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Governors' Advice Line
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he plans to launch a governors' advice line as recommended by the Education and Employment Committee's Fifth report of Session 1998-99, HC509-I; and when it will be available for school governors to use. [126904]
Jacqui Smith: The Government stated their commitment to providing a single national helpline for school governors in the response my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made last autumn to the Select Committee's Report on the Role of School Governors. Negotiations with national governor organisations' representatives are continuing. Meanwhile, we are funding the three existing governors' helplines provided by the National Governors' Council, the National Association of Governors and Managers and Information for School and College Governors.
We greatly appreciate the work done by governors, as volunteers, and we want them to have access to independent advice from experienced governors.
ICT Access
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what advice has been given to schools about allowing local residents' groups and other organisations access to computers and other facilities outside school hours. [126116]
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Jacqui Smith: The Department published "Raising Standards: opening doors: developing links between schools and their communities" in January this year. This document offers wide-ranging advice to schools on allowing greater access to their premises and facilities and on enhancing their links with the local community. It is available free of charge to all schools.
We are also planning to publish later this year a Schools Plus Manual, which will offer schools further practical advice and support on how to develop as a community resource and how to strengthen their relationships with their local community.
In March this year the Schools Plus Policy Action Team, set up by the Social Exclusion Unit following its report on Neighbourhood Renewal, published its report on "Building Learning Communities". The Team considered how schools could be used to engage the community, drawing in greater support and making their facilities available to more people. It made 32 recommendations under two broad headings: extending services offered by schools; and improving school community links. We are considering how to implement the Team's recommendations.
Specialist Schools
Mr. Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of specialist schools make use of their right to select up to 10 per cent. of their pupils by aptitude. [127072]
Ms Estelle Morris: We do not have figures on the percentage of specialist schools which make use of the 10 per cent. aptitude selection arrangement. Information about this is now being collected within the schools' progress reports. From a questionnaire sent to the first 238 specialist schools we know that 7 per cent. of the 142 schools which responded select some of their pupils by aptitude.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many specialist schools have been set up since 1997; how many have opted to select 10 per cent. of their intake by aptitude; and if he will list each of those schools and their local education authority. [126905]
Ms Estelle Morris: In May 1997, there were 181 specialist schools. A further 222 specialist schools have become operational since then. We do not have figures on the percentage of specialist schools which select 10 per cent. of their intake by aptitude. Information about this is now being collected within the schools' progress reports. From a questionnaire sent to the first 238 specialist schools we know that 7 per cent. of the 142 schools which responded select some of their pupils by aptitude.
Class Sizes (East Sussex)
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the average class size was in secondary schools in East Sussex in each year since 1979. [126299]
Ms Estelle Morris: The requested information on class sizes in maintained secondary schools in East Sussex local education authority area is shown in the following table.
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In England, maintained secondary classes are already much smaller than primary classes, with around five fewer pupils on average. The average class size in maintained secondary schools in England in January 2000 was 22.0, compared to an average of 27.1 pupils per class in maintained primary schools. It is also worth considering the secondary class size figures published on 12 April in the Statistical First Release "Class sizes in maintained schools in England: January 2000", which showed a rise in class sizes under the previous Government--in 1990 the average class size in maintained secondary schools in England was 20.3.
In the Budget, secondary headteachers received between £30,000 and £50,000 each to spend as they choose. If they spent it on teachers, it is estimated that this would reduce the pupil:teacher 1 ratio in secondary schools by 0.4.
- 1 Pupil:teacher ratios (PTRs) within maintained secondary schools relate the overall number of pupils in these schools to the full-time equivalent number of qualified teachers employed in these schools.
(7) After local government reorganisation
(8) Before local government reorganisation
(9) Provisional
Note:
n/a = not applicable
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SSAs
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list by LEA in England the amount each local authority spent on education above its education SSA for each of the past five years. [126906]
Ms Estelle Morris: The following table shows by LEA the amount in £ million by which each authority budgeted above or below its education SSA for the years 1995-96 to 1999-2000. Budget figures are taken from Local Authority Revenue Account (RA) returns, and include a centrally calculated estimate of the amount of education related capital expenditure from the revenue account (CERA). Figures for 2000-01 are not yet available: in this and future years, budget data which are more precisely comparable to education SSA will be available from the section 52 returns submitted by local education authorities, including their own estimate of CERA.
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