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New Deal (Injuries)
Mr. Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many injuries have been reported of New Deal clients, since 1 April 1998. [93439]
Mr. Andrew Smith: There have been 12 cases of fractures or an injury requiring a visit to a hospital. There have been 68 minor injuries not requiring any hospital treatment. This is in the context of 395,000 starts for young people and 25-plus in this period and is a much lower level of injury than the normal average level of industrial injuries in the work force.
Class Sizes
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many classes taught by one teacher in maintained secondary schools contained
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(a) 31 or more pupils and (b) 36 or more pupils in (i) May 1997 and (ii) of the most recent date for which figures are available broken down by (A) local education authority and (B) parliamentary constituency; [93239]
(3) what was the average class size for classes taught by one teacher in (a) May 1997 and (b) at the most recent date for which figures are available for (i) pupils in Key Stage 1, (ii) pupils in Key Stage 2, (iii) primary schools and (iv) secondary schools in (A) England and Wales and (B) each parliamentary constituency. [93237]
Ms Estelle Morris:
I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place a copy of the letter in the Library.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the average class size in maintained secondary schools in England in (a) January 1998 and (b) January 1999. [93238]
(2) how many classes taught by one teacher at Key Stage 2 contained (a) 31 or more pupils and (b) 36 or more pupils in (i) May 1997 and (ii) at the most recent date for which figures are available in each (A) local education authority and (B) parliamentary constituency; [93236]
| Position as at January each year | Average size of classes |
|---|---|
| 1999 (provisional) | 21.8 |
| 1998 | 21.7 |
The overall average class size in schools has fallen from 24.9 to 24.8 in the same period and the average primary class size has fallen from 27.7 to 27.5.
School Sixth Forms
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the process and timetable under which a decision on any application to set up a new sixth form in a school will be taken pending the outcome of the review of the funding of sixth forms in schools, indicating the differences in approach dependent on the arrangements for funding any capital works required. [93374]
Ms Estelle Morris:
Under both current arrangements and those to be brought into force on 1 September, those proposing to set up a new sixth form at a school must consult in the area and then publish statutory proposals for the change. Under current arrangements, the proposals would fall to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to decide if there were any statutory objections. From September, proposals might fall to the local School Organisation Committee to decide or, if the Committee could not agree, to an Adjudicator. The current target for a decision is five months from the date of publication. No decisions have been made on changes in the system for
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funding capital work necessary in order to implement proposals, and it is not expected that any changes would affect the statutory proposal system.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will define the responsibilities for inspection in general further education colleges between the (i) Further Education Inspectorate and (ii) OFSTED, respectively, in connection with educational provision for persons aged 16 to 19 years in such colleges. [93377]
Mr. Mudie:
Under current inspection arrangements, the Further Education and Funding Council are responsible for inspecting provision in further education colleges.
Under the proposals in our "Learning to Succeed" White Paper (Cm 4392), OFSTED will take responsibility for the inspection of 16-19 provision in schools and colleges. For post-19 provision in colleges, and for work-based provision for all age groups, there will be a new independent inspectorate.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the current number of (a) local education authorities, (b) TECs and (c) local lifelong learning partnerships; and how many local learning and skills councils are planned. [93378]
Mr. Mudie:
There are currently 150 local education authorities, 72 Training and Enterprise Councils and 103 local learning partnerships in England. We have asked the Regional Development Agencies and the London Development Partnership for advice on the boundaries in their region for up to 50 local Learning and Skills Councils across England.
Mr. Boswell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will provide a breakdown of the forecast administrative cost savings to be achieved under his proposals in "Learning to Succeed" (Cm 4392). [93381]
Mr. Mudie:
We expect to secure at least £50 million in savings per annum in steady state as a result of the changes set out in the White Paper "Learning to Succeed". These will flow from cutting out unnecessary bureaucracy, simpler funding and administrative systems, and streamlining contracting arrangements. Detailed estimates of administrative cost savings to be achieved will be determined once we have considered, and taken decisions on, responses to the consultation, particularly on the precise functions to be carried out by the Learning and Skills Council at local and national levels.
Mrs. May:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate of the number of primary school teachers was used to determine the print run of the numeracy strategy documents. [93373]
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Ms Estelle Morris:
The number of primary school teachers in England is estimated at 190,000. An initial print run of 300,000 copies of the Framework for teaching mathematics was commissioned for publication in March.
Mrs. May:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what were the criteria used in allocating the tender to print the numeracy strategy file for teachers to a company in Italy. [93376]
Ms Estelle Morris:
We commissioned Cambridge University Press (CUP) to prepare the Framework for publication. CUP were selected because of its record in mathematical publications, its understanding of the pilot National Numeracy Project and the English National Curriculum. The selection of the printer was a matter entirely for CUP.
Mrs. May:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many copies of the numeracy strategy document for teachers were ordered from the printers; how many have been printed; how many schools have not received their full allocation to date; and when further copies will be made available. [93375]
Ms Estelle Morris:
300,000 copies of the National Numeracy Strategy Framework for teaching mathematics were ordered and printed. Arrangements were made for all schools to receive three copies of the strategy's Framework on 16 March with over 200,000 copies available on request. A reprint of 200,000 copies was commissioned and all schools requesting additional copies received them before the end of summer term.
Ms Buck:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what progress there has been on tackling truancy and school exclusion since the Social Exclusion Unit's report on Truancy and School Exclusion was published in May 1998. [93825]
Ms Estelle Morris:
The Ministerial Task Force on Truancy and School Exclusion, which I chair, has today sent its first annual report on truancy and school exclusion to the Prime Minister. The report sets out the action we have taken to implement the recommendations in the Social Exclusion Unit's report, including examples of good practice, and sets out our priorities for 1999-2000.
We are pleased to report that permanent exclusions have fallen by 3 per cent. (from 12,700 in the 1996-97 school year to 12,300 in 1997-98). This is particularly good news because it is the first time that permanent exclusions have fallen since my Department began collecting information on exclusions in 1994-95.
Since the "Truancy and School Exclusion" report was published, we have:
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made available through the "Social Inclusion: Pupil Support" grant some £500 million over the next three years to tackle truancy and exclusion from school. As part of the Government's commitment to ensuring that all pupils who are excluded for more than three weeks have access to a full-time and appropriate
timetable by 2002, this includes £22 million made available to local education authorities in 1999-2000 to extend out of school provision;
Our priorities for 1999-2000 include:
required local education authorities to set targets for reducing unauthorised absence and permanent exclusions within their Education Development Plans--in order to meet the national target of a one third reduction in levels of unauthorised absence and school exclusion by 2002;
given the police, under the "Crime and Disorder Act 1998", a new power to pick up truants and return them to designated premises.
issued new guidance on "Social inclusion: Pupil Support", which brings together advice on attendance, discipline, the use of exclusion, education outside school and re-integration, with a focus on early intervention. The document emphasises the importance of multi-agency support.
new local education authority targets for reducing the level of fixed period exclusions;
continued work to secure more joined up working at local level to support pupils who are at risk of truancy or disaffection;
following recommendations in the Macpherson report, a consultation on how to increase the amount of exclusions information which is published down to school level, including information about the ethnicity of excluded pupils;
generating more innovative ideas for tackling truancy and exclusion from school (from 2000-01);
as part of the "Excellence in Cities" initiative, the introduction of learning mentors and learning support units to tackle disaffection and barriers to learning.
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