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Children (Deafness)
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of children with deafness in full-time education in each in the last three years. [61417]
Mr. Stephen Twigg [holding answer 13 June 2002]: Information on numbers of children with specific types of special need is not available centrally.
The Department is considering introducing a requirement for schools and local education authorities to provide this information from 2004.
School Rolls
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total roll number was of the (a) January 2001 Year 10 and (b) January 2002 Year 11. [62660]
Mr. Miliband: The requested information is not collected by year group. The nearest equivalent data collected by pupil age is shown in the table.
| Position at January of each year | Aged(4) | Number of pupils |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 14 | 559,422 |
| 2002(5) | 15 | 547,654 |
(3) Including middle-deemed
(4) At 31 August of previous year
(5) Provisional
Source:
Annual School Census
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Specialist Teaching
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what provision is available to teachers to assist them to deliver a wider range of specialisms and cross-curricular activities, particularly in vocational subjects. [62458]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 18 June 2002]: From September 2002 all those training to teach 11 to 14-year-olds will be trained in the Key Stage 3 Strategy emphasising the importance of cross curricular work. Those training to teach 14 to 18-year-olds will train to teach whatever national qualifications are relevant to their subject, including vocational qualifications, key skills and work related learning. An extensive programme of staff training and free support materials for schools and colleges is being funded by my Department to coincide with the introduction of new vocational GCSEs in September 2002. This is in addition to existing professional development opportunities which teachers can use to address any training needs on specialist or cross curricular activities.
Teacher Workload
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department has taken (a) to reduce the number of new initiatives and (b) to improve the rigour of assessment of those initiatives following the publication of the School Teacher's Review Body report on teacher workload. [63167]
Mr. Miliband: We are consulting on the School Teachers' Review Body report on teacher workload. One of the recommendations concerns the management of initiatives and reporting requirements. We are discussing the best ways forward on this and other aspects of the report with the school workforce remodelling working party, which includes teacher and head teacher representatives. Following the current consultation exercise, we expect to make formal proposals in the autumn.
Our strategic document "Education and Skills: Delivering Results A Strategy to 2002" describes how we will be working to improve delivery of our targets. We have worked with Cabinet Office to improve how we assess the impact of our policies on delivery partners, including the workload implications. This includes greater involvement of and consultation with schools about the best method of implementing new policies.
The Government are committed to helping teachers raise standards in schools. Departmental initiatives are designed to spread good practice, tackle poor practice and sponsor innovate practice. Sometimes this involves streamlining departmental programmes—for example the national supplementative of the standards fund.
Schools (Voluntary Support)
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information she has on the number of hours of voluntary support provided in schools and early years settings. [63886]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 24 June 2002]: The Government do not collect this information.
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Staff Recruitment
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information she collates on the number of new staff recruited each year by schools, colleges and early years settings. [63885]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 24 June 2002]: The Department collects information from teacher pension records on teachers in service in the maintained schools sector in England at 31 March each year. From this information, numbers of new teachers can be compiled. The most recent data available are for 31 March 2000.
The Department does not collect numbers of new staff recruited to further education colleges and early years settings, or numbers of new staff recruited to non-teaching posts in schools.
Criminal Records Checks
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what estimates she has made of the number of criminal records checks which need be carried out each year by school, colleges and early years settings; [63884]
- (2) if she will estimate the annual cost of criminal records checks to schools, colleges and early years settings. [63887]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 24 June 2002]: There are no estimates of numbers or costs available in respect of schools and colleges. My Department does not collect the kind of information about the number of staff and volunteers in these areas that would enable estimates to be made, and therefore the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Ofsted arranges checks for those working in early years settings, such as childminders and day care staff, and it expects to request over 350,000 checks this year. We have set aside a sum of money to ensure that individuals in early years settings will not have to meet the CRB fee during the current financial year.
Examination Results
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of pupils gained (a) five GCSEs at grade A-C and (b) two A-Levels in each local education authority in each year since 1999–2000, ranked by order of the most recent year. [63888]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 24 June 2002]: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.
Teacher Numbers
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to ensure all schools in England and Wales have sufficient teachers for the beginning of the new academic year. [64524]
Mr. Miliband: Schools are the employers and have primary responsibility for recruitment. Since 1997 the Government have introduced a series of measures to increase the number of teachers available to schools. They include measures to stimulate recruitment to initial teacher training, such as Training Salaries and "Golden Hellos"; a major boost to the Graduate Teacher
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programme for experienced entrants; a funded strategy for teachers' continuing professional development; extra pay flexibilities to allow schools to reward staff with scarce skills; extra support on behaviour management in the classroom; and funding for local Recruitment Strategy Managers within local education authorities. There were 9,400 more teachers in our schools in January 2002 than in January 2001—the biggest year-on-year rise for 20 years. There were also 26,700 more support staff in schools, and a 5 per cent. increase in the numbers of people starting initial teacher training courses.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students have failed the (a) numeracy and (b) literacy skills tests prior to entering teaching in each year since tests were introduced. [64558]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 26 June 2002]: The 1999–2000 teacher training cohort was the first to take a paper-based numeracy skills test. Following the first opportunities to take the test, 852 individuals had still to pass. Individuals had unlimited opportunities to pass the test throughout their induction period.
The 2000–01 teacher training cohort took the computerised literacy and numeracy tests. As at 5 September 2001, 355 had still to pass either the numeracy or literacy skills tests. These individuals could enter teaching as unqualified teachers for up to five years and continue to have unlimited opportunities to pass the tests.
The majority who fail the tests decide to re-sit. Figures are not available for this year as students are still taking the tests.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to ensure that children in England and Wales are taught by teachers with the relevant subject qualifications. [64557]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 26 June 2002]: It is for schools, as employers, to employ the best available qualified people to teach their pupils and to deploy them appropriately. Preparations are in hand for a Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey which will collect information on teachers' subject qualifications.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in England are being taught at (a) KS3 and (b) KS4 by teachers who do not have a qualification relevant to the subject being taught. [64556]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 26 June 2002]: The percentage of lessons taught by full-time teachers at November 1996 that were taught by a teacher with no post A-level qualification in that subject were as follows, by subject:
(6) Teachers qualified in general science are treated as qualified to teach biology, chemistry, or physics. Teachers qualified in biology, chemistry or physics are treated as qualified to teach general science.
(7) Teachers qualified in other technology are treated as qualified to teach design and technology or information technology. Teachers qualified in design and technology or information technology are treated as qualified to teach combined technology.
(8) Teachers are counted once against each subject which they are teaching.
(9) 'Other' not included in total percentages.
Note:
This is the most recent available information.
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Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many individual students who failed (a) numeracy and (b) literacy skills tests for entering into teaching have not re-applied to take the tests. [64555]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 26 June 2002]: 79 individuals in the 2000–01 cohort who failed (a) numeracy or (b) literacy skills tests for entry into teaching have not re-applied to take the test(s).
The majority of those who fail decide to re-sit the tests. Figures are not available for this year as students are still taking the tests.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list average salary for (a) primary teachers, (b) secondary teachers, (c) graduates in all other sectors and (d) all employees in each year since 1974. [64373]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 26 June 2002]: Average salaries for full-time teachers, for others in employment with a degree or above and for all full-time employees is shown in the following table.
(10) Average salary of full-time teachers in the maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools sector of England and Wales at 31 March of each year 1974 to 2001. Figures cover all grades and include any allowances paid. Figures up to 1993 include sixth form colleges. The 2001 salary figures include those threshold pay increases that were made before March 2001. However, they do not include threshold pay increases relating to people who passed the threshold in September 2000 and had not received their payment by March 2001. This money was backdated after March 2001 and therefore the average salary for March 2001 will be understated. The estimated average salary in March 2001 for primary and secondary schools combined, including all threshold pay increases, is £27,800. Source: DfES Database of Teacher Records.
(11) Average salary of those in full-time employment in the UK with a degree or better qualification, in the spring of years shown. Excludes teachers with such qualifications. Source: Labour Force Survey (as the New Earnings Survey does not include qualifications data). Gross weekly and hourly earnings data are known to be underestimated in the LFS. Earnings data is based on information from about two-fifths of all respondents. Respondents with hourly pay greater than £100 are excluded.
(12) Average salary of those in full-time employment in GB whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence, at April of each year. Figures from 1974 to first row for 1983 are compiled on the basis of men aged 21+ and women aged 18+. Figures for second 1983 row and onwards are compiled on the basis of employees on adult rates. Figures for 1997 and 1998 include late receipts. Source: New Earnings Survey.
(13) Not available.
(14) Revised.
(15) Provisional.
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