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EDUCATION AND SKILLS
School Transport
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on school transport per secondary pupil in each English local education authority in each of the last five years; and how many secondary pupils there were in each local authority. [68170]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 15 July 2002]: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.
School Management
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to the statement of the School Standards Minister of 15 July 2002, Official Report, column 67, lines 1–2, and the statement of the former School Standards Minister of 13 December 2001, Official Report, Standing Committee G, column 157, lines 59–61, if subsection (1) (a) of section 10 of the Education Bill allows governing bodies to form a company to manage or operate a school. [71732]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 22 July 2002]: As a matter of law, the conduct of a maintained school must be under the direction of a school's governing body. That duty is re-enacted in clause 20 of the current Education Bill. (References are to HL Bill 51 (Rev) as first printed for the Lords.) This statutory position is referred to in both lines 1 and 2 of column 67 of the Official Report for 15 July 2002 and in lines 58–59 of column 157 of the Official Report on Standing Committee G on 13 December 2001.
It would not therefore be possible for a company or any other body to "take over the running of the school", because the governing body cannot contract out the duty to conduct the school.
Nothing in the Bill means that governing bodies have greater powers to enter into contracts. By virtue of schedule 10 to the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, governing bodies already have the power to enter into contracts, which may include elements of the operational management of the school.
Clause 10 (1)(a) gives groups of schools the power to form a company to deliver services to other schools. Thus, clause 10(1)(a) means that a governing body may contract with a school company on the same basis as with other bodies. However, the conduct of the school must remain under the direction of the governing body.
Out-of-School Clubs
Jonathan Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what targets Ofsted has set for the inspection and registration after 2003 of out-of-school clubs; and when they will be published; [71694]
- (2) how long on average Ofsted has taken to inspect and register an out-of-school club, broken down by region; [71693]
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(3) how many out-of-school clubs Ofsted estimates had to be inspected and registered before March 2003 for its targets to be met. [71692]
Mr. Miliband: These are matters for the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED). The HM Chief Inspector for Schools, David Bell will write to the hon. Gentleman and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library.
Crèches
Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what requirements there are for qualified staff to be in attendance at creche facilities operating for less than two hours a day in public places; [72165]
- (2) whether staff and assistants working in creche facilities open to the general public and operating less than two hours per day are subject to the same checks as those working in creche facilities open to the general public and operating more than two hours per day; [72319]
(3) how many complaints her Department has received in the last 12 months about the quality of care provided in creche facilities available to the general public operating for less than two hours a day; [72166]
(4) what information a provider of creche facilities operating for less than two hours a day is required to supply to parents. [72164]
Estelle Morris [holding answer 23 July 2002]: Crèches operating for two hours or less per day are not regulated in the same way as childcare facilities operating for longer periods. There are no particular requirements for staff to be checked by the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED), for information to be supplied to parents, or for qualified staff. However, people providing such facilities have a general duty of care for the children being looked after, and should therefore ensure that they employ people suitable for the job. Within the last twelve months, the Department for Education and Skills has received only one complaint about the quality of care in crèche facilities operating for less than two hours per day. We keep under regular review the provisions of the Children Act relating to the regulation of childcare.
Children
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether, in preparing a response to the UN General Assembly Special Assembly for Children held in May, she will report on the work of other Departments affecting children both in the UK and overseas. [72328]
John Denham: At the UN General Assembly Special Session, countries committed themselves to developing or strengthening national policies with the goals agreed in the Plan of Action set out in the final declaration. In the Government's over-arching strategy for children and young people, which will cover all departments and which will be published later this year, we will ensure that the commitments in the Plan of Action are reflected.
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Schools (Administrative Staff)
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many administrative staff were working in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in (i) St. Helens Metropolitan borough council area,
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(ii) Merseyside, (iv) the north-west and (v) England in (A) 1997, (B) 1998, (C) 1999, (D) 2000 and (E) 2001. [70187]
Mr. Miliband: [holding answer 17 July 2002]: The information requested is shown in the table.
| Total administrative staff(61),(62) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary(63) | Secondary(63) | ||||||||
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | |
| St Helens LEA | 55 | 57 | 59 | 68 | 67 | 70 | 66 | 65 | 69 |
| Merseyside(64) | 545 | 543 | 554 | 569 | 607 | 501 | 519 | 529 | 562 |
| North West(65) | 1,828 | 1,880 | 1,910 | 2,033 | 2,136 | 1,868 | 1,920 | 1,949 | 2,604 |
| ENGLAND | 19,211 | 19,565 | 19,985 | 21,180 | 22,258 | 17,592 | 18,084 | 18,686 | 19,424 |
(61)Includes both full-time and the full-time equivalent of part-time non-teaching staff.
(62)Includes secretaries and bursars.
(63)Includes middle schools as deemed.
(64)For 2000 and 2001 Merseyside is incorporated into North West region so these figures have been derived by a Knowsley, Liverpool, St. Helens, Sefton and Wirral LEAs.
(65)North West figures for 2000 and 2001 have been alterred to exclude Merseyside Metroplolitan County for consistency with previous years
Source:
Annual Schools' Census.
Behaviour Improvement Plans
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which LEAs have behaviour improvement plans funded by central Government; what the cost of each has been; and what criteria were adopted by Government for the selection of those authorities. [71816]
Stephen Twigg: The following 34 local education authorities (LEAs) were selected to submit plans to improve behaviour and attendance in particular schools under the Behaviour Improvement Programme strand of the Government's Street Crime initiative:
| Barking and Dagenham | Hounslow | Oldham | |
| Birmingham | Islington | Reading | |
| Bolton | Kensington and Chelsea | Rochdale | |
| Bradford | Knowsley | Salford | |
| Brent | Lambeth | Sheffield | |
| Bristol | Leeds | Slough | |
| Camden | Lewisham | Southwark | |
| Enfield | Liverpool | Tower Hamlets | |
| Greenwich | Manchester | Waltham Forest | |
| Hackney | Newham | Westminster | |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | Nottingham | Wolverhampton | |
| Haringey | |||
| All 34 plans have received initial approval and the LEAs now have access to up to £1.5 million in 2002–03 and around a further £1.25 million in 2003–04. Funding beyond 2003–04 will be determined following further consideration of the outcomes of the Comprehensive Spending Review. The 34 LEAs were selected on the basis of crime figures and truancy data from among the 83 LEAs which fall into the ten police force areas which account for over 80 per cent. of street crime. | |||
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