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Teachers (Retention)

13. Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to encourage people who have left the profession to return to teaching. [6701]

Mr. Timms: We have recently introduced a series of incentives to encourage qualified teachers to return to the profession. We have introduced a scheme to pay bonuses of up to £4,000 to those returning to teaching in maintained schools and non-maintained special schools between April and December this year. We have increased funding to provide a total of 1,800 places a year on refresher courses for returners to teaching, including £150 a week grants and help towards child care costs. And we have also made changes to the Teachers' Pension

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Scheme to make it easier and more attractive to retired teachers to return to teaching on either a full-time or part-time basis.

Class Sizes

14. Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action she is taking to reduce junior class sizes. [6702]

Mr. Timms: As a result of the additional funds we have invested in education, the average size of junior classes has fallen from 28.4 January 1999 to 27.9 in January 2001.

Grammar School Ballots

15. Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to alter the franchise for ballots on the future of grammar schools to include those parents whose children attend the school. [6703]

Mr. Timms: In selective areas the electorate already includes parents whose children attend grammar schools. We have no plans to amend the criteria of eligibility for parents voting in feeder school ballots.

24. Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to alter the system of holding ballots on the future of grammar schools. [6712]

Mr. Timms: We have no plans to amend the grammar school ballots legislation.

Teacher Work Load

(PricewaterhouseCoopers Review)

17. Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects to publish the findings of the review of teacher work load being carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers. [6705]

Mr. Timms: PricewaterhouseCoopers produced their interim report in August. Copies are available on the Department's website: www.dfes.gov.uk/teachers/ workloadstudy. The final report is expected at the end of November.

Student Finance

18. Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to review student finance. [6706]

29. Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what arrangements her Department has made to monitor and evaluate the impact of funding changes on access to higher education. [6717]

Margaret Hodge: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills announced on 3 October 2001 that she is leading a review of student funding, working together with representatives from HM Treasury and No. 10. We need to ensure that we have an appropriate balance between the contribution made by students, their families and the state to support our ambitions to widen access and participation in higher education. A range of policy options is being considered. No decisions have been taken.

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Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) which bodies she will invite to submit representations to the cross-departmental review she has announced on student finance; [10200]

(2) what plans she has to invite external submissions to the cross-departmental review she has announced on student finance. [10199]

Margaret Hodge: We have said that we plan to consult on any proposals to emerge from the review.

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she plans to meet representatives of Universities UK to discuss student finance. [10201]

Margaret Hodge: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills has written to Prof. Roderick Floud, President of Universities UK, to inform him that a review is under way. We plan to consult on any proposals for change and would expect Universities UK to contribute.

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she intends to meet representatives of the National Union of Students to discuss student finance. [10202]

Margaret Hodge: I met Owain James, President of the National Union of Students, in the summer to discuss student finance. We are currently reviewing student finance policy. We plan to consult and would expect the National Union of Students to contribute.

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what options are under consideration in the review of student finance which she has announced; and if she will make a statement. [10203]

Margaret Hodge: We will consult on proposals that emerge from the review.

A-level Results

19. Mr. John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on this year's A-level results. [6707]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The advanced level results published by the Joint Council for General Qualifications on 16 August 2001 are provisional. A copy of these provisional results has been placed in the Library. Final figures for this year's results will be published in November.

Learning and Skills Councils

20. Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on learning and skills councils. [6708]

Margaret Hodge: The Learning and Skills Council and its 47 local arms became fully operational from April 2001. Significant progress has been made by the LSC to develop its strategic framework for the period to 2004, with the publication of its first corporate plan at the end of July. The plan includes key objectives and targets for 2004. This is providing the foundation for local strategic plans and business plans, which are now being developed by the local councils in consultation with key local and regional partners.

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Further Education

21. Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on her plans to improve standards in further education colleges. [6709]

John Healey: We are fully committed to raising standards in further education colleges and will reward high quality and take firm action where our standards are not being met. We are supporting teaching staff to continue their professional development, requiring that new staff have the necessary qualifications, and helping colleges to update their computer equipment and develop centres of excellence.

Mr. Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on her plans for the development of further education provision for (a) 16 to 19-years-old and (b) adults. [6686]

Margaret Hodge: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Eltham (Clive Efford), Official Report, 25 October 2001, column 393.

Research Assessment Exercise 2001

22. Mr. Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to review with the Higher Education Funding Council the operation of the 2001 research assessment exercise. [6710]

Margaret Hodge: The operation of the 2001 research assessment exercise will be reviewed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the other UK funding bodies after the exercise has been completed.

Specialist Schools

23. Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the progress of the specialist schools status programme. [6711]

Mr. Timms: The Specialist Schools Programme is popular and successful. Since May 1997, 504 schools have joined the growing network of specialist schools. There are now 685 operational specialist schools across the country and we are on course to achieve the proposals set out in the White Paper "Schools achieving success" to extend the programme to eight specialisms and expand the number of specialist schools to 1,500 schools by 2005.

Curriculum 2000

26. Mr. Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she will issue new guidance following the review of Curriculum 2000. [6714]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: In August, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority published detailed guidance for schools and colleges. This is available on its website. A copy has been placed in the Library.

On 12 September, the Joint Council for General Qualifications issued guidance to schools and colleges about measures designed to reduce "burden of assessment".

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