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Vulnerable Young People

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures (a) have been and (b) will be introduced to make the mapping and tracking of vulnerable young people not in education, training or employment easier. [2963]

Margaret Hodge: A comprehensive, national approach to tracking young people is being developed as part of the Connexions Service.

The system will enable Connexions partnerships to identify those not in learning more readily and support a more comprehensive approach to advice and guidance for those with multiple problems. It will also enable partnerships to support those who move between partnership areas more easily.

School Achievement Awards

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the scheme for school achievement awards was devised; and what consultation took place before its introduction. [3004]

Mr. Timms: Details of the scheme were first published in the Green Paper "Teachers, meeting the challenge of change" in December 1999.

We consulted relevant national bodies about the design of the School Achievement Awards Scheme in May—June 2000. We confirmed the scheme design in September.

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the criteria for the allocation of school achievement awards were announced; and if he will publish them. [3005]

Mr. Timms: Details of the scheme were first published in the Green Paper "Teachers, meeting the challenge of change" in December 1999. Details of the scheme were published in a DfES leaflet (DfEE/0159/2000) issued September 2000 and can also be found on the scheme website at www.dfes.gov.uk/teachingreforms/rewards/ schoolachieve. The criteria are now being reviewed for the next round.

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which schools received school achievement awards; and for what reasons schools received two separate allocations under the school achievement awards scheme. [3006]

Mr. Timms: The names of the award-winning schools were announced on 15 March. About 7,000 schools have won awards, equivalent to 30 per cent. of maintained schools in England. A full list of the award winning schools was posted to the House of Commons Library at the time of the announcement.

The Department had always planned to check the value of every award before paying the money to schools. In some cases we found that schools would be getting less than they should, so we topped up their awards to the correct level. This means that every award-winning school will either receive the amount it was initially told it would receive or a larger amount. The figures placed in the House of Commons Library reflect these recalculations.

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Vocational A-Levels

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the answer of 27 April 2001, Official Report, column 442W, how units in the vocational A-Level course are graded; and what are the results of the unit examinations or assessment for 2001. [3103]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Vocational A-level units are not graded. Unit results are reported to students on a scale of zero to one hundred. From these, students can work out their grade equivalents. However, vocational A-level qualifications are graded A to E.

The Joint Council for General Qualifications did not publish the January unit results.

General Teaching Council

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the answer of 26 April 2001, Official Report, column 364W, what is the value of the standard rate which is paid by the General Teaching Council to schools to facilitate the release of teachers for GTC work. [3104]

Mr. Timms: The value of the standard rate is a matter for the GTC to set in accordance with a scheme approved by the Secretary of State. I have asked the chief executive of the GTC to write to the hon. Member with details of the rate that is paid. A copy of her response will be placed in the Library.

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers had not paid the General Teaching Council fee by 15 June 2001. [3108]

Mr. Timms: The General Teaching Council (GTC) is funded by the Government until October. No teachers have been asked to pay a fee by 15 June. The arrangements for collecting the fee are a matter for the GTC and I have asked the chief executive of the GTC to write to the hon. Member with details of the arrangements. A copy of her response will be placed in the Library.

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what nominations the General Teaching Council has received for the election to the position of chairman. [3113]

Mr. Timms: The election of the chairman of the General Teaching Council (GTC) is entirely a matter for the Council. I have asked the Chief Executive of the GTC to write to the hon. Member with details of any nominations. A copy of her response will be placed in the Library.

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the answer on 26 April 2001, Official Report, column 364W, when the chief executive of the General Teaching Council will write to the hon. Member for Maidenhead about details of payments made to members since the GTC was established and the members' support scheme. [3125]

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Mr. Timms: The chief executive of the General Teaching Council wrote to the hon. Member on 11 May with information about both items. I have asked the chief executive to send a copy of the letter and enclosures that were issued to the hon. Member.

Pupil Exclusions

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the answer of 26 April 2001, Official Report, column 363W, what financial penalties are levied on schools for non-compliance with the Department's exclusion reduction target. [3105]

Mr. Timms: The latest permanent exclusion figures for 1999–2000 indicate that exclusions have fallen to around 8,600, nearly a third less than the peak of 12,700 in 1996–97. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is satisfied that the level of exclusions we have reached is sustainable and, therefore, she does not intend to set fresh exclusion targets for reducing permanent exclusions further. My right hon. Friend has also announced new measures to: change the law on exclusions to reflect the interests of the school community; consult on extending Parenting Orders and maximising support to schools in dealing with disruptive children and violent parents; produce a positive package of preventive action to promote good behaviour; make Admissions Forums, whose role will include the re-integration of excluded pupils, mandatory.

We have significantly increased the resources available to schools and local education authorities to tackle poor behaviour and provide education to excluded pupils, from £17 million in 1996–97 to £131 million in 2000–01 and again to £174 million this year—a tenfold increase. Before April 2000 most of this money was held centrally by local authorities to support authority-wide initiatives to tackle poor behaviour and provide education to excluded pupils. For the first time in April 2000 the majority of this funding was devolved directly to schools so that they could decide how best to tackle poor behaviour. Schools have, therefore, benefited by an additional £100 million in 2000–01 and £126 million this year. Where a child has to be excluded some of the money previously held by local authorities which is now in schools reverts back to the local authority. This money can be used by the authority to provide education outside school or to support a re-integration package at a new school. This procedure follows the principle introduced by the last Conservative Government of money following the excluded pupil. By September 2002 all permanently excluded pupils must be offered full-time education and not the 2–3 hours per week all too typical in the past.

Adult Literacy

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the findings of the OECD report, "Education at a Glance", in respect of UK adult literacy rates. [3106]

John Healey: The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development report, "Education at a Glance", published in June 2001 and based on fieldwork

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undertaken between 1994 and 1998, notes the relationship between differences in literacy levels and income inequality. The United Kingdom performs better than some of our international competitors, including the United States, but has ground to make up to achieve the higher levels of literacy skills in countries such as Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.

The Government have recognised the vital importance to individuals and the economy of improving adult literacy and numeracy. Research suggests that improved literacy and numeracy skills can help people earn up to £50,000 more over their working life. The benefit to society of better skills has been valued at £10 billion a year. Our strategy, "Skills for Life", launched by the Prime Minister in March, will improve the basic skills of 750,000 adults by 2004. Many of these will come from groups we have prioritised for our support, including the unemployed, those in low-skilled jobs and those living in disadvantaged areas. By helping them improve their literacy and numeracy skills, we aim to create a more prosperous and more equal society. As we set out in the Labour manifesto, this is the first of our 25 steps to a better Britain.

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