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Head Teachers (Pay)
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proportion of head teachers has been awarded a nine per cent. pay rise. [77322]
Ms Estelle Morris [holding answer 18 March 1999]: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has confirmed that all teachers, including head teachers, will receive a general increase of 3.5 per cent. from 1 April 1999. In addition, under proposals announced by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, on 1 February 1999 which are still subject to detailed consultation, head teachers' pay will be restructured from 1 September 1999. That announcement referred to an average increase of 9.5 per cent. (including the 3.5 per cent. general increase) for head teachers of small primary schools. The group of head teachers in question are the heads of primary schools with fewer than 100 pupils, who comprise 11.5 per cent. of all head teachers. Other primary head teachers will receive an average increase of 6.5 per cent. and secondary head teachers will receive an average increase of five per cent. (including the 3.5 per cent. general increase).
Higher Education
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment for each of the years from 1997-98 to 2000-01, what is the total resource allocation awarded to universities and other higher education institutions from public funds; what is the total number of actual and projected full-time equivalent higher education students; and what is the average level of resource allocation from public funds to each student. [77882]
Mr. Mudie: The following table sets out the Government's plans for higher education over the period 1997-98 to 2000-01. The plans are expressed in terms of publicly planned funding for higher education, including private contributions towards tuition fees which institutions will retain.
The table shows total publicly planned resources for higher education, the total number of actual and projected full-time equivalent student numbers, and the average unit of funding per student.
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| 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 | 2000-01 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grants to HEFCE & TTA | 3,667 | 3,674 | 4,138 | 4,268 |
| Additional HEFCE grants earmarked for capital investment in: | ||||
| infrastructure and IT | -- | -- | 35 | 50 |
| research | -- | -- | 50 | 100 |
| Estimated tuition fee income: | ||||
| public contributions from LEAs | 997 | 1,006 | 599 | 520 |
| private contributions from students | -- | 130 | 235 | 333 |
| Funds for measures to widen access | 22 | 41 | 74 | 76 |
| Total publicly planned funds | 4,686 | 4,851 | 5,131 | 5,347 |
| Total FTE students(18) (thousands) | 1,014 | 1,019 | 1,035 | 1,052 |
| Unit of funding(19) (£ per FTE) | 4,600 | 4,720 | 4,800 | 4,870 |
(17) Publicly planned funds for higher education include grants to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and, from 1995, to the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) for both recurrent and capital purposes. In addition the plans take account of publicly planned tuition fee income and funds for specific measures to widen access which go mainly to the students.
(18) FTE student numbers cover all home and other EU undergraduate and postgraduate students studying both full and part-time in English universities and colleges.
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Mr. Willis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to allow students in further and higher education to pay (a) tuition fees and (b) maintenance from individual learning accounts that have been enhanced by the student's family or employer. [77881]
Mr. Mudie:
Individual learning accounts will be available to all from April 2000. The Government incentives for individual learning accounts (including the £150 for the first million starter accounts) will be targeted on those in work, for whom no help is currently available. They will be able to use incentives to support a wide range of learning opportunities to improve skills and qualifications.
Mrs. May:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if applications for grants under the Education (Grants for Education Support and Training) (England) Regulations 1998, as amended by the Education (Grants for Education Support and Training) (England) Regulations 1998 (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 1999, submitted before the Regulations are revoked on 1 April, will be considered under those Regulations. [79029]
Ms Estelle Morris
[holding answer 29 March 1999]: Applications for payment of grant allocated under the programme for the 1998-99 financial year ending 31 March 1999 are considered under S.I. 1998 No. 656, the Education (Grants for Education Support and Training) (England) Regulations 1998 and the amendments to this S.I. that come into force before 31 March.
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the adequacy of checks made on the suitability of staff working for examination verification bodies in further education. [79210]
Mr. Mudie:
Awarding bodies are independent organisations responsible for their own recruitment procedures. However, the Qualifications Curriculum Authority (QCA), has responsibility for monitoring activities of the awarding bodies in order to promote public confidence in the quality, rigour, fairness and consistency of standards of qualifications.
As part of its statutory regulatory procedures, QCA will require awarding bodies offering accredited national qualifications to meet specified criteria, including procedures for the appointment, training and monitoring of suitable specialists and assessors.
The Qualifications and Curriculum Assessment Authority for Wales (ACCAC) has a parallel responsibility.
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will investigate the
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circumstances under which heads of tertiary colleges criticised in National Audit Office reports are re-employed at senior levels in organisations which provide a service to their former employers. [79205]
Mr. Mudie:
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State would certainly wish to investigate any such case involving appointment to a publicly-funded body.
Mr. Steinberg:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what funds he has estimated will be required to implement his policy on the promotion of teachers in the next five years. [78813]
Ms Estelle Morris:
The Technical Document on Pay and Performance Management, published on 1 February 1999, indicated that for the two financial years 2000-01 and 2001-02, up to £1 billion is available to support the implementation of the Green Paper, "Teachers: meeting the challenge of change." Much the largest single element of this will be the new pay arrangements. Expenditure plans have not yet been fixed beyond the financial year 2001-02. The implementation of the Green Paper proposals will be one of the issues considered when they are.
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many schools in each of the London education authorities have been closed during the last three years. [78535]
Ms Estelle Morris:
The following table shows, for each of the last three years, the number of schools in the London Local Education Authorities where there has been a decision (whether by the Authority or the Secretary of State) to close the school. A number of these have not yet been implemented.
| Number of schools closed | |
|---|---|
| 1996 | |
| Greenwich | 1 |
| Sutton | 1 |
| 1997 | |
| Camden | 1 |
| Kingston upon Thames | 1 |
| Lambeth | 3 |
| 1998 | |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 1 |
| Islington | 1 |
The table excludes closures due to amalgamation of infant and junior schools.
Grammar Schools (London)
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many grammar school places are at present available in the Greater London area. [78893]
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Ms Estelle Morris:
The total capacity (more open enrolment basis) for the 19 grammar schools in the Greater London area was 17,017 at April 1998. The total number of pupils was 17,057 at January 1998. Ten of these schools have a total of 678 more pupils than their capacity.
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