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Public Services
Mrs. May: To ask the Prime Minister which teacher trade union representatives were invited to participate in recent discussions on the future of public services held at No. 10 Downing street. [3160]
The Prime Minister: I did not meet representatives from the teachers' trade unions on this occasion.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Chief Electoral Officer (Report)
David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish the report of the Chief Electoral Officer for 2000–01. [3532]
Dr. John Reid: I am pleased to announce that the annual report of the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland for the year 2000–01 has been laid before Parliament today. Copies are available in the Library.
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EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Senior Salaries Review Body
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will publish the evidence submitted by her Department to the SSRB on returner bonus payments for teachers. [3020]
Mr. Timms: On 26 June the Government published the school teachers' review body's report on welcome back bonuses for returners to teaching. I am today placing in the Library copies of the supplementary evidence that officials from my Department submitted to the review body.
Value-added League Tables
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she will publish details of the basis of calculation for value-added league tables for the academic year 2001–02. [3023]
Mr. Timms: Our proposals in respect of value-added measures were set out in detail in the "Publication of School and College Performance Tables in 2001" consultation document issued on 30 March this year, copies of which have been placed in the Library. We are now working with some 200 volunteer schools on a pilot programme for the calculation of measures of progress made from key stage 2 to key stage 3 and from key stage 3 to GCSE/GNVQ. The results of the pilot will be published in the autumn, with a full explanation of the methodology used. The evaluation of this year's pilot, along with further consultation early next year, will inform final decisions on the publication of these two measures for all secondary schools in the 2002 performance tables.
Private Sector Consultants
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the local education authorities where private sector consultants have been appointed to investigate the management and organisation of future service delivery following adverse Ofsted reports; if she will name the private sector contractor appointed in each case; and if she will publish the value of each of the contracts. [1786]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 3 July 2001]: The names of the local education authorities where private sector consultants have been appointed following adverse Ofsted reports are as follows:
- Bradford—PWC
Bristol—Birmingham LEA/APS Keele
Derby—Capita
Dudley—OPM
Hackney—KPMG and OPM
Haringey—Capital and PWC
Islington—PWC
Leeds—PWC and CGEY
Leicester City—OPM
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Redbridge—DBi
Rochdale—KPMG
Rotherham—OPM
Sandwell—KPMG
- Sheffield—OPM
Southwark—KPMG
Walsall—PWC
Waltham Forest—PWC.
The cost of individual consultancy contracts for intervention work is commercial in confidence.
Further Education Staff
Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills of those students successfully completing a (a) BEd. and (b) teacher training course, how many found employment in (i) schools and (ii) the further education sector in (A) September 2000, (B) September 1999 and (C) September 1993. [2405]
Mr. Timms: Successful completers of ITT courses in England 1 in 1993 who entered service up to 31 March 1994 and successful completers of ITT courses in England 1 in 1998 who entered service up to 31 March 1999 (the latest date at which information is available) are as follows:
| Calendar year completed course | Maintained schools | Further Education(8) |
|---|---|---|
| BEd | ||
| 1993(9) | 5,510 | 30 |
| 1998(10) | 6,440 | 30 |
| PGCE | ||
| 1993(9) | 9,910 | 220 |
| 1998(10) | 10,820 | 130 |
| Total | ||
| 1993(9) | 15,410 | 240 |
| 1998(10) | 17,260 | 160 |
| As a percentage of all QTS completers | ||
| 1993(9) | 71 | 1 |
| 1998(10) | 70 | 1 |
(7) Includes those trained through the Open University
(8) In addition there are part-time teachers in Further Education whose service is not recorded, as they are not members of the Teachers Pension Scheme
(9) Includes 163 teachers who trained in England and entered service in maintained schools or FE in Wales
(10) Includes 148 teachers who trained in England and entered service in maintained schools or FE in Wales
Other teachers successfully completing a course of ITT will have found employment in the independent schools sector, the HE sector, or in Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the problems of recruitment and retention of lecturers in the further education sector; and what action she proposes to take. [2598]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 9 July 2001]: We have supported financially a project commissioned by the Association of Colleges, "National Review of Staffing
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and Pay in Further Education", which was undertaken in conjunction with the nationally recognised trade unions for further education (excluding sixth form colleges). We acknowledge that colleges need help to ensure that they have the right arrangements to recruit, reward and retain excellent teachers. Starting this year, significant extra resources amounting to an additional £300 million over the next three years have been made available to the further education sector to reward high calibre staff through our Teaching Pay Initiative, £44 million of which will be shared by sixth form colleges. The total figure is over and above the annual pay round. In addition, we plan to implement arrangements for FE teachers of shortage subjects to benefit from golden hellos comparable to those already in schools and from arrangements we are piloting to help new entrants to the profession to pay off their student loans.
Further Education (Dorset)
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how the Government's commitment to increase the level of funding for the lowest-funded school sixth forms will be applied by the Learning and Skills Council to schools in the Mid-Dorset and North Poole constituency. [2851]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: There is significant variation at present between the levels of funding given to school sixth forms by local authorities. The Government have given an unprecedented guarantee to school sixth forms that, when the LSC takes over the responsibility for funding them in April 2002, their funding will be maintained, in real terms, at 2000–01 levels, provided their pupil numbers do not fall. This means that convergence can only be upwards. The speed at which convergence can be achieved will depend on the overall availability of resources.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will take steps to increase the level of funding for post-16 school education in the (a) Poole and (b) Dorset local education authorities. [2852]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: From 2002–03 the funding of post-16 school education in these and other education authorities will be the responsibility of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Funds will be passed to schools by their education authorities. The overall total from which the LSC will calculate allocations for each school has yet to be determined, but will be announced shortly. School sixth forms will be protected by a real terms guarantee whereby their funding will not fall provided they maintain their numbers on roll.
Teachers' Pay
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers from (a) Hampshire, (b) Southampton, (c) Portsmouth and (d) the Isle of Wight local education authorities received training on teachers' pay thresholds at (i) Winchester, (ii) Brighton and (iii) Portsmouth; and how many teachers in total received that training at each location. [2929]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 9 July 2001]: Head teachers from (a) Hampshire, (b) Southampton, (c) Portsmouth and (d) the Isle of Wight local education authorities attended threshold training at Brighton and
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Winchester. 148 attended training at Brighton; 237 attended training at Winchester. The total number of head teachers trained at Winchester was 675, and the total number trained at Brighton was 655.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what range of payments is available to returning teachers as returner bonus payments; [3021]
- (2) what criteria are to be used for assessing the eligibility of returning teachers for returner bonus payments. [3022]
Mr. Timms: On 26 June 2001 the Government published the school teachers' review body's report on welcome back bonuses for returners to teaching and our response to this report. This response contains our proposals on eligibility for the bonuses and their value. I have placed copies of both the STRB's report and the Government's response in the Library.
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