| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
27 Oct 2003 : Column 80W—continued
Examination Results
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the local education authorities in the (a) first decile and (b) tenth decile for results at (i) Key Stage 2, (ii) Key Stage 3 and (iii) GCSEs for each year since 1997. [133675]
Mr. Miliband: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Foster Carers
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how the national award scheme for foster carers envisaged in the Green Paper 'Every Child Matters' will be assessed; and what the scheme will award. [133123]
Margaret Hodge: A national award scheme for outstanding foster carers is one of the proposals in the Green Paper, "Every Child Matters" to improve the recruitment and retention of foster carers. The Green Paper is now out for consultation until 1 December 2003 and we look forward to receiving views from the consultation both on the merit of this proposal and how such a scheme might best operate in practice.
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what framework regulates private fostering; and what definition he uses of private fostering. [133132]
Margaret Hodge: Private arrangements for fostering children are covered in Part IX of the Children Act 1989, and The Children (Private Arrangements for Fostering) Regulations 1991.
A 'privately fostered child' means a child who is under the age of 16 (or 18 if disabled) who is cared for, and provided with accommodation by, someone other than a parent of his; a person who is not a parent of his but who has parental responsibility for him; or a relative of
27 Oct 2003 : Column 81W
his. A child is not a privately fostered child if the person caring for and accommodating him has done so for a period of less than 28 days; and does not intend to do so for a longer period.
In practice, children in a variety of different circumstances will fall within this definition.
GNVQ Courses
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 14 June 2003, Official Report, column 100W, on GCSE/GNVQ point scores, what the uptake was of full-time intermediate GNVQ courses in each year since 1996; and what percentage of pupils achieved (a) 5 A+–C grades at GCSE level and (b) the equivalent GNVQ level in each such year. [133492]
Mr. Miliband: Information on the uptake of full-time intermediate GNVQ courses has been provided by the Labour Force Survey and covers males aged 16–64 and females aged 16–59.
(15) Covers males aged 16–64 and females aged 16–59
27 Oct 2003 : Column 82W
The attainment figures for intermediate GNVQs and the 5 or more grades A*-C GCSE/GNVQ indicator are based on data collected for the secondary school performance tables and are based on 15-year-old pupils only.
| Academic year | Number | Percentage of 15-year-olds |
|---|---|---|
| 1995/96 | — | — |
| 1996/97 | 2,418 | 0.4 |
| 1997/98 | 4,927 | 0.9 |
| 1998/99 | 7,925 | 1.4 |
| 1999/2000 | 10,397 | 1.8 |
| 2000/01 | 16,178 | 2.7 |
| 2001/02 | 36,197 | 6.0 |
| 2002/03 (Provisional) | 72,680 | 11.7 |
(a) The following table shows, the number and percentage of 15-year-old pupils who achieved 5+ A*-C grades at GCSE/GNVQ, and the route they took to achieve this.
| Pupils achieving both GCSEs and GNVQs who: | Pupils achieving GCSEs only who: | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academic year | Total number achieving 5+A*-C GCSE/GNVQ | Achieved 5+A*-C without the help of a GNVQ | Percentage | Achieved 5+A*-C with the help of a GNVQ | Percentage | Achieved 5+A*-C | Percentage |
| 1995/96 | 264,537 | — | — | — | — | 264,537 | 100.0 |
| 1996/97 | 264,892 | 1,095 | 0.4 | 0 | 0.2 | 263,193 | 99.4 |
| 1997/98 | 266,431 | 2,230 | 0.8 | 1,073 | 0.4 | 263,128 | 98.8 |
| 1998/99 | 278,560 | 3,696 | 1.3 | 1,676 | 0.6 | 273,188 | 98.1 |
| 1999/00 | 285,718 | 4,550 | 1.6 | 2,289 | 0.8 | 278,880 | 97.6 |
| 2000/01 | 301,617 | 7,962 | 2.6 | 3,597 | 1.2 | 290,058 | 96.2 |
| 2001/02 | 312,739 | 19,098 | 6.1 | 8,367 | 2.7 | 285,274 | 91.2 |
| 2002/03 | 327,301 | 40,747 | 12.4 | 17,582 | 5.4 | 268,972 | 82.2 |
Finance (Essex)
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to respond to the request for additional financial resources made on 26 September by the Essex Secondary Headteachers' Association; and if he will make a statement. [134465]
Mr. Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 October 2003, Official Report, column 500W.
Key Stage 2
Jonathan Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will allow local education authorities to renegotiate their targets for key stage two. [134324]
Mr. Miliband: Changes to the Key Stage 2 target setting arrangements were announced in "Excellence and Enjoyment: A strategy for primary schools", published in May 2003. For 2005 onwards, primary schools will set their own targets for the achievement of their 11-year-old pupils in English and mathematics, with local education authorities (LEAs) setting their targets for Key Stage 2 performance afterwards.
The Secretary of State has already approved Key Stage 2 targets for all LEAs for 2004, which form part of their Educational Development Plans. The Department has issued guidance indicating that LEAs may feel it appropriate to review their 2004 Key Stage 2 targets in the light of the changes to the primary school target setting arrangements. We expect this to apply to only a small number of LEAs.
27 Oct 2003 : Column 83W
Languages Pathfinders
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Languages Pathfinders have been established in (a) West Sussex and (b) England so far this year; and if he will make a statement. [133828]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Pathfinders were established in 10 English regions (and one in the prison service) in September 2002 to run for approximately a year.
There is not an ESOL Pathfinder in West Sussex (there was not a bid from West Sussex). However, there is a Pathfinder in East Sussex and some of its partners have been working with colleagues at the West Sussex Lifelong Learning Partnership. The locations of the 10 Pathfinder partnerships are as follows.
- Burnley and Pendle
- East London and Lewisham
- East Sussex, Thanet and Medway (South East CoastPathfinder)
- Exeter
- Liverpool, Blackburn and the Wirral
- Norfolk and Buckinghamshire
- South Thames
- Walsall and Birmingham
- West London
- West Yorkshire
Mathematics Teachers
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers were in training specialising in mathematics in each of the last five years for which records exist. [134220]
Mr. Miliband: The following table shows the number of entrants to initial teacher training courses in secondary mathematics since 1998/99.
| Postgraduate | Undergraduate | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998/99 | 928 | 192 | 1,120 |
| 1999/2000 | 1,109 | 198 | 1,307 |
| 2000/01 | 1,142 | 147 | 1,289 |
| 2001/02 | 1,403 | 150 | 1,553 |
| 2002/03 | 1,527 | 146 | 1,673 |
| 2003/04(16) | n/a | n/a | n/a |
(16) The data shown above excludes trainees on the Fast Track scheme in 2001/02 and employment based teacher training.
Source:
Teacher Training Agency
Ofsted
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Ofsted inspectors are qualified teacher trainers; and if he will make a statement. [134193]
Mr. Miliband: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, David Bell, will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of his letter in the Library.
PFI Projects (Jarvis)
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many PFI school projects operated by Jarvis have been halted because contractors have not been paid for work completed. [133836]
27 Oct 2003 : Column 84W
Mr. Miliband: We are not aware that any schools PFI projects involving Jarvis have been halted, for any reason.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |