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Mature Students
Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the proportion of (a) part-time and (b) full-time mature students entering higher education in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 2001. [31468R]
Margaret Hodge: The available data for 1999 and 2000 are given in the table. Corresponding data for 2001 will be available in April 2002. Latest figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), covering full-time first degree and HND courses only, show that 63,700 home domiciled students aged 21 or over were accepted for entry in autumn 2001, an increase of 9.5 per cent. compared to the previous year. UCAS does not cover students applying for part-time undergraduate courses.
The Government have introduced additional financial help for student parents, the great majority of whom are mature, including a child care grant and a travel and equipment grant.
(19) Census count as at 1 December. Covers first degree, HND, HNC and all other undergraduate courses in both HE and FE institutions.
(20) Young entrants are those aged under 21, mature are those aged 21 or over.
4 Feb 2002 : Column 720W
School Expenditure
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total expenditure per pupil was in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) Westminster, (ii) Kensington and Chelsea and (iii) each region in England in (A) 1997–98, (B) 2000–01, (C) 2001–02 and (D) projected for 2002–03. [31823]
Mr. Timms: The information requested is contained in the following table.
| Pre-primary and primary | Secondary | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 1999–2000 | 1997–98 | 1999–2000 | |
| Cash terms | ||||
| LEA | ||||
| Westminster | 2,550 | 2,770 | 3,120 | 3,350 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 2,650 | 2,850 | 3,460 | 3,650 |
| GOR | ||||
| North-east England | 1,640 | 1,960 | 2,210 | 2,440 |
| North-west England | 1,660 | 1,930 | 2,340 | 2,560 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | 1,700 | 1,980 | 2,200 | 2,500 |
| East midlands | 1,660 | 1,940 | 2,330 | 2,540 |
| West midlands | 1,730 | 2,040 | 2,340 | 2,580 |
| Eastern England | 1,720 | 1,940 | 2,390 | 2,560 |
| South-east England | 1,690 | 2,000 | 2,320 | 2,510 |
| South-west England | 1,660 | 1,930 | 2,300 | 2,510 |
| London | 1,080 | — | 2,810 | — |
| Inner London | — | 2,700 | — | 3,360 |
| Outer London | — | 2,230 | — | 2,830 |
| Real terms | ||||
| LEA | ||||
| Westminster | 2,740 | 2,820 | 3,340 | 3,410 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 2,840 | 2,900 | 3,700 | 3,720 |
| GOR | ||||
| North-east England | 1,750 | 2,000 | 2,370 | 2,480 |
| North-west England | 1,780 | 1,960 | 2,510 | 2,600 |
| Yorkshire and Humberside | 1,820 | 2,020 | 2,350 | 2,550 |
| East midlands | 1,780 | 1,980 | 2,500 | 2,580 |
| West midlands | 1,850 | 2,080 | 2,500 | 2,630 |
| Eastern England | 1,840 | 1,970 | 2,560 | 2,610 |
| South-east England | 1,810 | 2,040 | 2,490 | 2,550 |
| South-west England | 1,780 | 1,960 | 2,460 | 2,550 |
| London | 2,230 | — | 3,010 | — |
| Inner London | — | 2,740 | — | 3,420 |
| Outer London | — | 2,270 | — | 2,880 |
Notes:
1. The figures consist of NIE per pupil in pre-primary/primary schools and secondary schools in 1997–98 and 1999–2000 (the most recent year for which the Department has finalised outturn data) and are in both cash and real terms.
2. Expenditure data are drawn from RO1 (1997–98) and section 52 table 3 (1999–2000) returns. The expenditure data used to derive these unit costs cover all school based recurrent spending, including teaching and non-teaching staff salaries, school premises costs, equipment and supplies and unspent balances held by schools at the year end.
3. Academic year pupil numbers are drawn from annual schools census data and a weighted average is taken to provide financial year estimates.
4. All figures are rounded to the nearest £10.
5. Figures are converted from cash to real terms 2000–01 prices using the December 2001 GDP deflators.
6. Information for 2000–01 and 2001–02 is not yet available and as a result it is not possible to arrive at a projection.
4 Feb 2002 : Column 721W
Coalfield Areas (Educational Attainment)
Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the Government's strategies to raise educational attainment in present and former coalfield areas. [31470R]
Mr. Timms: We have several strategies that are helping to raise educational attainment in coalfield and other areas. Standards of literacy and numeracy in primary schools are the highest they have ever been and evidence shows that the coalfields are benefiting from these strategies although we recognise that there is still work to be done.
We published the Schools White Paper "Achieving Success", last September, which sets out our vision for education for the years ahead. The Key Stage 3 strategy (11 to 14-year-olds) aims to build on the success at primary level but has been adapted to meet the more diverse and complex nature of the secondary curriculum.
We have introduced floor targets so that every school, wherever it is based, will be supported to secure at least 20 per cent. of students with five good GCSEs by 2004, rising to 25 per cent. by 2006.
Coalfield areas are also benefiting from more localised targeting with initiatives such as Excellence in Cities and Education Action Zones providing additional resources for schools serving disadvantaged areas. Coalfield areas already benefiting from these initiatives include Rotherham, St. Helens, Barnsley, Doncaster and Wigan.
Matters relating to Wales, should be addressed to the Welsh assembly.
Pupil Mobility
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures she (a) has introduced and (b) plans to implement in response to the report of the Migration Research Unit into the effect of pupil mobility on (i) schools and (ii) educational attainment. [31849]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The report from the Migration Research Unit identified a number of groups of mobile pupils. In only one of these was an effect on attainment found. This was for those pupils who moved house frequently due to family break-up. The effects on schools included the need for flexible induction. Measures being introduced and that are planned for implementation include:
- A project with 22 schools facing challenging circumstances with high mobility to raise the attainment of mobile populations;
Guidance on the Standards Site illustrating how schools with high mobility have effectively tackled this;
Monitoring and evaluation of outcomes of mobile pupils through the use of unique pupil numbers.
4 Feb 2002 : Column 722W
Departmental Payments
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the instances in which her Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies failed to pay valid invoices within 30 days or after the agreed credit period in the financial year 2000–01. [32037]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: In the financial year 2000–01 the number of invoices not paid within 30 days or after the agreed credit period for the DfEE and its agencies are as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| DfEE | 10,420 |
| Employment Service | 6,197 |
(21) 4.5 per cent. of all invoices paid
(22) 3.0 per cent. of all invoices paid
Information for the relevant non-departmental public bodies is not collected centrally.
Teacher Training Courses
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students failed to complete their teacher training courses; and what percentage of all the students on such courses this represented in the latest academic year for which figures are available. [32233]
Mr. Timms: The numbers and rates of students failing to complete their teacher training courses are not collected centrally.
The Initial Teacher Training Performance Profiles, published by the Teacher Training Agency show the number and percentage of final-year trainees at 1 December in England who subsequently failed to gain Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) at the end of their final year. Latest figures are available for academic year 1999–2000 (ITT Performance Profiles 2001).
In 1999–2000, there were 24,654 final-year trainees in England, of whom 2,960 failed to gain QTS at the end of their final year. This represented 12 per cent. of final-year trainees.
These figures do not take into account drop-out during earlier years of the course, which mainly applies to undergraduate courses; and may include trainees awarded QTS after the November following the trainee's final year.
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