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Rural Schools Fund

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many schools have been assisted by the Rural Schools Fund initiative since its inception; [45976]

(2) how many schools have been assisted by the Rural Schools Grant Fund; and what is the total amount awarded since its inception. [46977]

John Healey [holding answer 25 March 2002]: The Department does not fund a Rural Schools Fund. However, rural schools in England can benefit from a number of programmes, including the Small Schools Fund. This Fund, part of the simplified Standards Fund, was set up in 2001 by the merging of two previous grants (the Administrative Support Fund for Small Schools and the Small School Support Fund). The Small Schools Fund is worth a total of £80 million a year, guaranteed until 2004. It is allocated to Local Education Authorities (LEAs) according to the number of their primary and special schools with 200 pupils or less, and secondary schools with 600 pupils or less. An allowance is also made for nursery schools and Pupil Referral Units (PRUs).

Using the Department's thresholds, based on the January 2000 school census, 9,982 schools, nurseries and PRUs were able to benefit from the total Small School Fund allocation to LEAs for 2001–02. LEAs have to devolve at least 95 per cent. of the funding to schools.

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However, LEAs can concentrate funding on fewer schools in their area by setting their own, lower thresholds should they so wish.

School Conditions

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have been substantially repaired in 2001–02. [46116]

John Healey [holding answer 25 March 2002]: We do not hold information in the form requested. Much capital support is allocated to local education authorities and schools on a formulaic basis. Records of how it is utilised for specific projects are held locally.

Education Maintenance Allowances

Mr. Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when evaluation of education maintenance allowances will be completed; if resources for the continuation of EMAs will be included in her departmental budget for the future; and if she will make a statement. [46662]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The evaluation of the EMA pilots will continue into 2003; but a rich seam of evaluation findings will become available during 2002. So far we have published a report on the effect of EMA on participation rates for the first of the two cohorts which the independent researchers are studying. This showed an increase in participation of five percentage points among the target group. During 2002 we expect to publish reports on the impact of EMA on drop out rates and end-of-course attainment for this first cohort. We also expect to publish the first reports on the second cohort of EMA recipients this year. We have always made clear that all of the EMA evaluation reports will be made public.

There is provision in our budgets to fund all young people who now receive an EMA until their entitlement expires. There is similar provision to fund new EMAs for young people in the pilot areas who begin post-compulsory education in September 2002. Wider decisions on the future of EMAs will be taken in the 2002 Spending Review.

Ministerial Travel

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many times special advisers have accompanied Ministers on overseas visits in each of the last five years; which countries were visited; and what the total cost of each visit was. [47152]

Estelle Morris: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 28 February 2002, Official Report, column 1543W. The country visited was China.

Details of special adviser travel for the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 will be published as soon as possible in the new financial year.

Performance Targets

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what new initiatives her Department has taken in 2001–02 to assist in achieving its Public Service Agreement targets. [47201]

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Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information will be available in the departmental annual report, which is due to be published in May. This details progress against our PSA targets and reports on key initiatives undertaken by the Department in the last financial year.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of whether the PSA target to increase the proportion of those aged 16 years who achieve one or more GCSEs at grade C, or equivalent, to 95 per cent. by 2002 will be met. [47891]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The relevant national learning target for 16-year-olds is that 95 per cent. of 16-year-olds should achieve one or more GCSE or equivalent by 2002. The target does not specify that the grade should be C or above. In 2001, 94.5 per cent. of pupils achieved this target compared with 94.4 per cent. in 2000. Although the target is challenging we do not believe it is unattainable.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of whether the PSA target to increase the proportion of those aged 16 years who achieve five or more GCSEs at grade A*-C to 50 per cent. by 2002 will be met. [47892]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: I am pleased to report that in 2001 exactly 50.0 per cent. achieved at least 5 A*-C grades at GCSE or the GNVQ equivalent compared with 49.2 per cent. in 2000. We were delighted that the target was achieved a year early.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if the target of successful establishment of a system of inspection of the new Connexions strategy and framework for inspection by March has been met. [47898]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) and I have asked HM Chief Inspector for Schools, Mike Tomlinson, to write to the hon. Gentleman and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of whether the PSA target on school truancies will be met by 2002. [47278]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information about progress on PSA targets will be published in the Department's 2002 Departmental Report, which should be published in May.

Analysis of last year's data shows that the level unauthorised absence in primary schools has decreased between 1998–99 and 2000–01 in 44 LEAs and remained steady in a further 71 LEAs. The level of unauthorised absence in secondary schools has decreased in 60 LEAs and remained steady in a further 31 LEAs.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if the target of successful establishment of a system of joint inspections of further education institutions falling into the remit of Ofsted by March has been achieved. [47897]

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Margaret Hodge: Yes. The Learning and Skills Act 2000 required there to be a common set of principles for the inspection of post-16 non-higher education and training. The Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) and the Adult Learning Inspectorate (the ALI) jointly published these principles in the Common Inspection Framework in February 2001. Since April 2001, Ofsted have directed the programme of joint inspections of further education institutions against this Common Inspection Framework.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of whether the PSA target of an increase in the proportion of those aged 19 years who have achieved national vocational qualification level 2 or equivalent to 85 per cent. by 2002 will be met. [47893]

Mr. Timms: While we have made good progress in increasing the achievement of level 2 by 19-year-olds, it is apparent on current trends that the 2002 target will not be reached. We are working closely with the Learning and Skills Council to ensure maximum progress is being made by implementing specific local and innovative approaches to improving level 2 attainment. A number of measures proposed by the Government in our recently published Green Paper "14 to 19—Extending Opportunities; Raising Standards" will contribute to higher attainment at age 19 subsequently.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of whether the target of 93 per cent. of inspection reports reviewed meeting HM Chief Inspector's standard by March will be achieved. [47895]

Mr. Timms: This is a matter for HM Chief Inspector of Schools. I have therefore asked Mike Tomlinson to write to the hon. Member and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of whether the PSA target to increase the proportion of those aged 11 meeting the numeracy standard for that age from 62 per cent. to 75 per cent. by 2002 will be met. [47277]

Mr. Timms: In last year's Key Stage 2 mathematics tests 71 per cent. of pupils achieved the expected standard for their age. This represents a 10 per cent. points increase since 1997. The National Numeracy Strategy continues to raise standards in primary schools and we remain committed to achieving our 2002 target of 75 per cent. of 11-year-olds achieving the expected standard.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of whether the PSA target to increase provision of nursery places for three-years-olds from 34 per cent. to 66 per cent. by 2002 will be met. [47275]

Margaret Hodge: On 27 February 2002, my noble Friend the Minister for Education and Skills in the Lords announced that two-thirds of all three-year-olds in

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England now have access to a free, part-time, early education place. The Government are committed to increasing this to all three-year-olds by September 2004.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of whether the target to complete benchmarking work for schools by December will be met. [47894]

Mr. Timms: The target will be met. All schools will be able to enter their expenditure data on the Audit Commission benchmarking website and compare them with a range of similar schools. All schools have been given full details of the Consistent Financial Reporting framework so that they can ensure a standard classification of expenditure.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment she has made of whether the PSA target to increase the proportion of those aged 11 meeting the literacy standard for that age from 63 per cent. to 80 per cent. by 2002 will be met. [47276]

Mr. Timms: In last year's Key Stage 2 English tests 75 per cent. of pupils achieved the expected standard for their age. This represents a 12 per cent. increase since 1997. The National Literacy Strategy continues to raise standards in primary schools and we remain committed to achieving our 2002 target of 80 per cent. of 11-year-olds achieving the expected standard.

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