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17 Dec 2002 : Column 741W—continued
Grammar Schools
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the (a) secondary modern schools and (b) other non-selective schools in local education authority areas where there are grammar schools which have been awarded (i) beacon school status and (ii) specialist school status since 1 May 1997. [87832]
Mr. Miliband: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.
HIV/AIDS
Mr. Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department plans to take to improve awareness of HIV and the need for better sexual health practices among younger people. [85671]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: Teaching about safer sex remains one of the Government's key strategies for reducing the incidence of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted
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infections (STIs). Strategies for teaching about HIV/AIDS are covered by our Sex and Relationship Education Guidance which was sent to all schools in July 2000. These include helping pupils to clarify their knowledge and enabling them to become effective users of services that help prevent and treat STIs and HIV.
A report earlier this year by the Office for Standards in Education recommended that coverage of HIV and AIDS in schools is enhanced. We have responded to the report by commissioning practical guidance for teachers on HIV and STIs.
Language Teaching
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when his Department will publish its policy on language teaching in primary schools. [87229]
Mr. Stephen Twigg [holding answer 16 December 2002]: The Department will shortly be publishing its National Language Strategy. The strategy will set out how we will drive forward our agenda, outlined in the 'Language learning' pamphlet published earlier this year, to reverse the cycle of underperformance and transform this country's capability in languages.
Specialist Subject Teachers
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures he is taking to support and develop the skills of teachers in specialist subjects. [82736]
Mr. Miliband: These skills are supported and developed through several funded programmes. The Key Stage 3 strategy is focused on developing the skills of teachers in the national curriculum core and foundation subjects in all secondary schools. Generally, higher education institutions and other providers, including some subject associations, are funded to run postgraduate professional programmes in a number of priority areas, including secondary core and foundation curriculum subjects and specialist teaching in Key Stages 1 and 2. In partnership with the Wellcome Trust we are creating a national network of science learning centres to support the professional development of science teachers and science technicians.
The Department's Continuing Professional Development Strategy also funds schemes that support the professional development of individual teachers in areas of their choice. The strategy includes: 500 bursaries, available to all teachers in their fourth and fifth years in the profession; Best Practice Research Scholarships of up to #2,500 a year for around 1,000 teachers who submit proposals of appropriate quality; six-week sabbaticals for teachers with more than five years experience in challenging schools; a pilot Early Professional Development scheme—in 12 LEAs—which offers up to #3,000 for professional development to teachers during their second and third years in the profession. Teachers can, and often do, choose to spend their bursaries and scholarships on activities that develop their subject specialist knowledge and skills.
We will be producing a consultation paper in the New Year on strengthening support for subject specialism.
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Spending Statistics
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average spending is on each child in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) England and (ii) Devon. [87312]
Mr. Miliband: The following table shows the latest available information:
| LEA/area name | Primary | Secondary |
|---|---|---|
| Devon | 2,300 | 2,930 |
| England | 2,440 | 3,060 |
Standards Fund
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the elements of the standards fund for the current financial year, showing the total (a) spent and (b) budgeted under each heading. [87193]
Mr. Miliband: Budgets for each of the Standards Fund grants for 2002–2003 are shown in the following table. Information about the total spent for each grant is not available.
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TEC Assets
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the disposition of TEC assets. [87115]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department's accounts have now been audited by the NAO and are due to be laid before the House in January 2003.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Adoption
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children were allowed into the United Kingdom from overseas countries for adoption by United Kingdom residents during the last 12 months, broken down by country. [86823]
Beverley Hughes: Information on the number of children admitted to the United Kingdom from overseas countries for adoption is not currently available.
The most up to date information that is available covers the number of children given indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom on the basis of adoption. This number excludes those children given limited leave to remain and who are subsequently adopted through the UK courts, becoming British citizens on the date that the final adoption order is made.
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A total of around 25 adopted children were given indefinite leave to remain in 2001. The nationalities of the children were:
- Australia
Brazil
Canada
Cyprus
Ghana
Guatemala
India
Malawi
Mexico
Morocco
Pakistan
Philippines
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
South Africa
Thailand
Turkey
United States of America
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
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