| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
21 May 2003 : Column 829W—continued
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Connexions
Mr. Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether young people are involved in the decision-making boards of Connexions partners; and what plans he has to increase such involvement. [109731]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Young people are at the heart of the Connexions Service. It is their commitment and support which has helped build an innovative service for young people.
Many young people have been involved in the governance of Connexions Partnerships as Board members, on Local Management Committees and as Youth or Shadow Board Members. Over 50 young people worked with the Connexions Service National Unit to produce guidance to Connexions Partnerships on involving young people in governance.
Young people are making a valuable contribution to the decisions made by Partnerships and local management committees. They are involved in helping to define the measures against which the organisation will be judged, in decisions about strategic direction and in helping to develop Business Plans. Young people are involved in assessing bids from potential contractors and in the selection of key personnel including Partnership Chief Executives and the Deputy Chief Executive of the Connexions Service National Unit.
We will continue to promote the active involvement of young people in all aspects of the Connnexions Service including in governance. Ofsted inspections of Partnerships include inspecting the involvement of young people and their impact on Partnerships. We are supporting Partnerships to ensure that any issues on the involvement of young people in decision-making highlighted by Ofsted inspections are addressed.
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for what reasons the connexions card is not available for all students in Staffordshire. [112615]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Connexions Card is available to all 16–19 year olds in England. 3,220 young people in Staffordshire currently have a Connexions Card.
The Connexions Card team is actively working with schools, colleges, work based training organisations and the Connexions Partnership in Staffordshire to increase the number of young people who have the Card.
Creationism
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to ensure that the new Thame Grammar School does not teach creationism in science lessons when it becomes a city academy. [112872]
Mr. Miliband: In order to secure a funding agreement with the Secretary of State, the sponsors of an Academy must demonstrate that the Academy will offer a broad and balanced curriculum and teach the core subjects of the national curriculum, including science. Moreover,
21 May 2003 : Column 830W
all pupils are required to study science and be prepared for external examinations in science, which will ensure that an appropriate curriculum is followed.
Departmental Pay
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his Answer of 14 April 2003, Official Report, column 553W, on departmental pay, if he will submit an action plan to the Cabinet Office on the subject and place a copy in the Library. [112320]
Mr. Charles Clarke: My Department has submitted a report on Gender Pay Equality, which includes a Departmental action plan, to the Cabinet Office. Once discussions with Cabinet Office are concluded, we will place a copy of the report in the Library of the House.
Early Excellence Centre (Wycombe)
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to establish an early excellence centre in the Wycombe constituency. [113006]
Maria Eagle [holding answer 13 May 2003]: We have recently designated our final tranche of Early Excellence Centre (EEC), which brings our total to 107 EECs operating in 80 local authority areas in England. We will not be designating any further EECs. Instead, we will be aiming to establish a children's centre in every one of the 20 per cent. most disadvantaged wards, building where possible on existing services including Sure Start local programmes, Neighbourhood Nurseries and EECs. Buckinghamshire will receive a small amount of money to develop children's centre services to serve the Booker and Castlefield ward in Wycombe that falls within in the 20 per cent. most disadvantaged category.
Education Funding (Suffolk)
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been allocated to Suffolk local education authority for the provision of pupil referral units in each of the last five years. [114550]
Mr. Miliband: Local education authorities (LEAs) have flexibility in the use of funding allocated for work on preventing and managing exclusions including support for Pupil Referral Units (PRUs). Provisional figures from the January census show that Suffolk LEA had eight PRUs which were catering for 237 pupils.
Suffolk LEA has not received capital funding specifically for PRUs in the last five years. The Department currently allocates most capital funding for schools and PRUs to LEAs by needs-related formulae, and it is for authorities to assess and prioritise the capital needs of their school and PRU buildings through their asset management planning process, in consultation with local schools. Individual LEAs will therefore hold information on how much capital investment is being directed towards the provision of PRUs.
Education Leeds
Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the contractual period of
21 May 2003 : Column 831W
appointment is for (a) the Chairman and (b) the Director of Education Leeds; and if he will make a statement. [114358]
Mr. Miliband: The Chairman has been appointed for five years. I understand from Education Leeds that the company does not have a Director of Education, but has a Chief Executive who was appointed for five years by the company's Board of Directors. There are four directors on the company's Board in addition to the Chairman: two of them have appointments which end when the partnership agreement between the council, Education Leeds and Capita terminates; the other two appointments are not time-limited.
Enterprise Initiatives
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the Enterprise Promotion Fund and Enterprise Advisers; and how these initiatives will benefit pupils in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland. [114299]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Enterprise advisers will work with secondary schools in disadvantaged areas, advising and helping on the delivery of enterprise education, improving schools' links with business, and encouraging the use of enterprise techniques in school management. We intend the first advisers to be in place from September 2003, working closely with the enterprise education pilot projects for which we have recently invited applications from schools and others. We hope to announce the locations of the pilot projects and the enterprise advisers later in the summer.
The Enterprise Promotion Fund is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
GCSE Point Scores
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average GCSE point score for pupils in (a) specialist schools, (b) non-specialist comprehensive schools, (c) secondary modern schools and (d) grammar schools was in the last year for which figures are available. [113722]
Mr. Miliband: The information requested for 2002 results is as follows.
| 2002 | Average capped(10)GCSE/GNVQ point score(11) |
|---|---|
| Specialist schools(12) | 36.1 |
| Non-specialist comprehensive schools(12) | 34.1 |
| Secondary modern schools | 30.6 |
| Grammar schools | 52.5 |
(10) Average capped GCSE/GNVQ point scores are calculated using the best eight GCSE/GNVQ results.
(11) GCSE/GNVQ point scores are calculated as follows:
GCSE grades A*-G count as 8 to 1 point respectively, GCSE Short Courses grades A*-G count as 4 to ½ respectively. The GNVQ grades D, M and P count as 7½, 6 and 5 points respectively at Intermediate level, and 4, 3 and 1½ points respectively at Foundation level. These points need to be multiplied by two for GNVQ Part One and by four for Full GNVQs.
(12) All maintained schools designated as specialist/non-specialist as at September 2001 (excludes special schools). Includes grammar and secondary modern schools, which are specialist/non-specialist schools. These schools may also be included in the figures for grammar and secondary modern schools.
21 May 2003 : Column 832W
GCSE Pupils
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to ensure equal access to subject choice for GCSE pupils of differing abilities in the London Borough of Havering; and if he will make a statement on subject choice for GCSE pupils in the borough. [113471]
Mr. Miliband: The Government's policies on subject choice for 14 to 16-year-olds were set out in our strategy document 14–19 Opportunity and Excellence published in January this year. The specific subject choices made available are a matter for local determination.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |