---

9 Jan 2003 : Column 342W—continued

Modern Apprenticeships

Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what hourly rate of pay an individual who signs up for a modern apprenticeship is entitled to receive during the course of his or her training. [88731]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: There is no national or average hourly rate of pay for modern apprentices. The rate of pay for a modern apprentice is agreed by the employer and the individual apprentice. Modern apprentices are either paid a wage by their employer or receive a training allowance. The minimum training allowance is #40 per week.

Music Teaching

Nick Harvey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent research his Department has undertaken to assess the music literacy of children in schools; and if he will make a statement. [88679]

Mr. Miliband: The Department for Education and Skills has carried out no recent research into the music literacy of children in schools. However, the effectiveness of National Curriculum music continues to be monitored through teacher assessments at the end of Key Stage 3.

Last year, the Department conducted a national survey of instrumental lessons and other music activities provided by LEA Music Services. A summary of the results is available on the DfES website at www.dfes.gov.uk/musicservices

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage (a) teaching, (b) listening to and

9 Jan 2003 : Column 343W

(c) participation in music in schools; and how much his Department has spent on music in schools in each year since 1997. [88680]

Mr. Miliband: Music is a statutory entitlement for all pupils up to the age of 14, and can be taken as an option at Key Stage 4.

My Department is strongly committed to music education and has a number of projects underway to encourage the teaching and learning of music in schools. For example, we have made a commitment, over time, to offer every primary school child the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. We have commissioned the QCA to produce new units for the music schemes of work to help teachers work more effectively with peripatetic music specialists and to develop their confidence and skills; and we are exploring best practice in music education through the inspection of LEA Music Services; through a network of advanced skills teachers for music; and through six pilot projects focusing primarily on instrumental tuition at Key Stage 2.

With regard to the amount spent on music in schools, it is for individual schools to use their budgets as they judge appropriate, in music as in other areas. Additional funds from this Department come primarily through the Music Standards Fund (MSF) and the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS). Since it was set up in 1999, this Department has provided around #125 million through the MSF for the protection and expansion of LEA Music Services; while the MDS has allocated just under #65 million to gifted and talented young musicians since 1997 through its Aided Pupil Scheme.

National Insurance (Teachers)

Mr. Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the increases in national insurance on teachers' salaries will cost, expressed on a per pupil basis, in the next financial year. [89216]

Mr. Miliband: The estimated costs of the increase in national insurance contributions for teachers will be in the region of #15 per pupil in 2003–04 when overall funding per pupil will rise by an average of #140 in real terms.

Pupil Violence

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many serious injuries to teachers caused by violence were reported to the Health and Safety Executive in each year from 1999–2000 to 2001–02. [88885]

Mr. Miliband: The Health and Safety Executive statistics for all school and post-school teaching sectors in Great Britain cover reported injuries that lead to an absence from work of more than three days. In 1999–2000 there were 160 such reported injuries. In 2000–01 there were 171. The provisional figure for 2001–02 is 143.

Patrick Mercer : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) teachers and (b) head teachers have encountered violence or abuse from pupils in each year since 1997. [89212]

9 Jan 2003 : Column 344W

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not centrally collected. But any act of violence or abuse against heads, teachers or other school staff is one too many. Pupils must respect the authority of school staff, and parents must take their share of responsibility. That is why we are proposing to extend Parenting Orders.

School Exams (Re-marked Papers)

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of re-marked papers at (a) GCSE, (b) AS-level and (c) A-level resulted in marks being (i) increased and (ii) decreased in each of the last three years. [88939]

Mr. Miliband: The data for 2002 are currently being collated by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and will be included in the authority's annual report on inquiries on results and appeals to be published in April. Re-mark or inquiries on results outcomes have only included the possibility of a reduction in grade since 2001. Data for 2000 and 2001 are set out as follows.

	2000		2001
	Percentage of entries involved in inquiries	Percentage of inquiries where grade raised	Percentage of entries involved in inquiries	Percentage of inquiries where grade raised	Percentage of inquiries where grade lowered
A-level	3.8	16	2.6	18.8	1.2
AS-level	1.5	15	2.5	16.5	0.5
GCSE	1.0	11	0.8	16.9	0.1

Schools (Race Relations)

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools did not have a written statement of race relations policy in place by 31 May. [88889]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: The Commission for Racial Equality has responsibility for the enforcement of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2002. Ofsted is responsible, through their routine school inspections, for ensuring that schools have a written race equality policy in place. There is no information currently available to indicate how many schools have not complied with this specific duty.

Schools (Specialist Status)

Mr. Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have been granted specialist status in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) local education authority and (b) category of specialism. [89302]

Mr. Miliband: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Secondary Schools (Admission Policies)

Jeremy Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what advice he gives to local education authorities on admission policies to secondary schools from out of area children; and if he will make a statement. [89373]

9 Jan 2003 : Column 345W

Mr. Miliband: Local education authorities (LEAs) and admission authorities for schools may set their own admission arrangements, as long as they comply with legislation and have regard to the statutory Code of Practice on School Admissions. The Code gives advice to LEAs and schools on setting admission arrangements, and refers to the 'Greenwich Judgement' of 1989 which ruled that LEA maintained schools could not refuse applications simply because a child did not live in the Authority's administrative area. However, admission policies may give priority for entry to oversubscribed schools to children who live within a specified catchment area, to those who live closest to the school, or (for secondary schools) to those who attend named Xfeeder" schools. These, and the many other criteria which are used to determine priority for admission to schools, may include children who live both inside and outside a LEA's area.

Teachers' Hours

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average working week for teachers in England was in each year since 1997 in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) all schools. [89307]

Mr. Miliband: Information on the average working week for teachers for each year since 1997 is not available. The School Teachers' Review Body has carried out diary studies on over 3,000 teachers in 300 schools based on one week in March 1994, 1996 and 2000. Their findings in respect of the average hours per week worked were as follows:

	Primary	Secondary
Classroom teachers
1994	48.8	48.9
1996	50.8	50.3
2000	52.8	51.3
Headteachers
1994	55.4	61.1
1996	55.7	61.7
2000	58.9	60.8

Threshold Assessments

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in what proportion of cases the threshold assessment made by a headteacher has been overturned in each round of applications. [88940]

Mr. Miliband: Details about the proportion of threshold assessments made by headteachers in England and Wales which were overturned in each round of applications can be found in the following table:

Percentage

Round	Overturned headteacher assessments
1 1	0.24%
2	0.29%
3	2

¹ England only. Information in Wales not collected in Round 1

² Information not available until summer 2003

9 Jan 2003 : Column 346W

---