of such schools.
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what estimate he has made of the number of hours spent by children doing PE (a) in inner city schools and (b) in suburban schools; [64428]
Ms Estelle Morris:
There is no prescribed statutory minimum or maximum time which schools should devote to PE. The National Curriculum for PE consists of six areas of activity and schools have a degree of freedom in deciding which physical activities to teach and how much time should be allocated to them and to other National Curriculum subjects. PE must be taught to all children throughout their compulsory schooling.
(2) how many hours per week (a) primary and (b) secondary school children (i) spend currently and (ii) spent in each of the last 10 years doing PE. [64429]
| Key Stage | Average hours of PE per week (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 1 (ages 5-7) | 1 hour 20 minutes |
| 2 (ages 7-11) | 1 hour 35 minutes |
| 3 (ages 11-14) | 2 hours |
| 4 (ages 14-16) | 1 hour 15 minutes |
These figures do not account for travelling and changing time incurred in the provision of swimming tuition. In addition, the amount of time devoted to PE at Key Stage 4 is reduced when pupils study for public examinations.
My Department also carried out a survey of PE and sport in English schools in January 1996. It found that primary schools had on average 1.5 to 2 hours per week of National Curriculum PE. The amount of time devoted to PE in secondary schools varied between 1.5 and just over 2 hours per week according to year group. No information is held prior to that time or divided by the location of schools.
Mr. Watts:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to develop the Employment Service's job search provision for unemployed people following the evaluation report on programme centres published last month. [64905]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
I am pleased with the progress in developing programme centres so far. To provide further support for job search, where this is delivered through Jobclubs, I have asked the Employment Service to
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encourage providers to operate a more flexible model of delivery to enable jobseekers to receive help tailored to their individual needs.
In addition I have asked the Employment Service to introduce changes to Jobclub eligibility conditions. This means that, in line with programme centres, job search support will be available for people experiencing difficulty in returning to work after 13 weeks of unemployment. This will be at the discretion of Employment Service advisers who will identify those clients who most need this kind of help.
The changes will take effect from April 1999.
Mr. Watts:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he will publish a report on the comparative public funding costs of post-16 provision. [64904]
Mr. Mudie:
The Report on the Public Funding costs for Education and Training for 16-19 year olds in England 1996-97 will be published today. I have arranged for a copy to be placed in the Library.
Mrs. McKenna:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has for publishing the White Paper on the instruments adopted at the 85 session of the International Labour Conference. [64969]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
I have today published a White Paper entitled "International Labour Conference", copies of which have been placed in the Library.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people have entered the New Deal gateway in the (a) Fareham, (b) Gosport and (c) Test Valley Borough Council areas since its inception; and how many took up each New Deal option. [64221]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
The information on New Deal is only held by Unit of Delivery and is not broken down below this level. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 7 December 1998, Official Report, column 82.
Mr. Stunell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the energy efficiency schemes being delivered under the New Deal for Young People. [64226]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
Details of energy efficiency schemes are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Brady:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the (a) average, (b) longest and (c) shortest time taken by each LEA in England and Wales to produce statements of special educational need in 1997-98. [64246]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
This information is not collected centrally.
17 Dec 1998 : Column: 680
Mr. Rowlands:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of New Deal jobs have been provided to date by the public sector. [61483]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
Between 5 and 6 per cent. of young people who have started New Deal jobs are employed in the public administration and education sector as defined in the Standard Industrial Classifications. In addition, there are an increasing number of New Deal job starts in Health and other community, social and personal services, which will include public sector job starts.
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what forecast he has made of the amounts to be raised from the introduction of tuition fees over the planning period; and how much of that amount will be used for university funding. [64431]
Mr. Mudie:
The higher education funding plans assume that institutions in England will receive private income from home and EU students starting full-time undergraduate courses from 1998-99 as follows: £130 million in 1998-99; an extra £105 million in 1999-2000; and compared with 1998-99 an extra £203 million in 2000-01. Over this period the higher education sector will retain all the income from student contributions to fees and receive extra public funding on top. Figures for 2001-02 will be announced later.
Mr. Michael J. Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has received concerning the teaching of sport in schools. [63441]
Mr. Banks:
Since 1 May 1997, I have received about 80 letters about sport in schools and the physical education National Curriculum. These have come from professional organisations such as the CCPR and BAALPE, University lecturers, head teachers and members of the public. Almost all of these have been about the importance of the teaching of physical education and sport in schools and support my view that physical education and sport is an essential part of youth development. While fully supporting the current emphasis on numeracy and literacy, I know how important sport and PE are; not only as subjects in their own right, but as having a positive impact on cognitive development and on classroom and academic performance. That is why I am delighted that sport and PE still have to be taught in primary schools, while allowing flexibility by relaxing the detailed programmes of study. We are working closely with the Department for Education and Employment to ensure that PE and sport remain an important part of the curriculum.
There are of course a number of initiatives underway to promote sport in schools, many of which are co-ordinated by the English Sports Council (ESC) under its National Junior Sports Programme (NJSP). This is a major programme which provides a framework within which schools, local authorities, governing bodies of
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sport, sports clubs and youth organisations can work together to provide quality sporting opportunities for 4 to 18-year-olds in a planned and co-ordinated way. It is intended to reinforce and build on good practice, to support teachers and to provide an important profile for the work they are doing. ESC initiatives include the Sportsmark award scheme, the Sporting Ambassadors scheme, the development of an Activity award for primary schools and proposals for Community Sports Co-ordinators.
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