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28 Jan 2003 : Column 777W—continued
Higher Education (Family Incomes)
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many UK students have qualified for (a) full exemption, (b) part exemption and (c) no exemption from tuition fees in (i) England, (ii) Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland in each academic year from 1998 onwards; [91636]
- (2) what reports he has received about the number of students who have qualified for (a) full exemption, (b) part exemption and (c) no exemption from tuition fees in Scotland in each academic year from 1998 until 2001. [91640]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 20 January 2003]: In England and Wales students on undergraduate courses and their families are expected to make a contribution towards the cost of their tuition only if they can afford to do so.
The number of students in academic years 1998–99, 1999–2000 and 2000–01 (latest year for which data are available) who have been assessed to make a full, partial or nil contribution towards the cost of their tuition are:
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The devolved Administrations for Scotland and Northern Ireland are responsible for the administration of tuition fees in their countries.
Learning and Skills Council
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what evidence he has collated of software problems in the Learning and Skills Council's funding arrangements for colleges; and what action the Department and the council are taking to eliminate such problems. [91183]
Margaret Hodge: I am aware of the difficulties encountered by some colleges in accessing the Learning and Skills Council's learner information suite which have resulted in some colleges being unable to forecast accurately their expected income. I have expressed my concerns to John Harwood, the council's chief executive. The LSC are committed to providing a high quality service to colleges and we expect the council's systems to be corrected and fully functional at the end of this month.
Learning Difficulties (School Sport)
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what assessment he has made of primary movement exercise programmes; [93587]
- (2) what the Government's policy is on the use of primary movement exercise programmes to alleviate learning difficulties. [93592]
Mr. Miliband: Physical Education (PE) remains a compulsory subject within the National Curriculum at all Key Stages. At Key Stages 1 and 2 its emphasis is on learning and developing basic movement skills and actions. The Ofsted Primary Subject Report on Physical Education—published in July 2002—indicated that at primary level
"pupils' achievement is at least satisfactory in all but one school in 20 in both Key Stages 1 and 2".
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The strategy has an inclusive ethos and is designed to be flexible enough to allow children with learning difficulties—whether in a mainstream school or other—to be taught through a variety of methods which could include a primary movement exercise programme if a school decided that was the most suitable option.
London Institute
Mr. Beard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public money has been given to the London Institute; and how the use of this money has been accounted for in each year since the foundation of the Institute. [92299]
Margaret Hodge: The following table shows the total income and the amount received from funding council grants for the London Institute each year since 1994–95.
| London Institute | Total income | Funding Council grant income(20) |
|---|---|---|
| 1994–95 | 57,728 | 38,020 |
| 1995–96 | 60,619 | 38,159 |
| 1996–97 | 64,954 | 37,439 |
| 1997–98 | 69,446 | 38,389 |
| 1998–99 | 71,968 | 42,041 |
| 1999–2000 | 78,075 | 44,073 |
| 2000–01 | 83,474 | 45,593 |
(20) The funding council grant includes funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England, and from the funding bodies for further education in England.
Source:
Table 1, HESA annual publication "Resources of Higher Education Institutions".
There is a financial memorandum between each institution and each of the funding councils from which they receive public funding. This sets out the responsibilities of each party including financial management and the arrangements for audit and monitoring.
Post-16 Education
Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills by what percentage the pilot schemes suggest education maintenance allowances will improve progression rates into post sixteen education in deprived areas. [91837]
Margaret Hodge: The EMA pilot scheme has been subject to a rigorous and thorough evaluation study. The latest report was published on 3 July 2002.
The evaluation of the pilot scheme includes 10 of the original EMA pilot LEAs which are among the most deprived in England. Evidence from the evaluation indicates that within the group of young people eligible for EMA, participation in education in Y12 has increased by 5.9 percentage points. For the cohort of young people in these LEAs as a whole, this is equivalent to a participation gain of 3.7 percentage points.
In Year 13, due to an EMA induced improvement in retention, the gain in participation increases further to just over 7 percentage points among eligible young people which is equivalent to just over 4 percentage points for the cohort as a whole.
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Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the Government's policy is on diversity of supply in post-16 education. [91853]
Margaret Hodge: We are committed to ensuring that high quality post-16 education and training is available to meet the full range of learner, employer and community needs. In some areas this will require greater diversity in the supply of provision.
Following the publication of our strategy for reforming further education and training—'Success for All' in November 2002, we have asked each provider to set out their unique educational mission focusing on what they do best. Our strategy also identifies the need, where appropriate, for more discrete provision to meet the distinctive needs of 16 to 19-year-olds.
Alongside this, we have asked the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to undertake strategic area reviews to ensure the best mix of provision is supplied in each part of the country. These reviews will be undertaken locally in partnership with further education colleges and local education authorities and in consultation with a wide range of employer, learner, community and provider interests in each area.
The combination of unique provider missions and strategic area reviews will lead to greater diversity in post-16 education and training, to ensure improved choice, opportunity and success for all.
Schools (Shropshire)
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers were employed in schools in (a) Shropshire and (b) Shrewsbury and Atcham in each year since 1997. [93019]
Mr. Miliband: The tables provide the full-time equivalent (FTE) number of teachers as at January of each year. Shropshire was affected by local government re-organisation in April 1998.
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All regular teachers FTE(21) | ||||||
| Former Shropshire | 3,330 | 3,350 | N/a | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Shropshire post April 1998 | N/a | N/a | 1,940 | 2,050 | 2,110 | 2,140 |
| Telford and Wrekin | N/a | N/a | 1,360 | 1,340 | 1,410 | 1,420 |
(21) The information for Shropshire is taken from the Annual Survey of Teachers in Service, an LEA level survey. The figures cover all regular teachers employed in the maintained schools sector (nursery, primary, secondary, special and PRUs) by the local authority, including centrally employed teachers. Teachers on paid absence are included, together with any replacements on contracts of one month or more. Includes teachers with and without qualified teacher status.
Note:
N/a = not applicable
All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teachers in schools FTE(22) | ||||||
| Shrewsbury and Atcham | 630 | 630 | 630 | 640 | 650 | 660 |
(22) The information for Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency is from the Annual Schools' Census and includes the normal complement of teachers in maintained nursery, primary, secondary, special schools and PRUs. Includes teachers with and without qualified teacher status and foreign language assistants.
Note:
All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
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Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list building improvement projects and their value in each school in Shrewsbury and Atcham in each year since 2001. [93082]
Mr. Miliband: We do not hold information in the form requested. Most capital funding available for building improvements in schools is allocated to local education authorities and schools by needs-related formulae. It is for local education authorities and schools to decide how their capital allocations are invested and prioritised between projects, in line with locally agreed asset management plans.
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