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Edexcel

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on (a) the role of coursework in the GCSE examination and (b) the International GCSE qualification developed by Edexcel exam board. [136709]

Mr. Miliband: Coursework can be a valuable way of assessing achievement that cannot readily be demonstrated in an examination. The setting and assessment of coursework can help teaching and learning processes by measuring and encouraging the development of important skills not easily tested in timed written examinations, like the ability to tackle extended pieces of written work. The 14–19 Reform Group is considering the place of coursework in the 14–19 curriculum.

The concept of an IGCSE is not a new one. The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate has offered this type of examination since 1986. IGSEs

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have been designed as qualifications primarily for overseas candidates, with some take up in the independent sector. Unlike GCSEs they are not approved for use in maintained schools and are not subject to any regulatory mechanisms.

Education Formula Spending

Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in annex D of his Department's policy guidance note, School and local education authority funding in 2003–04, what increase in the education formula spending was indicated for local education authority budget forecasters to use for 2004–05; and how this was determined. [136886]

Mr. Miliband: The Department's guidance note, sent to local education authorities on 10 December 2003, included advice to authorities to help them in forecasting their budget over the period 2003–04 to 2005–06, so they could set indicative three-year budgets for schools.

Based on the outcome of the 2002 Spending Review, the guidance noted that Education Formula Spending was planned to increase between 2003–04 and 2004–05 by 5.5 per cent. in cash, and approximately 6.0 per cent. per pupil, based on pupil number estimates from the Department's pupil projection model. It also noted that the floor and ceiling arrangements, introduced in 2003–04, would continue to operate in future years.

The guidance explicitly recognised that the Department is unable to provide firm estimates of EFSS increases for future years for each authority.

Educational Psychologists

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes he has made to the work of educational psychologists in schools by grouping schools together; and if he will make a statement. [134991]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: Educational psychologists are employed by local education authorities. Decisions on their deployment and use are therefore matters for LEAs to determine in the light of local circumstances and available resources. The grouping of schools in federations should not significantly affect the role or responsibilities of educational psychologists.

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many educational psychologists are employed by each local education authority in London; and (a) how many were employed by, (b) how many retired (c) how many were recruited in and (d) what the vacancy rates were in each local authority in London for each of the last six years. [135149]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: The latest available information on the number of educational psychologists employed by local education authorities in London, and the number of vacant posts is given in the following table:

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Educational psychologists (full-time equivalent) London

	Vacancies							In Service
LEA	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2001	2002	2003
City of London	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.3	0	0	0
Camden	7.5	7.5	10.9	12.0	11.2	13.0	0	0	0
Greenwich	16.9	15.9	12.9	14.5	15.5	20.8	1	0	0
Hackney	10.0	10.5	11.7	12.5	11.5	11.0	1	2	0
Hammersmith and Fulham	7.5	9.3	7.5	5.9	8.4	10.1	1	0	0
Islington	13.0	12.3	14.1	12.0	10.3	9.3	0	0	0
Kensington and Chelsea	10.0	8.0	8.0	6.0	7.0	6.5	0	0	0
Lambeth	8.0	10.7	13.4	15.1	14.8	14.3	0	0	0
Lewisham	13.5	12.5	12.5	13.5	14.0	12.0	0	0	0
Southwark	11.1	12.3	12.3	11.7	13.3	11.7	2	3	4
Tower Hamlets	29.6	15.7	15.3	14.4	13.0	13.0	0	1	2
Wandsworth	11.6	10.7	11.3	11.0	12.4	11.7	0	1	1
City of Westminster	7.0	7.0	7.0	9.4	8.8	8.8	0	1	1
Barking and Dagenham	10.9	11.9	14.0	11.9	13.2	12.7	3	2	2
Barnet	15.5	15.5	14.4	15.5	12.0	15.7	1	4	0
Bexley	10.0	11.0	10.6	10.1	9.0	8.8	0	0	0
Brent	10.0	9.4	10.0	11.0	12.0	11.0	0	0	3
Bromley	12.0	12.0	11.0	11.5	10.0	10.0	1	2	0
Croydon	14.6	13.9	13.4	11.6	14.4	12.1	1	0	0
Ealing	13.8	23.8	14.7	13.7	16.2	11.7	1	0	2
Enfield	12.7	17.6	20.6	19.2	21.0	16.5	3	1	3
Haringey	13.3	15.0	14.1	11.6	10.3	10.1	2	2	3
Harrow	4.6	8.7	10.3	10.9	9.6	9.3	1	1	1
Havering	9.6	9.5	9.5	9.5	9.5	10.5	0	0	0
Hillingdon	13.8	15.3	14.2	15.5	14.1	15.6	0	0	0
Hounslow	10.5	10.0	10.5	10.5	9.8	8.4	0	0	1
Kingston upon Thames	6.9	5.7	6.8	5.4	7.6	7.6	1	0	0
Merton	6.5	6.5	6.8	9.6	9.9	6.9	0	0	1
Newham	12.8	15.5	19.0	17.7	16.0	12.5	4	5	9
Redbridge	8.2	10.0	10.4	7.4	10.2	9.8	2	0	0
Richmond upon Thames	7.6	7.6	7.1	6.1	0.0	6.1	1	0	1
Sutton	5.0	6.5	8.9	10.8	8.7	8.2	0	0	1
Waltham Forest	13.0	13.0	13.0	8.3	11.5	17.5	1	0	0
Total London	357.1	370.9	376.4	366.0	365.5	363.5	27	25	35

Source:

Annual form 618G surveys of teachers in service and teacher vacancies.

The Department does not collect information on the number of new recruits or retirements in any given period. Manpower planning issues fall to local education authorities, as employers, to determine in light of local circumstances and available resources. Data on vacancy rates are only available from 2001.

First Aid

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if he will amend the OFSTED requirements of the first aid training standard for pre-school and nursery settings to ensure that there is a paediatric component in first aid courses; [136600]

(2) if he will set out for each setting inspected by OFSTED (a) the published standard for first aid training, (b) the length of training required and (c) the areas to be covered by the training. [136602]

Margaret Hodge: Ofsted registers and inspects pre-schools, day nurseries and childminders having regard to national standards set by the Department for Education and Skills. Revised national standards for under eights day care and childminding came into force in September 2003. For pre-school and nursery settings the standards specify that there is at least one member of staff with a current first aid training certificate on the premises or on outings at any one time, and that the first aid qualification includes training in first aid for infants and young children. The revisions make it clear that this training has to be consistent with any guidance issued by the Secretary of State to local authorities, who are responsible for making training available to settings.

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We will issue guidance shortly, and this will include advice on the length of training and areas to be covered.

Foster Carers

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to allow for short break provision to be granted to foster carers; what additional support can be given in cases where foster parents have allegations made against them; and if he will make a statement. [133124]

Margaret Hodge: Foster carers can already receive "short breaks" and the Fostering Services National Minimum Standards (March 2002) require the provision of independent support to foster carers during an investigation. The Green Paper, "Every Child Matters" contains a number of proposals to improve the recruitment and retention of foster carers. These include improving support for carers facing allegations and improved short break provision. The Green Paper is now out for consultation until 1 December 2003.

Graduate Tax

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) for what reason it was stated in his circular, The Government's Higher Education Proposals Explained, of 5 November, that the proceeds of a graduate tax cannot be earmarked by statute for use in the funding of higher education alone; [137748]

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(2) for what reason it was stated in his circular, The Government's Higher Education Proposals Explained, of 5 November, that a graduate tax is necessarily payable throughout a graduate's life; [137749]

(3) for what reason it was stated in his circular, The Government's Higher Education Proposals Explained, of 5 November, that a graduate tax would necessarily not have an earnings threshold below which no repayments are made; [137750]

(4) for what reason it was stated in his circular, The Government's Higher Education Proposals Explained, of 5 November, that a graduate tax would necessarily not recover the money for higher education funding for at least 20 years; [137751]

(5) for what reason it was stated that a graduate tax would have to run alongside the student loan system in his circular, The Government's Higher Education Proposals Explained, of 5 November. [137752]

Alan Johnson: The circular referred to is a party political document. I will write to my hon. Friend separately.

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