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South Middlesbrough Academy

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the answer of 11 April 2002, Official Report, column 519W, what conditions have been attached to the sponsorship by Sir Peter Vardy of the proposed South Middlesbrough Academy. [53401]

Mr. Timms: We understand that the sponsors have agreed with Middlesbrough LEA that the City Academy should have a Christian ethos and serve pupils aged 11–18. The proposals that the partnership have developed reflect those preferences.

Specialist Status Schools

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the targets agreed by Sir John Cass's Foundation Redcoat School, London borough of Tower Hamlets local education authority, at the time of its acquisition of specialist status, identifying those not yet achieved. [53454]

Mr. Timms: Sir John Cass's Foundation Redcoat School has been operating as a language college since September 2000. The information requested is being collated. I will therefore write to the hon. Member as soon as possible giving a full reply to the question raised.

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the targets agreed by Millais School, West Sussex local education authority, at the time of its acquisition of specialist status, identifying those not yet achieved. [53455]

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Mr. Timms: Millais School has been operating as a language college since September 1996. The information requested is being collated. I will therefore write to the hon. Member as soon as possible giving a full reply to the question raised.

Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the (a) new requirements placed on and (b) requirements removed from Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools in the last year for which information is available. [53456]

Mr. Timms: New requirements placed on HM Chief Inspector of Schools during the financial year which ended on 31 March 2002 were as follows:

to inspect and report at specified intervals on educational provision for students up to age 19 in further education colleges, education or training for 16 to 19-year-olds provided outside the further education sector which is wholly or partly funded by the Learning and Skills Council for England, the Connexions service, and training of teachers or lecturers of further education funded by the Learning and Skills Council for England or Higher Education Funding Council for England;


to conduct area-wide inspections of education and training for 16 to 19-year-olds and report on them, taking account where appropriate of the views of the Chief Inspector for Adult Learning; with the Adult Learning Inspectorate, to agree and publish a Common Inspection Framework; to conduct inspections jointly with the Adult Learning Inspectorate where the education or training to be inspected falls within both inspectorates' remits;


to keep the Secretary of State informed about quality, standards and management in the education and training brought within his remit by section 60 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 and, on request by the Secretary of State, to provide advice about that education and training or inspect and report on any education or training within his extended remit;


to state whether he agrees with a registered inspector's judgment that a school has an inadequate sixth form;


to regulate child minding and day care provision under the Children Act 1989, including registration of providers and securing the inspection of registered child minders and day care providers at specified intervals;


to keep the Secretary of State informed about quality and standards of child minding and day care provision and provide advice about that provision as requested by the Secretary of State; and


to include an account of the exercise of those functions transferred to him under the Care Standards Act 2000 in his annual report.

During that period, HM Chief Inspector's responsibilities in respect of adult and community education provided by local education authorities were transferred to the Adult Learning Inspectorate.

Sector Skills Councils

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what steps she is taking to ensure that delays in the establishment of sector skills councils do not result in the loss of key staff of national training organisations to the training sector; [53523]

(2) when (a) the sector skills councils for the construction, engineering and hospitality sectors and (b) all sector skills councils will be fully operational. [53524]

John Healey: The ending of Government recognition of national training organisations (NTOs) and the licensing of sector skills councils are separate issues.

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Organisations formerly with NTO status are independent bodies led by employers, often with responsibilities wider than those which were required for NTO recognition. The continued funding and operation of these organisations is therefore a decision for the board of each body. New contracts have been awarded by my Department to 62 former NTOs from April 2002 for the delivery of specific essential work in support of occupational development. These contracts will conclude on 31 August 2002. The new Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA), working with other public agencies, will make arrangements for the delivery of essential work to support occupational development from September 2002.

Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) represent a new deal with employers across the UK to improve skills and productivity performance in significant industry and business sectors. SSCs provide the opportunity for collective action by employers, in partnership and with the support of Government, to identify sector skills priorities and lead action to meet them. There is no timetable for introducing the new network as the decision to form a SSC rests with employers. Where employers want to form a SSC, and can meet the published SSC standard for the award of a licence, my Department will supplement employers' investment by contributing up to £1 million each year to support the Council's core work.

Employers in the construction, engineering and hospitality sectors have yet to make a formal expression of interest to the SSDA about forming a SSC for their sectors. Informal discussions have been taking place and formal expressions of interest from these sectors are expected in the next few weeks when invited by the SSDA.

Barcelona European Council

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what resources have been allocated to implement the conclusions for education made by the Barcelona European Council in March; and what timetable has been set for the implementation of the Council's proposals for (a) ensuring transparency of diplomas and qualifications, (b) the teaching of at least two foreign languages from a very early age, (c) the establishment of internet twinning with partner schools in Europe and (d) the promotion of the European dimension in education. [53525]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Work is already underway to take forward the Barcelona conclusions on education:

(a) The UK higher education sector is taking forward work on credit transfer and progress files to ensure transparency of diplomas and other qualifications. This is part of the Bologna process, which aims to build a new European higher education area by 2010. The UK National Academic Recognition Information Centre, part of a European-wide network, exists to offer clear advice on mutual recognition and comparability of all higher education awards.

EU member states are also working together on a broad strategy to make vocational qualifications better understood across Europe. The strategy includes work on certificate supplements and developing a common format for CVs for mobile workers to use if they wish to. We

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are funding the National Reference Point on Vocational Qualifications in Cheltenham to pilot work this year and next to test the Certificate Supplement approach.

(b) We support the aspiration to improve opportunities for language learning. Currently we are developing a national language strategy that will identify what we need to deliver and how we will deliver it, taking account of resources available and our existing policy commitments. The strategy will be published in the autumn. Currently language learning is a requirement for all 11–16 year olds. Our ambition is that all primary school children will be entitled to study languages by 2012.

(c) The European Commission is undertaking a feasibility study to identify options for helping secondary schools to establish or enhance an internet twinning link. The Commission will report to the Seville Council in June, and we expect decisions about implementation to be taken by the Council in the light of the options identified.

(d) Pupils in England are already taught about Europe and the European Union at secondary school. They are taught about the history of Britain in its European and wider context within National Curriculum History. They will learn about the world as a global community, the role of the European Union and the UK's relations in Europe, including the European Union in National Curriculum Citizenship as a statutory National Curriculum subject in secondary schools this September. We have spent just over £1 million to date to support the production of resource materials for teaching citizenship and we will spend about £500,000 in 2002–03.

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