House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 14 Feb 2002 (pt 24)

Pay Scales

Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to address the difference in pay between teachers in secondary schools and lecturers in further education colleges. [36011]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 13 February 2002]: We are aware of the differences between salaries in general further education colleges, sixth form colleges and schools and this issue is being considered as part of the current spending review.

As independent organisations, it is for each college to agree annual pay rises and conditions of employment with its staff in the context of the overall resources available to them. This year alone, an additional £527 million is available for FE, a 12 per cent. real terms increase on last year. Funding will increase again next year by a further three per cent. This compares with the period between 1993–94 and 1996–97 when FE funding per FTE student fell by 12 per cent. in real terms. As part of the planned increases, we are investing more than £300 million in the Teaching Pay Initiative between 2001 and 2004 to allow colleges, including sixth form colleges, to reward high quality teaching. This is separate to any general pay rise a teacher may receive.

16+ Learning

Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what requirement there is for Learning and Skills Councils to draw up a marketing plan to promote 16+ learning. [36013]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 13 February 2002]: The Learning and Skills Council has a statutory duty to encourage individuals to take part in post-16 education and training, and to encourage employers to participate in and contribute to its provision. Local Learning and Skills Councils must prepare a plan for each financial year, but there is no specific requirement for a marketing plan.

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Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will publish (a) local and (b) national marketing plans for Learning and Skills Councils to promote 16+ learning. [36025]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 13 February 2002]: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. I have therefore asked John Harwood, the Council's Chief Executive, to write to the hon. Lady and to place a copy of his reply in the Library.

Higher Education

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 4 February 2002, Official Report, column 718W, on higher education, which of the courses listed are carried out at universities and funded by HEFCE. [36014]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 13 February 2002]: The Higher Education Funding Council for England funds all the courses cited in my reply of 4 February carried out at universities and colleges of higher education, provided they meet the HEFCE criteria for funding. The funding criteria can be found in HEFCE publication 01/52—Higher Education Students Early Statistics Survey, and include, for example, that the course is open to any suitably qualified candidate and there is no duplication of HEFCE funding from any other public source.

Postgraduate Certificate of Education

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students entered PGCE courses in (a) 1997–98, (b) 1998–99, (c) 1999–2000 and (d) 2000–01; and how many of them dropped out before completion of the course. [36007]

Mr. Timms: The information is not available in the form requested; there is no single central data collection for both the numbers entering PGCE courses and numbers completing them.

The numbers of new entrants to courses of initial teacher training at institutions in England are collected through the Teacher Training Agency's Annual Survey of Training Providers. The table shows the number of new entrants to PGCE courses in the years in question:

Table 1: Number of new entrants to PGCE courses, 1997–98 to 2000–01

Number

2000–01 19,616

1999–2000 17,461

1998–99 17,415

1997–98 18,100

	Number
2000–01	19,616
1999–2000	17,461
1998–99	17,415
1997–98	18,100

Note:

The figures cover providers in England only

Sources:

Teacher Training Agency (TTA)

Annual Survey of ITT Providers 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000

Most PGCE trainees enter one-year courses.

The Initial Teacher Training Performance Profiles, published annually by the Teacher Training Agency, show the numbers of final-year trainees at institutions in England at 1 December who fail to gain Qualified Teacher

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Status (QTS) by the end of their final year. The table shows this information for the three latest years for which data are available:

Table 2: Number of final year PGCE trainees who failed to gain QTS, 1997–98 to 1999–2000

Number of final year trainees Number failed to gain QTS at end of final year

1999–2000 17,167 2,320

1998–99 17,431 2,267

1997–98 17,998 2,634

	Number of final year trainees	Number failed to gain QTS at end of final year
1999–2000	17,167	2,320
1998–99	17,431	2,267
1997–98	17,998	2,634

Notes:

1. The figures cover providers in England only.

2. Number of trainees who failed to gain QTS includes those who failed the course, those who left before the end, and those yet to complete. Some of the latter group may have been awarded QTS at a later date.

Sources:

Teacher Training Agency (TTA)

ITT Performance Profiles 1999, 2000, 2001

Line Management

Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what was the average number of staff for which (a) secondary school teachers and (b) further education lecturers have line management responsibility. [36027]

Mr. Timms [holding answer 13 February 2002]: This information is not collected centrally.

Violence in Schools

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures she is taking to address violence against teachers and other school staff members during school hours. [35623]

Mr. Timms: I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 8 January 2002, Official Report, column 716W, which explained the initiatives the Department for Education and Skills has undertaken, and is undertaking, to reduce the incidence of abuse by parents and others against school staff. This is in addition to the legal remedies that exist for dealing with harassment and violence. The Department has provided £178 million in 2001–02 to schools and local education authorities to help support measures to tackle poor pupil behaviour. This funding backs up the guidance in Circular 10/99 "Social Inclusion: Pupil Support".

The Department has also recently announced £10 million for 2002–03 from the capital modernisation fund for local education authorities to spend on local school security improvements to help make premises more secure from intruders.

National Youth Music Theatre

Matthew Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what recent representations she has received on the funding of the National Youth Music Theatre; [35729]

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(3) what commitment she has made to match the Department of Culture, Media and Sport's offer of £500,000 to the National Youth Music Theatre. [35731]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: A number of representations have been made about funding for national youth music organisations, including the National Youth Music Theatre, and meetings have been held with the National Foundation for Youth Music, which represents their interests.

This Department has already made available grants totalling £12 million over the last three years (1999–2000 to 2001–2002) for National Voluntary Youth Organisations; of which the National Youth Music Theatre received £112,000. We have also provided £50,000 towards the start-up costs of a central fund for national youth music organisations.

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I am considering what role these organisations might play in supporting young musicians and a decision on funding is expected to be made shortly. The Department is working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Arts Council for England and other external partners in this area.

Primary Education Standards

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the relationship between the number of pupils attending a primary school and educational standards; and if she will make a statement. [36100]

Mr. Timms: The following tables set out the distribution of achievement at Key Stages 1 and 2 by the size of a school's pupil cohort. For schools with a cohort of 10 or more pupils, school size appears to have little significant effect on the proportion of children achieving the expected standard for their age.

Key Stage 1: Percentage of pupils at Level 2 or above (test)

Size of cohort

0–10 10–20 20–40 40–80 80–100 100 and over All schools

Reading task/test⁽³⁹⁾ 65 84 84 83 84 85 83

Writing task 65 84 85 85 86 86 84

Mathematics 69 89 90 90 91 91 90

	Size of cohort
	0–10	10–20	20–40	40–80	80–100	100 and over	All schools
Reading task/test⁽³⁹⁾	65	84	84	83	84	85	83
Writing task	65	84	85	85	86	86	84
Mathematics	69	89	90	90	91	91	90

⁽³⁹⁾ These percentages are based on achievements at Level 2C/B/A in the reading task and Level 3 and 4 in the reading test.

Key Stage 2: Percentage of pupils at Level 4 or above (test)

Size of cohort

0–10 10–20 20–40 40–80 80–100 100 and over All schools

English 59 73 77 74 75 76 75

Mathematics 56 71 74 71 71 71 72

Science 66 81 86 85 85 86 85

	Size of cohort
	0–10	10–20	20–40	40–80	80–100	100 and over	All schools
English	59	73	77	74	75	76	75
Mathematics	56	71	74	71	71	71	72
Science	66	81	86	85	85	86	85

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