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19 Sept 2002 : Column 112W—continued
University Top-up Fees
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent representations she has received about university top-up fees. [72639]
Margaret Hodge: My right hon. Friend receives representations from a wide variety of sources on a range of issues including top up fees. Most recently this has included the Education and Skills Select Committee's sixth report of the 2001–02 session which recommends the Government should seriously consider differentiated fees for university students.
Physical Education
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the research used to provide the figures for the new joint Public Service Agreement with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and her Department to raise the percentage of schoolchildren who spent a minimum of two hours each week on high quality physical education and school sports to 75 per cent. [72465]
Stephen Twigg [holding answer 23 July 2002]: Evidence from the Youth Sport Trust, Sport England and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority suggests that most pupils in schools operating as part of a School Sport Co-ordinator Partnership enjoy two hours of high quality PE and school sport a week within and outside the curriculum.
Students (Taunton)
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of full-time students stayed in education in the Taunton constituency after the age of (a) 16 and (b) 18 years in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2001; and if she will make a statement. [73264]
Stephen Twigg: Data on the percentage of students staying on in full-time education is not calculated for areas smaller than LEAs as reliable estimates cannot be made. Participation rates at sub-national level are only available for 16 and 17 year olds.
The percentage of 16 and 17 year olds in full-time education in Somerset LEA, which includes the constituency of Taunton, in 1997–1998 and 1999–2000, the latest year for which figures are available, is set out below:
| Age | 1997–1998 | 1999–2000 |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | 71 | 74 |
| 17 | 63 | 63 |
Participation rates by LEA are published in an annual statistical bulletin, "Participation in Education and Training by Young People Aged 16 and 17 in Each Local Area and Region, England".
19 Sept 2002 : Column 113W
Exam Preparation
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the recommended amount of preparation time is for year 5 pupils taking SATs exams. [72827]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 24 July 2002]: There are no statutory National Curriculum tests for pupils in Year 5. Neither is there any recommended preparation time for any National Curriculum test. It is for Headteachers to decide how to prepare their pupils for the tests. The QCA advises schools to prepare children for the tests by providing them with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the layout and design of test papers, encouraging them to work independently and be aware that there may be questions in the tests that they will not be able to answer.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many hours (a) AS level, (b) A level and (c) GCSE students spend on average in (i) exams and (ii) mock exams. [72826]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 24 July 2002]: Students taking typical 4 AS subject programmes spend about 12 hours in examinations, not counting resits. The equivalent figure for students completing the second half of the new A levels in 3 subjects is 9 hours. GCSE students spent an average of 17 hours in examinations. These figures mask large variations in individual student programmes.
No statistics are available for the number of hours spent in mock examinations for any of these qualifications.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the recommended amount of preparation time is for Key Stage (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3 SATs exams. [72828]
Mr. Miliband [holding reply 24 July 2002]: There is no recommended preparation time for any National Curriculum test. It is for Headteachers to decide how to prepare their pupils for the tests. The QCA advises schools to prepare children for the tests by providing them with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the layout and design of test papers, encouraging them to work independently and be aware that there may be questions in the tests that they will not be able to answer.
19 Sept 2002 : Column 114W
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much time (a) Key Stage 1 SATs exams, (b) Key Stage 2 SATs exams and (c) Key Stage 3 SATs exams take on average (i) per pupil and (ii) per school. [72825]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 24 July 2002]:
The National Curriculum tests at Key Stage 2 in English, mathematics and science are timetabled to take 5 hours and 15 minutes spread over a week.
The National Curriculum tests at Key Stage 3 in English, mathematics and science are timetabled to take 7 hours and 20 minutes spread over a week.
All children in the school will usually take the tests at the same time.
The Key Stage 1 tasks and tests are not timed. It is the responsibility of teachers to decide both the timing of the assessments and whether to administer the tests and tasks to whole classes, smaller groups of pupils or on an individual basis.
Science And Discovery Centres
Dr. Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to assist the funding of science and discovery centres; and if she will make a statement. [72321]
Stephen Twigg [holding answer 24 July 2002]: The Government has currently no plans to assist the funding of science and discovery centres. On Monday, The Millennium Commission, together with the Wellcome Trust and the Wolfson Foundation, launched a £33 million fund for science centres and museums to allow them to renew or replace high quality science, education and technology exhibitions.
Free School Meals
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of children were in receipt of free school meals in each year from 1996–1997 to 2001–02 in (a) foundation, (b) voluntary-aided-community, (c) specialist, (d) city technology college, (e) grammar and (f) voluntary-controlled schools. [65395]
Mr. Miliband [holding answer 1 July 2002]: The information requested is shown in the following table.
| Percentage | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type of school (2) | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 (provisional) |
| Foundation Schools(1) | n/a | n/a | n/a | 12.0 | 11.3 | 11.2 |
| Voluntary Aided Schools | 18.5 | 17.3 | 16.3 | 15.3 | 14.4 | 13.9 |
| Specialist Schools (3) | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Voluntary Controlled Schools | 13.6 | 12.5 | 11.9 | 11.3 | 10.7 | 10.3 |
n/a Not applicable
(1) Introduced in 2000
(2) The school types listed are not mutually exclusive, for instance voluntary aided, voluntary controlled or foundation could be specialist schools
(3) No schools of this type
19 Sept 2002 : Column 115W
Secondary Schools
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils were not allocated the secondary school of their first, second and third preference in the last three years; and if she will make a statement. [70665]
Mr. Miliband: Information is not routinely collected on parental preference and their outcomes in the admissions process. A research project commissioned by the DfES entitled, "Parents' experiences of the process of choosing a secondary school" published in June 2001 revealed that (from a sample of 2,170 parents):
85 per cent. of parents were offered a place in their favourite school (1)
92 per cent. received an offer of a place in a first preference school (2)
96 per cent. of parents were offered a place in a school for which they expressed a preference.
91 per cent. of parents said they were satisfied with the outcome of the application processCopies of the report and research brief are available on the Departments website at: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/
(2) First preference school refers to: (i) schools ranked first in the applications to Local Education Authority controlled schools in the parents' own Local Education Authority; (ii) schools which an application was made and which are their own admissions authorities, and (iii) applications to Local Education Authority controlled schools which an application is made, which are in a Local Education Authority other than the one in which the parent is resident.
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils who wanted co-educational secondary education were put in single sex schools in the last three years; and if she will make a statement. [70664]
Mr. Miliband: The information requested is not available centrally.
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