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EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Pre-schools
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many four year-olds are currently attending (a) maintained nursery schools, (b) nursery classes in maintained primary schools, (c) reception classes, (d) voluntary sector pre-school provision and (e) private sector pre-school provision. [82017]
Ms Hodge: The available information is shown in the following table.
| January 1998 | |
|---|---|
| Number of four-year-olds in maintained nursery schools | 17,991 |
| Number of four-year-olds in nursery classes in maintained primary schools | 129,497 |
| Number of four-year-olds in infant classes(2) in maintained primary schools | 350,959 |
| Number of four-year-olds in private and voluntary providers and independent schools | 82,599 |
(2) Includes reception and other classes (i.e. non nursery classes)
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if he will estimate how many pre-schools have closed since May 1997; and if he will set out the basis of the Government's calculation; [82016]
- (2) what assessment he has made of the basis for the difference in figures produced by his Department and by the Pre-School Learning Alliance on the number of pre-schools that have closed since May 1997. [82019]
Ms Hodge: The Department's annual survey of day-care facilities in England, using data submitted by local authorities, shows a small fall in the number of registered playgroups at March 1998 compared with a year earlier. Officials have arranged to discuss with the Pre-School Learning Alliance differences between their figures and the latest survey data.
Education (Expenditure)
Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much central Government money was spent per capita in 1998 in England on helping schools meet special educational needs. [82211]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Most funding for school education is allocated to local authorities by way of unhypothecated grant. Information on total actual spending by local education authorities and schools in meeting special educational needs is not collected centrally. The 1997 Green Paper "Excellence for all children: meeting special educational needs" estimated
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that some £2.5 billion per year is spent meeting special educational needs, representing on average some £1,600 per child identified as having such needs.
Mr. Wilshire:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much central Government money was spent per capita in 1998 in England on grants to (a) voluntary aided schools and (b) voluntary controlled schools. [82208]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Capital grants totalling £138,184,240 were allocated to voluntary-aided schools in the financial year 1998-99. This equates to £132 per pupil in this sector.
Capital grants totalling £18,513,446 were allocated to voluntary-controlled schools in the financial year 1998-99. This equates to £34 per pupil in this sector.
Mr. Wilshire:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much central Government money was spent per capita in 1998 in England on (i) primary schools, (ii) secondary schools, (iii) further education colleges and (iv) universities. [82210]
Mr. Mudie:
Unit costs for primary and secondary pupils and for full-time equivalent students in FE colleges and HE institutions are set out in the DfEE Departmental Report, Cm 4202, published on 24 March 1999, a copy of which was placed in the Library.
The unit costs for primary and secondary pupils in 1997-98 include a provisional central government element of £127 and £35 respectively. Neither the total unit costs nor the central government element include capital spending.
The unit costs for FE and HE students include both recurrent spending and support for capital expenditure. The HE unit costs exclude central Government spending on grants and loans.
Mr. Wilshire:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much central Government money was spent per capita in 1998 in England on books and stationery in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools. [82209]
Ms Estelle Morris:
In the 1998 calendar year, primary schools received three grants for reading books, averaging £1,000 per grant. During the same period, secondary schools received two £1,000 grants for reading books. Schools with less than 100 pupils received £10 per capita for each grant allocation. These grants represent
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substantial new funding and are in addition to funding made available to schools through the Local Management of Schools (LMS) arrangements.
Mr. Collins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he is taking to ensure that pupils at former grant maintained schools secure the same increases in funding per individual as those in other state schools in (a) Cumbria and (b) England. [82183]
Ms Estelle Morris:
Grant-maintained schools have previously enjoyed preferential funding, whereas the Government are committed to fair funding for all schools, continuing the process of phasing out unfair funding which the previous Government began in 1995-96. For 1999-2000, we have guaranteed that grant-maintained schools will be funded at the same level per pupil in cash terms as they were in 1998-99. Many will be funded at a higher level than that, where LEAs pass on the extra resources we have obtained for education directly to their schools, as my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has urged them to do.
Mr. Collins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he will reply to the letter sent to him by Mr. T. A. Schofield, Bursar to Kirkbie Kendal school, Kendal, Cumbria on 16 April. [82185]
Ms Estelle Morris:
The letter from the Bursar of Kirkbie Kendal School has been acknowledged by the Department, which is taking up the points made in the letter with Cumbria Local Education Authority. A full reply will be sent to Mr. Schofield as soon as possible.
Mr. Soley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many schools in England and Wales, broken down by local education authority, there are where special educational needs children exceeded (a) 10 per cent., (b) 20 per cent., (c) 30 per cent., (d) 40 per cent., (e) 50 per cent. and (f) 60 per cent. of the total school population in the last year for which figures are available. [81608]
Ms Estelle Morris:
The information requested for England is shown in the table.
For information for Wales, I refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
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(3) Number of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) expressed as a percentage of all pupils in each school.
(4) Excludes Maintained and Non-Maintained Special Schools.
(5) Excludes dually registered pupils.
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