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17 Nov 2003 : Column 559W—continued
Sure Start
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to extend Sure Start's Business Success for Childcare programme to more areas of England, with particular reference to Bassetlaw. [138213]
Margaret Hodge: The Business Success for Childcare Programme delivers free business support training to childcare providers through a series of workshops supported by workbooks.
There are no workshops currently scheduled in the Bassetlaw area. However, 16 workshops have taken place or are due to take place nearby in Mansfield and Nottingham. In addition, the training materials developed for the Programme can be easily accessed via our website www.surestart.gov.uk/support4business.
Sustainable Development
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that the Department's bid to the forthcoming Government Spending Round contributes toward the UK's objectives on sustainable development. [138689]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Department for Education and Skills has direct responsibility for one of Government's key sustainable development priorities, and influences seven others, set out in the UK Strategy for Sustainable Development. I launched the Sustainable Development Action Plan for Education and Skills on 23 September 2003. This plan commits this department to work with our partner organisations and other Government departments to ensure that sustainable development is an integral part of education and skills development of this country and its economy. We are working with HM Treasury in the context of the 2004 Spending Review to ensure that sustainable development remains at the heart of the development and renewal of the strategic priorities for this department. We are
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working closely with colleagues in Defra to ensure the impact of our policies can be measured through the new sustainable development indicators currently being developed as part of the review of the UK Sustainable Development Strategy.
Teacher Recruitment
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on the fast track teacher recruitment scheme in each year since the scheme's inception, broken down by category of activity. [138534]
Mr. Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 8 September 2003, Official Report, column 144W.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much his Department spent on measures to aid teacher recruitment in each year since 1997–98, broken down by programme. [138535]
Mr. Miliband: Many of the Government's policies in education and other areas have contributed to the 25,000 more teachers employed in England since 1997 and the record numbers of trainees now beginning courses of initial teacher training.
Most dedicated programmes intended to increase the numbers of new recruits to teaching in England are administered on the Government's behalf by the Teacher Training Agency. Details of expenditure on these for years up to and including 2002–03 are contained in the Agency's audited accounts, which have been placed in the Library.
Teachers (Qualifications)
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what subject qualifications a teacher requires to teach (a) mathematics, (b) English and (c) science at (i) Key Stage I, (ii) Key Stage II, (iii) Key Stage III, (iv) Key Stage IV and (v) AS/A2 level. [138533]
Mr. Miliband: The deployment of teachers and other school staff is a matter for the professional judgment of headteachers.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many lessons in (a) mathematics, (b) science and (c) English were identified in the 2003 Curriculum and Staffing Survey as being taught by teachers without a subject-specific qualification in the subject being taught. [138536]
Mr. Miliband: In the November 2002 Secondary School Curriculum and Staffing Survey, 13 per cent. of mathematics; 8 per cent. of combined/general science; and 11 per cent. of English periods were taught to year groups 7 to 13 by full time teachers without a post A-level qualification in the subject being taught. The data underpinning these percentages are still undergoing thorough validation. Estimates of the total number of periods taught by full time teachers to year groups 7 to 13 by subject will be published in the statistical volume "School Workforce in England (2003 edition)".
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Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he has taken to ensure that teachers without formal qualifications in (a) mathematics, (b) science and (c) English receive professional development to teach these subjects. [138537]
Mr. Miliband: Through the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies, the Government are already offering comprehensive support and training for the teaching of English and maths in primary schools. The Key Stage 3 Strategy provides similar support for subject knowledge and professional development for teachers teaching English, maths and science in secondary schools.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of additional (a) mathematics, (b) science and (c) English teachers that would need to be recruited if all lessons at Key Stage III and Key Stage IV were to be taught by teachers with a formal qualification in the appropriate subject. [138538]
Mr. Miliband: My right hon. Friend has made no such estimate. However, the financial incentives and new routes to Qualified Teacher Status that the Government has created are bringing specialists in these subjects into teaching in record numbers. Figures published by the Teacher Training Agency on 10 November showed that, in the last five years, the number of recruits to conventional undergraduate and postgraduate courses of initial teacher training and the employment-based Graduate Teacher Programme has risen in mathematics by 91 per cent, in English by 33 per cent, and in science by 40 per cent. In these subjects alone, there have been almost 2,700 more recruits to training so far this year than in 1998–99.
In addition to these huge gains, the widely welcomed remodelling of the school workforce that the Government and its partners are tak'ng forward will enable all subject specialists to use their knowledge to the maximum benefit of learners in the classroom.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many newly qualified teachers who registered on the database of teacher records in each of the last three years for which figures are available had degrees in psychology. [138539]
Mr. Miliband: The table shows the number of teachers who qualified in England in each of the calendar years shown with psychology as a subject of their first degree.
| Calendar year | Psychology as a subject of first degree(75) |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 720 |
| 2001 | 850 |
| 2002(76) | 870 |
(75) Includes those with psychology as either a first or second subject of first degree, excluding those whose first degree is their initial teacher training degree.
(76) Data for 2002 are provisional. The number of completers in this year may be undercounted.
Source:
Database of Teacher Records
Top-up Fees
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action he (a) has taken and
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(b) proposes to take to meet concerns expressed by hon. Members about the proposed implementation of variable top-up fees. [137555]
Alan Johnson: We published our response to the Education and Skills Select Committee's report on the Higher Education White Paper on 28 July. We also published on that date our response to the consultation on the Higher Education White Paper. In addition, I have had a number of meetings with hon. Members about our higher education policy, and will continue to do so.
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what arrangements will apply if top-up fees are introduced for the allocation of resources for student bursaries in situations where two or more higher education institutions make joint arrangements to facilitate access to their courses. [137878]
Alan Johnson: Universities will be able to make joint arrangements for bursaries—we already encourage collaboration between institutions in order to widen participation through programmes such as Aimhigher.
Tuition Fees
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research he has collated on the impact of variable fees on social access to university medical places in (a) the United States, (b) Canada and (c) Australia. [137213]
Alan Johnson: We are aware of research on the impact of variable fees on social access to a range of university courses in Australia and Canada. I have placed copies of a number of pieces of research in the House Library.
With regard to access to medical places in this country under the proposed variable fees system, we do not anticipate that there will be any significant effect on applications to medical courses. Applications to medical schools in the UK have gone up since 1988, as have the total number of students studying medical courses. However, Department of Health Ministers have made it clear that they will, if necessary, take measures to ensure that any increase in the level of tuition fees will not have an adverse impact on the supply, retention, diversity or quality of students undertaking medical training.
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimates his Department has made of the demand for places on medical courses if students are charged the maximum tuition fee per year. [137215]
Alan Johnson: We do not anticipate any significant impact on demand for medical courses after the introduction of variable fees. The Department of Health will, however, be monitoring demand for, and take-up of, medical courses. Department of Health Ministers have made it clear that they will, if necessary, take measures to ensure that any increase in the level of tuition fees will not have an adverse impact on the supply, retention, diversity or quality of students on health professional courses, including medicine.
Since the introduction of tuition fees in 1998, demand for places on medical courses has continued to outstrip significantly the number of places, despite an increase in
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the number of places available. Between 1999 and 2001, plans for some 2,250 more medical school places in the UK were announced. As a result of the extra investment, the number of students entering medical school will increase to over 7,300 in 2005. The number of UK applicants to study medicine at UK universities is also at its highest since 1986 (the earliest year for which data are available).
As I said on 6 November in response to an earlier question from my hon. Friend, I have placed in the House Library copies of a number of pieces of international research on the impact on social access to a range of university courses.
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many of the responses to the Higher Education White Paper (a) were supportive (b) had reservations about and (c) were opposed to variable fees. [137299]
Alan Johnson: I refer my hon. Friend to the Government's response to the consultation on the Higher Education White Paper that was placed on the website of the Department for Education and Skills on 28 July 2003. An electronic copy of all the responses was also placed in the House Library.
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will place in the Library copies of the evidence collated from overseas on the impact of variable tuition fees on social access to medical courses. [137570]
Alan Johnson: I have placed in the House Library copies of a number of documents containing evidence from Canada and Australia on the impact of variable fees on social access to a range of university courses.
I will also place in the House Library a copy of a piece of research from New Zealand which also contains evidence on this matter.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the cost to a student of financing up-front payment of a £3,000 student tuition fee over the anticipated period of repayment. [138532]
Alan Johnson: The Government has proposed that students who choose to defer payment of their tuition fees until after they have graduated will repay their fee loans at zero real rate of interest. A graduate will, therefore, repay the same amount, in real terms, as he or she borrowed initially.
Mr. Keith Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of tuition fees he intends that each university should pay out in bursaries to students from low-income families; and what definition of a low-income family he will use for this purpose. [138716]
Alan Johnson: We are considering and discussing the contents of access agreements and the duties of the Office for Fair Access, and will make a statement in due course.
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 12 November 2003, Official Report, columns 354–5W, on tuition fees, if he will give the column reference and
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name of the honourable Member who put the question he answered on 6 November in respect of international research on social access and higher education. [139408]
Alan Johnson: The answer to question 137214 was intended to refer to question number 137213, tabled by the hon. Member himself for answer on 6 November. Due to an administrative error PQ 137213 had not been answered by the time the reply to 137214 was tabled. The information referred to has been placed in the Libraries.
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