---

24 Oct 2002 : Column 459W—continued

LEA Funding

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, when she last met representatives from the f40 Group of local authorities to discuss education funding [75287]

Mr. Miliband: I last met representatives of the f40 Group of local authorities on 25 September to discuss the review of Local Education Authority funding.

Teachers (Criminal Records Bureau)

Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if she will make a statement on the impact of the performance of the Criminal Records Bureau on the process of appointing teachers. [75288]

Mr. Miliband: At present the performance of the Criminal Records Bureau is not impacting on the process of appointing teachers. My Department has advised employers in the education service that teachers, and other staff and volunteers, can be appointed provisionally in advance of the receipt of a Disclosure from the CRB. They may be deployed to work with children at the discretion of the Head teacher, subject to a satisfactory check of my Department's List 99 which contains details of people who are barred from teaching and other work involving regular contact with children, taking up references, and other usual recruitment checks. We have also advised employers that where appropriate they should continue to seek a CRB Disclosure, and review the person's suitability in light of any information revealed by that when it is received. The interim arrangements to allow teachers to be appointed in advance of receiving a Disclosure were first introduced in May.

24 Oct 2002 : Column 460W

Primary School Testing

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of regular testing upon primary school pupils; and if she will make a statement. [75289]

Mr Miliband: There are statutory tests for primary school pupils at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 as they complete one programme of study and prepare to move on to the next. Each year the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority carries out evaluations of the key stage tests, including questions relating to pupil anxiety. The evidence over several years, including this year, is that teachers generally feel that most children cope well with them. Other recent studies include a review by the EPPI-Centre on the impact of summative assessment and testing on students' motivation for learning. These studies help inform the development of policy.

Policy Documents

Dr. Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many policy documents a secondary school is required (a) by law and (b) by her Department to have. [75293]

Mr. Miliband: All secondary schools are legally required to publish an Annual Report to Parents and a Prospectus, which if they choose can be combined as a single document. They are also legally obliged to publish an Action Plan following an OfSTED inspection.

There are 19 areas in which all secondary schools are legally required to have policies and an additional four areas that only apply to secondary schools of varying type and form of governance. 20 of these are statutory requirements and three are required by Departmental guidance and circulars. Schools are not necessarily expected to produce these as separate documents for each area of policy.

Pay (Further Education)

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, if she will make a statement on the pay and conditions of lecturers in further education. [75294]

Margaret Hodge: Colleges in the further education sector, including sixth form colleges, are run by independent corporations with their own pay arrangements. Colleges agree annual pay rises and conditions of employment with their staff in the context of local priorities and the overall resources available to them. Within this context, there is a nationally recommended pay increase agreed by employer representative bodies and the unions. There has not yet been agreement between employers and the trade unions on a national recommendation on this year's pay. The Government has strongly encouraged both parties to enter into meaningful discussions on this year's pay award.

In consultation with the Association of Colleges, the Sixth Form Colleges' Employers' Forum and the FE unions we have introduced the Teaching Pay Initiative (TPI) to help colleges modernise pay arrangements and to recruit, reward and retain excellent teachers. This has provided a significant new resource for pay and we recently announced the extension of TPI arrangements

24 Oct 2002 : Column 461W

to include non-teaching staff, together with a further #32 million, equivalent to about 1 per cent. of the pay bill. This brings total funding for TPI this year to #142m.

TPI is an ongoing commitment for colleges and future funding arrangements will recognise that position. Many colleges have felt able to consolidate TPI payments into pensionable pay already and I hope that others will follow their example.

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of pay levels for staff working in colleges of further education. [75298]

Margaret Hodge: Colleges in the further education sector, including sixth form colleges, are run by independent corporations with their own pay arrangements. Colleges agree annual pay rises and conditions of employment with their staff in the context of local priorities and the overall resources available to them. Within this context, there is a nationally recommended pay increase agreed by employer representative bodies and the unions. Pay arrangements in the sector are therefore diverse, reflecting colleges' local priorities and the overall resources available to them. Extra resources have been made available to FE colleges. There is #4.4 billion available to the sector this year, an increase of #1.2 billion in five years. Within this there is #142m available for the Teaching Pay Initiative (TPI) which helps colleges to modernise pay arrangements and to recruit, reward and retain excellent teachers and we have recently announced its extension to non-teaching staff for the first time.

From next year up to 2005–06, the Government has already announced that there will be a 1 per cent. annual real terms increase in core funding for FE. We also expect to announce further additional resources later in the autumn to support our strategy for reforming further education and training.

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the offer of additional funds to further education colleges under (a) the Teaching Pay Initiative and (b) the College Pay Initiative; and what proportion of the remuneration of each full-time equivalent these aggregates represent if passed on in full. [76416]

Margaret Hodge: On 20 September, I announced an extra #32m for the Teaching Pay Initiative (TPI) in further education colleges this year and the Learning and Skills Council has notified colleges of their additional allocations. Of the #32 million, I indicated that #20 million was for teachers and lecturers and #12 million to allow colleges to make a start on extending the initiative to non-teaching staff for the first time through the College Pay Initiative (CPI). However, colleges have complete flexibility in determining how they allocate their share of the #32 million between different groups of staff to meet local priorities. The additional #32m represents approximately one per cent. of the overall FE pay bill.

SSA (Wiltshire)

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what the education SSA is per head in secondary schools in Wiltshire [75295]

24 Oct 2002 : Column 462W

Mr. Miliband: In 2002–03 Wiltshire's Education SSA per pupil in secondary schools is #3220.

Note:

* Figure in cash terms for pupils aged 11–15—rounded to nearest #10

Teacher Assaults (Greater London)

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, how many assaults there have been on teachers employed by education authorities in the Greater London area in each of the last three years. [75297]

Mr. Twigg: The Department does not collect this information. However, figures for the whole of Great Britain provided by the Health and Safety Executive show that 135 teachers received injuries as a result of assault in 1999–2000 and also in 2000–01. There are no figures available yet for 2001–02.

Metals Skills Council

Dr. Francis: To ask the Minister for Adult Learning and Skills, what progress has been made in establishing a Metals Skills Council. [75275]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Sector Skills Development Agency is in continuing discussions to ensure an appropriate place for metals within the Sector Skills Network.

I look forward to seeing how things develop for this important sector and to receiving the SSDA's recommendation.

Business Studies

Mr. Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what plans she has for improving the teaching of business studies in schools and colleges of further education. [75280]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Pupils learn about the economy, enterprise and business education through PSHE and Citizenship. All secondary schools have received specific guidance to support this.

Following Sir Howard Davies recommendations, additional resources have been allocated to give every child the chance to spend five days engaging in activities to develop knowledge and skills about entrepreneurship; the economy; business and financial literacy.

We have set up a new Standards Unit to develop materials and disseminate best practice on all aspects of post-16 teaching & learning.

---