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Sixth Forms
Dr. Palmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what further financial incentives he plans to introduce to encourage 16-year-olds to stay on in school. [154618]
Mr. Wicks [holding answer 29 March 2001]: We are committed to encouraging more students to continue in school, further education or training, and to raising attainment levels. Therefore we are developing a suite of measures to offer young people incentives and support while they stay in learning.
Discretionary student support for further education and sixth form students will increase to £115 million in 2001-02, a rise of 16 per cent. on the 2000-01 allocation. This includes £62 million for further education access funds, up from £54 million in 2000-01, and over £10 million for access funds for sixth form students. The access funds are used to help pay for transport, books, equipment, and other expenditure associated with remaining in education, such as residential charges and childcare costs.
We will continue to make Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs) available in 56 of the most deprived LEA areas, covering approximately 30 per cent. of England by population. EMAs are a weekly allowance paid to the student or in some cases to the student's family, in return for the student's continuing attendance of an education programme. They aim to encourage young people to remain in full-time education and complete their courses successfully. Payments are means tested on the basis of parental income. Evaluation of the first year of the EMA scheme showed that EMAs lead to a significant increase in the numbers of 16 year olds deciding to remain in full-time education. The Government are considering the case for introducing a national EMA scheme.
We are also introducing the Connexions Card, which will be available to all young people aged 16-19. It will provide a range of incentives to stay in learning, ranging from help with transport costs to discounts on the sorts of goods and activities which young people value. The benefits attached to the Card will be earned through regular attendance and effort.
Teacher Training
Mr. St. Aubyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proportion of those who applied for teacher training courses started a teacher training course within 12 months in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [155647]
3 Apr 2001 : Column: 114W
Ms Estelle Morris [holding answer 29 March 2001]: Information on the numbers of teacher trainees that start a teacher training course within 12 months of applying as a proportion of the total number of applicants is not collected centrally. Applications to courses leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) can be made at both postgraduate and undergraduate level. Prior to the current applications cycle, information on numbers of applications to ITT courses can be presented only on an England and Wales basis; not for England only. The following tables contain the total numbers of applications that were received for postgraduate and undergraduate initial teacher training (ITT) courses for providers in England and Wales starting in academic years 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01:
| 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 31,638 | 33,056 | 34,860 |
Source:
Graduate Teacher Training Agency, GTTR
| 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 77,130 | 66,141 | 61,382 |
Note:
Figures represent applications up to the end of the application cycle for each year.
Source:
Universities and College Admissions Service, UCAS
The figures for undergraduate and postgraduate applications cannot be combined as UCAS counts up to six applications per undergraduate applicant and GTTR counts only one application per postgraduate applicant.
Undergraduate primary ITT recruits account for around a half of all primary ITT trainees. Recruitment to primary ITT courses in England has exceeded Government targets for as long as figures are available.
The numbers of people recruited onto ITT courses in England starting in academic years 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01 are presented:
| England only | Number |
|---|---|
| 1998-99 | |
| PG | 17,415 |
| UG | 8,792 |
| Total | 26,207 |
| 1999-2000 | |
| PG | 17,461 |
| UG | 8,506 |
| Total | 25,967 |
| 2000-01 | |
| PG | 19,616 |
| UG | 8,099 |
| Total | 27,715 |
Note:
2000-01 ITT recruitment figures are the latest provisional figures.
Source:
TTA Survey of ITT Providers
3 Apr 2001 : Column: 115W
Recruitment figures for ITT courses in Wales are a matter for the National Assembly for Wales. The full-time equivalent number of regular teachers in the maintained sector in England was over 404,000 in January 2000. This is an increase of 6,900 from January 1998 and the highest figure for a decade.
Mr. St. Aubyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many applicants there were for teacher training courses in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [155648]
Ms Estelle Morris [holding answer 29 March 2001]: Applications to initial teacher training (ITT) courses leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) can be made at both postgraduate and undergraduate level. Prior to the current applications cycle, information on numbers of applications to ITT courses can be presented only on an England and Wales basis; not for England only. To allow a comparison of the latest figures with those of earlier years, the figures presented are for England and Wales combined. The tables show the numbers of applications that have been received up to the start of March for postgraduate and undergraduate ITT courses for providers in England and Wales starting in academic year 2001-02 with figures for comparable dates for the previous two years (courses starting in 1999-2000 and 2000-01):
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1999-2000 (up to 3 March 2000) | 22,522 |
| 2000-01 (up to 1 March 2000) | 19,981 |
| 2001-02 (up to 2 March 2001) | 23,699 |
Source:
Graduate Teacher Training Agency, GTTR
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1999-2000 (up to 3 March 2000) | 64,821 |
| 2000-01 (up to 3 March 2000) | 60,003 |
| 2001-02 (up to 2 March 2001) | 51,589 |
Notes:
1. Figures for undergraduate and postgraduate applications cannot be combined as UCAS count up to six applications per applicant and GTTR count only one application per applicant.
2. Figures represent applications up to 2 March and equivalent for each year.
Source:
Universities and College Admissions Service, UCAS
Undergraduate primary ITT recruits account for around a half of all primary ITT trainees.
Recruitment to primary ITT courses in England has exceeded Government targets for as long as figures are available.
This year, for the first time, applications are also being received for Fast Track teacher training places. A total of 1,574 applications were received for Fast Track places by the 31 January 2001 closing date. Applicants can submit simultaneous applications to both Fast Track and UCAS or GTTR.
3 Apr 2001 : Column: 116W
The full-time equivalent number of regular teachers in the maintained sector in England was over 404,000 in January 2000. This is an increase of 6,900 from January 1998 and the highest figure for a decade.
Education Maintenance Allowances
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement about take-up of education maintenance allowances in Stoke-on-Trent. [155909]
Mr. Wicks: I am pleased to say that the take-up rate of Education Maintenance Allowance in Stoke-on-Trent is high. There are currently 2,267 young people in receipt of an allowance. Recent published evaluation reports show that EMAs are making a positive difference to young people's lives. On average in the pilot areas there is an increase of five percentage points in the number of eligible 16 and 17-year-olds staying in education in the pilot areas because of EMA.
Full-time Students (Hazel Grove)
Mr. Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of full-time students stayed in education in the Hazel Grove constituency after the age of (a) 16 and (b) 18 years in (i) 1992, (ii) 1997 and (iii) 2001. [156177]
Mr. Wicks: At the heart of our drive to improve participation and attainment is the new Connexions Service which we will be phasing in from April this year. The service will provide information, advice, support and access to personal development opportunities for all 13 to 19-year-olds, whatever their needs and circumstances, to keep them learning. Latest figures show that the numbers of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training in England fell by 28,000 from 185,000 in 1998 to 15,000 in 1999.
Data on the percentage of students continuing in post-compulsory education at age 16 are not calculated for areas smaller than LEAs. Participation rates by LEA for 16 and 17-year-olds are published in "Statistical Bulletin 11/00: Participation in education and training by young people aged 16 and 17 in each local area and region, England, 1994-95 to 1998-99".
The percentage of 16-year-olds in full-time education for Stockport LEA, which includes the constituency of Hazel Grove, was 75 per cent. in 1992-93, 66 per cent. in 1997-98 and 67 per cent. in 1998-99, the latest year for which figures are available.
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