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Accommodation Centres (Teachers)
Jonathan Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of qualified teachers who will be required to teach in accommodation centres (a) during the pilots, (b) in five years' time and (c) in 10 years' time. [52109]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The teacher supply implications of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department's initiative will be negligible at the trial stage. Any longer-term supply needs will depend on the results of the trial and will be considered at the appropriate time.
Special Educational Needs (St. Helens)
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment her Department has made of the reasons underlying the percentage of pupils in St. Helens with statements of special educational needs. [50009]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The decision about how to provide for a child who has special educational needs (SEN) must be taken locally in the light of all the circumstances. Under the Education Act 1996, each local education authority (LEA) is under a duty to identify and make suitable provision for children's SEN and where necessary to make a statement. A statutory assessment can also be requested by parents who have the right to be involved with all the relevant professionals in decisions about meeting their child's needs.
In 2000 (latest figures available) the overall level of children with statements in St. Helens LEA was 4.6 per cent. compared to the national rate of 3 per cent. The authority has set targets to reduce the number of statements it maintains and figures for January 2002 will be available later this year.
Teacher Numbers
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people applied for post graduate certificates in education courses in (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) science subjects and (d) language subjects in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000, (iii) 2001 and (iv) 2002 in (1) St. Helens, (2) Liverpool, (3) Merseyside, (4) Manchester, (5) the North-West, (6) the South-East and (7) England. [50008]
Mr. Timms: Application figures for regions, either for domicile information of applicants or for numbers of applications made to resident institutions, are not collected centrally.
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Final application figures to PGCE courses for entry years 1999–2000 to 2001–02 are shown in the table. The figures are for England and Wales.
| Entry Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 |
| Mathematics | 1,690 | 1,776 | 2,031 |
| English (excluding drama) | 2,610 | 2,752 | 3,398 |
| Science | 3,450 | 3,728 | 4,093 |
| Modern Languages | 2,307 | 2,763 | 2,761 |
Notes:
1. The figures are for applications as recorded on the GTTR applications database.
2. Modern languages include Welsh.
Source:
Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR)
Final figures for England only are available only for 2001–02 entry: 1,917 for mathematics, 3,208 for English (excluding drama), 3,822 for science and 2,562 for modern languages.
- Source:
- Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR)
Applications for entry for 2002–03 are still being accepted. As of 22 March 2002, the number of applications made in England was: 842 for mathematics, 2,327 for English (excluding drama), 1,781 for science and 1,224 for modern languages.
- Source:
- Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR)
Engineering
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of female engineering graduates with (a) first degrees and (b) higher degrees gained employment directly related to their field of study upon graduation in (i) 2001, (ii) 1996, (iii) 1991 and (iv) 1986. [43584]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 19 March 2002]: The latest available information is shown in the table. Figures for graduates in 2001 will be available in June 2002.
(6) Home and overseas students. Full-time and sandwich courses only.
(7) Based on the employment position of the graduate six months after graduation. In 1994–95 the occupational classifications were revised, so in 1986 and 1991 the figures cover those employed in engineering and allied industries, building, civil engineering and architecture, and in 1996 and 2000 they cover those employed in occupations classed as engineering and technology.
(8) Prior to 1994–95, separate surveys were conducted and published by the USR (covering higher degree and first degree graduates from institutions in the UK funded by the Universities Funding Council), and the DfES (covering first degree graduates from the former polytechnics in England and Wales); as from 1994–95, HESA collected and published data for all graduates in all HE institutions in the UK.
Source:
First Destination surveys conducted by the Universities Statistical Record (USR), the DfES, and the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
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Dates (Guidance)
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance she has given local education authorities about the use of the terms CE and BCE instead of AD and BC; and if she will make a statement. [51593]
Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 22 April 2002]: The national curriculum for history clearly states that "pupils should be taught to use dates and vocabulary relating to the passing of time, including ancient, modern, BC, AD, century and decade", and I would expect all local education authorities to be familiar with this statutory requirement. The terms CE (Common Era) and BCE (Before Common Era) are not used in the national curriculum, but schools are free to use them in addition to, but not as a replacement for, the traditional Christian dating system of BC and AD. There are no plans to change the existing statutory requirements.
National Insurance Contributions
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the increased costs for (a) schools and (b) local education authorities as a consequence of increased employers' national insurance contributions proposed in the 2002 Budget. [51946]
Mr. Timms [holding answer 23 April 2002]: The estimated costs of the proposed increase in national insurance contributions will be in the region of £180 million in 2003–04 for staff employed by English local education authorities of which about £150 million
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will be attributable to teachers and other staff employed at schools. This cost will be considered alongside other priorities and pressures in the 2002 Spending Review.
Departmental Report
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the 2002 Departmental Report will be published. [49593]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The 2002 Departmental Report will be published this spring.
Gender Pay Gap
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the extent of the gender pay gap among staff in her Department. [41003]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department is committed to review its pay system by April 2003 and will prepare an action plan to close any equal pay gaps. This is in line with the Government's commitment for all Departments and agencies.
Rail Journeys (Staff)
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make it her policy that rail journeys undertaken by staff in her Department should ordinarily be on standard class tickets. [40432]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Section 8 of the Civil Service Management Code, Paragraph 8.2.1 requires Departments and agencies to ensure that staff use the most efficient and economic means of travel in the circumstances, taking into account any management benefit or the needs of staff with disabilities.
Departmental guidance reinforces the need for staff to use the most efficient and economic means of travel commensurate with meeting their operational needs. Staff are encouraged to use public transport rather than cars in accordance with the Government's policy on "Green Transport".
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