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Truancy (Newcastle)

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of reports of parents of children who persistently play truant from Firfield School, Newcastle, being persuaded to sign documents saying that the children are being educated at home when home education is not being provided. [102981]

Jacqui Smith: We are aware of the reports of the alleged action taken by Firfield Community School concerning persistent truants. Officials are investigating these matters and I will write to the hon. Member once I have examined their findings.

Exclusions

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list, for each local education authority in the North West Region, (a) the average number of pupils excluded from school and the percentage of pupils this figure represents and (b) the number of full-time equivalent education welfare officers employed by each local education authority in each of the past five years. [102882]

Jacqui Smith: The information available is shown in the tables.

Information on the number of education welfare officers employed by local education authorities is not held centrally.

Number and percentage of permanent exclusions in maintained primary, secondary and special schools by Local Education Authority area in the North West Government Office Region: England 1995-96 to 1998-99 Position as at January of each academic year

	1995-96
	Primary		Secondary		Special (22)		Total
	Number of exclusions	Percentage (23)	Number of exclusions	Percentage (23)	Number of exclusions	Percentage (23)	Number of exclusions	Percentage (23)
North West	225	0.04	1,243	0.37	62	0.54	1,530	0.17
Cheshire(24)	38	0.04	155	0.24	14	0.77	207	0.13
Halton(25)	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--
Warrington(25)	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--
Cheshire(25)	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--
Cumbria	15	0.03	91	0.28	0	0.00	106	0.14
Bolton	7	0.02	80	0.46	0	0.00	87	0.19
Bury	11	0.06	65	0.60	1	0.36	77	0.26
Manchester	34	0.07	173	0.79	9	0.60	216	0.31
Oldham	8	0.03	64	0.38	4	0.71	76	0.18
Rochdale	6	0.03	37	0.28	4	0.80	47	0.13
Salford	21	0.09	79	0.66	3	0.71	103	0.28
Stockport	8	0.03	58	0.37	4	0.55	70	0.16
Tameside	9	0.04	59	0.42	0	0.00	68	0.18
Trafford	8	0.04	25	0.19	1	0.24	34	0.10
Wigan	15	0.05	54	0.27	4	0.43	73	0.14
Lancashire(24)	45	0.03	303	0.35	18	0.57	366	0.16
Blackburn with Darwen(25)	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--
Blackpool(25)	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--
Lancashire(25)	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--

16 Dec 1999 : Column: 291W

16 Dec 1999 : Column: 291W

Position as at January of each academic year

	1996-97
	Primary		Secondary		Special (22)		Total
	Number of exclusions	Percentage (23)	Number of exclusions	Percentage (23)	Number of exclusions	Percentage (23)	Number of exclusions	Percentage (23)
North West	188	0.03	1,268	0.37	77	0.66	1,533	0.17
Cheshire(24)	29	0.03	144	0.22	14	0.78	187	0.12
Halton(25)	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--
Warrington(25)	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--
Cheshire(25)	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--
Cumbria	9	0.02	99	0.31	1	0.36	109	0.14
Bolton	17	0.06	80	0.45	3	0.58	100	0.21
Bury	9	0.05	57	0.51	2	0.80	68	0.23
Manchester	26	0.06	151	0.68	14	0.96	191	0.27
Oldham	7	0.03	59	0.35	1	0.19	67	0.16
Rochdale	5	0.02	42	0.32	1	0.19	48	0.13
Salford	9	0.04	92	0.76	1	0.17	102	0.28
Stockport	7	0.03	57	0.36	7	1.00	71	0.16
Tameside	10	0.04	52	0.37	0	0.00	62	0.16
Trafford	10	0.05	24	0.18	0	0.00	34	0.10
Wigan	8	0.03	58	0.29	11	1.14	77	0.15
Lancashire(24)	42	0.03	353	0.40	22	0.72	417	0.18
Blackburn with Darwen(25)	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--
Blackpool(25)	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--
Lancashire(25)	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--

16 Dec 1999 : Column: 291W

16 Dec 1999 : Column: 291W

Position as at January of each academic year

	1997-98
	Primary		Secondary		Special (22)		Total
	Number of exclusions	Percentage (23)	Number of exclusions	Percentage (23)	Number of exclusions	Percentage (23)	Number of exclusions	Percentage (23)
North West	207	0.04	1,182	0.34	68	0.59	1,457	0.16
Cheshire(24)	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--
Halton(25)	2	0.02	21	0.24	0	0.00	23	0.11
Warrington(25)	3	0.02	23	0.18	6	1.65	32	0.10
Cheshire(25)	23	0.04	81	0.18	8	0.73	112	0.10
Cumbria	8	0.02	92	0.28	0	0.00	100	0.13
Bolton	10	0.04	73	0.40	3	0.59	86	0.18
Bury	3	0.02	49	0.44	0	0.00	52	0.18
Manchester	45	0.10	146	0.65	7	0.48	198	0.28
Oldham	9	0.04	60	0.36	2	0.38	71	0.17
Rochdale	3	0.01	23	0.17	3	0.57	29	0.08
Salford	10	0.04	82	0.68	1	0.17	93	0.26
Stockport	11	0.04	54	0.34	1	0.15	66	0.15
Tameside	10	0.04	62	0.43	1	0.22	73	0.19
Trafford	3	0.01	30	0.20	0	0.00	33	0.09
Wigan	14	0.05	61	0.30	11	1.15	86	0.17
Lancashire(24)	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--	(26)--
Blackburn with Darwen(25)	6	0.04	49	0.51	7	1.37	62	0.24
Blackpool(25)	4	0.03	36	0.52	0	0.00	40	0.20
Lancashire(25)	43	0.04	240	0.33	18	0.80	301	0.17

(22) Includes maintained and non maintained special schools

(23) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of full and part-time pupils of all ages in primary, secondary and special schools, excluding dually registered pupils in special schools in January of each year

(24) Local Education Authority areas prior to 1 April 1998 before Local Government Reorganisation

(25) New Local Education Authority areas from 1 April 1998 after Local Government Reorganisation

(26) Not applicable

16 Dec 1999 : Column: 293W

16 Dec 1999 : Column: 293W

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