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EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Supply Teachers
Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many supply teachers are on register; and how many were on the register in each of the past five years. [6548]
Mr. Timms: My Department does not hold a central register of supply teachers.
The numbers of qualified occasional teachers (short-term supply teachers on contracts of less than one month) employed in the maintained schools sector in England for the whole day, on the third Thursday in January were as follows:
| January | Number |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 13,600 |
| 1998 | 13,200 |
| 1999 | 14,100 |
| 2000 | 16,700 |
| 2001 | 19,600 |
Supply, temporary and agency teachers on a contract of at least one month cannot be separately identified from teachers in regular service.
5 Dec 2001 : Column: 412W
Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what measures she is taking to ensure that agencies which supply temporary teaching staff check their qualifications; [20518]
- (2) what guidance she offers head teachers employing supply teachers; [20519]
(3) what measures she is taking to ensure that head teachers who discover supply teachers lack appropriate qualifications report them to the police; [20520]
(4) what measures she is taking to ensure that head teachers who discover supply teachers behaving in an inappropriate manner report them to the police; [20521]
(5) what measures she is taking to ensure that supply teachers are properly vetted. [20522]
Mr. Timms: My Department's "Guidance Notes for Teacher Employment Businesses and Agencies" describes the requirements for checks which the Department considers must be made by agencies providing supply teachers to schools in order to comply with the law. These include checks to establish that supply teachers have the necessary qualifications and checks of identity, health and fitness to teach, as well as against criminal records and the register of barred teachers. Regulation of agencies and employment businesses is provided under the Employment Agency Act 1973 and Conduct Regulations, which are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate enforces this legislation.
Circular 7/96, issued to schools in parallel with the "Guidance Notes for Agencies" mentioned, provides guidance to head teachers taking on temporary teachers. It emphasises that schools should be clear about the checks that have been carried out, even where by an agency; that it is a school's responsibility to ensure that all checks have been made; and that schools should ask for written assurance that any agency used has carried out these checks.
My Department also issued further guidance to local education authorities (LEAs), schools and agencies in 1998 reminding them about the checks that should be made on teachers, and others seeking to work with children. Schools were advised that cases of serious or deliberate deception by an applicant might constitute a criminal offence, and should be reported to the police and to my Department.
The White Paper "Schools Achieving Success" proposed a Quality Mark for agencies and LEAs. I would expect any Quality Mark to lay out expectations of agencies and LEAs in terms of their recruitment and management practice and their relations with schools.
Teacher Vacancies (Upminster)
Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time teacher vacancies there are in (i) secondary, (ii) primary and (iii) special schools in Upminster; and if she will make a statement. [6550]
5 Dec 2001 : Column: 413W
Mr. Timms: The information is not available in the form requested.
Numbers of full-time vacancies for teachers in maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools in Havering local authority at January 2001 were as follows:
| Number of vacancies | |
|---|---|
| Nursery/primary | 0 |
| Secondary | 38 |
| Special | 0 |
Teacher Vacancies (Havering)
Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teacher vacancies there were on 31 March (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001 in the London borough of Havering; and if she will make a statement. [6551]
Mr. Timms: The numbers of vacancies for full-time teachers in maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools in Havering local authority were as follows:
| January(50) | Number of vacancies |
|---|---|
| 1999 | 13 |
| 2000 | 18 |
| 2001 | 38 |
(50) Teacher vacancy details at 31 March of each year are not available
School Repairs and Maintenance (Upminster)
Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the backlog of school buildings repair and maintenance work in Upminster; and if she will make a statement. [6632]
John Healey: We have not made an estimation of the backlog of buildings repair and maintenance work in Upminster. Havering local education authority may be able to provide this information.
In connection with the Department's arrangements for appraising asset management plans, we are planning to begin publishing asset management plan data on the condition of school buildings later this year.
Teachers (East Yorkshire)
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) primary and (b) secondary teacher vacancies there were in the East Riding of Yorkshire on 31 March in each year since 1996. [10730]
Mr. Timms: The table shows full-time teacher vacancies in maintained schools at January of each year.
| Year | Nursery/Primary | Secondary |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 | 4 | 0 |
| 2000 | 2 | 0 |
| 2001 | 0 | 6 |
The East Riding of Yorkshire authority was created as part of the April 1996 local government reorganisation.
5 Dec 2001 : Column: 414W
Public Bodies
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if she will list those public bodies which are the responsibility of her Department and which are not listed in Public Bodies 2000; [17583]
- (2) if she will list those public bodies to which her Department appoints members and which are not listed in Public Bodies 2000. [17582]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Public Bodies 2000 sets out information on non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), certain public corporations (including nationalised industries) and NHS bodies. There are four types of NDPB: executive NDPBs; advisory NDPBs; tribunal NDPBs; and boards of visitors to penal establishments. The next edition will be published around the end of the year. Information about taskforces, annual reports and ad hoc advisory groups is set out in an annual report, published by Cabinet Office. Copies of Public Bodies 2000 are in the Library of the House and this publication may be accessed via Cabinet Office's website ("http:// www.official-documents.co.uk/document/caboff/pb00/ pboo.htm)". Copies of the annual report on taskforces and similar bodies have also been placed in the Library of the House and the annual report is being made available on Cabinet Office's website.
The NDPBs to which the Secretary of State for Education and Skills makes appointments which are not listed in Public Bodies 2000 are: the Adult Learning Inspectorate; the Learning and Skills Council; and, the National College for School Leadership.
Public Spending Bodies
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list those local bodies which were set up under legislation which is the responsibility of her Department and its predecessors since May 1997. [17584]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Since May 1997 11 new local public spending bodies have been established, nine are Further Education (FE) Institutions, two are Higher Education (HE) Institutions. They are:
- New Institutions
- The Brooke House Sixth Form College (FE)
- The Conservatoire for Dance and Drama (HE)
- New Institutions established as a result of the merger of existing Institutions
- The Bolton Sixth Form College (FE)
- The Leicester College (FE)
- The East Durham and Houghall Community College (FE)
- The Harrow College (FE)
- The Wiltshire College (FE)
- The Thurrock and Basildon College (FE)
- The Sussex Downs College (FE)
- The Derby College (FE)
- Former Private Institution designated to receive public funding
- The Royal Agricultural College (HE).
5 Dec 2001 : Column: 415W
Nursery Education
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what is the average cost of a full- time nursery place in (a) England and (b) the Buckingham constituency. [17842]
Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average cost is of a full-time nursery place in (a) England and (b) Arundel and South Downs. [18329]
Margaret Hodge: Information on the average cost of full-time nursery education places is not collected by my Department.
All funding for full and part-time nursery education places for 4-year-olds, along with the majority of funding for 3-year-olds, in the local authority maintained sector, is determined locally.
In 2001–02, the Government are funding new, free, part-time early education places for 3-year-olds at the rate of £1,188 per child. This funding can purchase five two and a half hour sessions per week, for 11 weeks per term, for 33 weeks per year. Government funding of nursery education for 4-year-olds is channelled through the standard spending assessment. This Government have increased spending on nursery education from £1 billion in 1996–97 to £1.8 billion in 2001–02. Expenditure is planned to rise to £2 billion by 2002–03.
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