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Pupil Rolls
Mr. Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many secondary schools in England have pupil rolls (a) below 600, (b) between 601 and 1,000, (c) between 1,001 and 1,500 and (d) over 1,500; [65526]
- (2) how many primary schools in England have pupil rolls (a) below 200, (b) between 201 and 400, (c) between 401 and 600 and (d) above 600. [65527]
Mr. Miliband: The information requested is shown in the table.
| Size of school(6) | Number of schools |
|---|---|
| Primary | |
| Up to 200 | 8,070 |
| 201 to 400 | 8,258 |
| 400 to 600 | 1,485 |
| 601 and over | 145 |
| Secondary | |
| Up to 600 | 596 |
| 601 to 1,000 | 1,397 |
| 1,001 to 1,500 | 1,221 |
| 1,501 and over | 239 |
(6) Based on the number of full time pupils
Source:
Annual Schools Census
MLD and SLD Schools
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many places there are in schools for (a) MLD and (b) SLD pupils in England and Wales; and what information she has collated on the demand for places in (i) MLD and (ii) SLD schools in England and Wales. [65675]
Margaret Hodge: Information is not collected on the available places for children with particular categories of special educational needs in England. The majority of
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children with special educational needs are educated in mainstream schools which respond to the unique needs of each of their pupils. Special schools will also commonly include a diverse range of pupils within a broad spectrum of need.
Since the Education Act 1981, schools have not been required to return information about pupils' special educational needs categorised by disability or learning difficulty. We are now looking into the feasibility of collecting this information.
The responsibility for planning of school places, including for pupils with special educational needs, rest with local education authorities. Information about the demand for placed in MLD and SLD schools is not therefore collated centrally.
In Wales, such matters are for the Welsh Assembly. However we understand that the position is the same.
Regulatory Impact Unit
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many members of her Department have been employed in its Regulatory Impact Unit in the past five years; and if she will make a statement. [65966]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: From 1997 to 2002, the Department has employed the following numbers of staff in its Regulatory Impact Unit:
- 1997–98: Approximately half the time of a full-time member of staff (with line management support when necessary)
1998–99: Approximately half the time of a full-time member of staff (with line management support when necessary)
1999–2000: Approximately half the time of a full-time member of staff (with line management support when necessary) up to 31 December 1999, and, one full-time member of staff (with line management support when necessary) from 1 January 2002
2000–01: One full-time member of staff (with line management support when necessary)
2001–02: One full-time member of staff (with line management support when necessary)
From 2002: One full-time member of staff (with line management support when necessary).
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Careers Advice
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what advice is made available at school to pupils who do not wish to continue into further education and want to enter work. [66157]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: School pupils receive advice on their post-16 choices from three main sources:
- a curriculum-led programme of careers education during school years nine, 10 and 11;
Impartial advice on learning and career choices from a Connexions Personal Adviser or Careers Adviser;
Careers information products such as the "It's Your Choice" workbook for students in year 10 or 11 and the "Working In" series of booklets that provide information on working in particular occupations.
While the primary focus of connexions Personal Advisers and Careers Advisers is to encourage young people to stay in education or learning, they also provide advice on vocational and work related options for post-16 learning, including Modern Apprenticeships. Their help includes a job matching service to help young people find and retain a suitable job. They work with both young people and employers to ensure that, wherever possible, young people start a job with training and that employers are aware of their responsibilities under the Right to Time Off for Study or Training regulations.
Teachers
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers were teaching in English schools in each year from 1979–80 to 2001–02; and if she will make a statement. [66269]
Mr. Miliband: The numbers of full-time equivalent 1 teachers in regular service 2 in the maintained schools sector in England in January of each year since 1980 3 are in the table:
- 1 Part-time teachers have been converted to an estimate of their full-time equivalence and added to full-time numbers.
- 2 Excludes occasional teachers.
- 3 Teachers in Sixth Form Colleges were included in the survey prior to 1993; these have been removed by estimation to provide this consistent time series excluding Sixth Form Colleges.
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| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1980 | 444,000 |
| 1981 | 435,000 |
| 1982 | 425,500 |
| 1983 | 419,100 |
| 1984 | 414,900 |
| 1985 | 409,000 |
| 1986 | 404,600 |
| 1987 | 404,900 |
| 1988 | 402,400 |
| 1989 | 397,100 |
| 1990 | 397,600 |
| 1991 | 394,800 |
| 1992 | 394,000 |
| 1993 | 395,900 |
| 1994 | 397,000 |
| 1995 | 399,600 |
| 1996 | 399,800 |
| 1997 | 399,200 |
| 1998 | 397,700 |
| 1999 | 401,200 |
| 2000 | 404,600 |
| 2001 | 410,200 |
| 2002(7) | 419,600 |
(7) Data for January 2002 are provisional
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to specify a minimum level of non-contact time for teachers who are teaching the core subjects of maths and English; and if she will make a statement. [66274]
Mr. Miliband: Consultation on the recommendations in the School Teachers' Review Body's report on teacher work loads came to an end yesterday. The Department's consultation letter of 8 May said that my right hon. Friend would consult again on practical measures as appropriate in the light of this initial consultation. For the time being the Department is evaluating the initial consultation responses. Further consultation is likely to take place in the early autumn.
Nurture Groups
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to provide funding for a nurture group for each English primary school; and if she will make a statement. [66271]
Mr. Miliband: Funding of £174 million has been available during 2001–02 for schools and LEAs to deal with problems of poor behaviour. Many schools have used this funding to develop early intervention work, including nurture groups, for vulnerable children.
School Budgets
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to give schools greater flexibility over allocating moneys received from central Government. [66272]
Mr. Miliband: The Government have already simplified the operation of the Standards Fund, by far the largest specific grant for education. Since April 2001 schools have had more freedom to move funds between the different Standards Fund activities; separate auditing of the Standards Fund is no longer required; and the spending period for the Standards Fund was extended from 12 months to 17 months to give schools even more flexibility in planning expenditure. The Government also
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committed to make more transparent the local government funding system, as set out in the local government White Paper.
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