Previous Section Index Home Page


8 Dec 2003 : Column 281W—continued

Drugs

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance has been issued to schools on identifying drug use among pupils. [141926]

Mr. Stephen Twigg [holding answer 4 December 2003]: The Department has issued two guidance documents for schools on drugs: "Circular 4/95: Drug Prevention and Schools and Protecting Young People:

8 Dec 2003 : Column 282W

Good practice in drug education in schools and the youth service (1998)". These documents are currently being revised and consolidated and will be reissued in 2004. This follows consultation on draft guidance earlier this year. The document will offer guidance to schools on all drug matters including identifying and managing drug use among pupils and supporting pupils with drug-related needs.

Education (North-west)

Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the ratio of teachers per pupil was in (a) nursery, (b) primary and (c) secondary education in (i) St. Helens, (ii) Merseyside and (iii) the North West Region, in each year since 1992. [141472]

Mr. Miliband: The information requested is shown in the table.

Maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools(26): Pupil:Teacher ratio(27)

Position at January each year1992–2003NurseryPrimarySecondary
St. Helens(28)
199220.022.815.3
199320.022.215.3
199420.022.015.3
199520.022.215.3
199620.622.915.6
199720.523.315.6
199821.323.216.0
199921.623.615.9
200022.023.216.1
200119.422.916.1
200218.922.415.8
200317.022.915.8
Merseyside(28),(29)
199217.322.915.6
199318.023.015.9
199419.023.016.1
199517.523.216.1
199617.823.316.2
199718.023.416.3
199817.223.716.5
199917.423.416.5
200016.423.016.6
200114.722.516.2
200214.521.915.7
200313.621.815.8
North West(28),(30)
199219.122.815.6
199319.423.016.0
199420.423.216.3
199520.223.416.5
199620.023.716.6
199719.623.916.6
199819.324.016.7
199919.023.916.8
200018.723.416.8
200118.122.916.6
200217.122.316.3
200316.222.316.4

(26) Includes middle schools as deemed.

(27) Only includes the full-time and the full-time equivalent of part-time teachers with qualified teacher status.

(28) The boundaries for each area are for the year in question. Figures have not been adjusted to take into account of any boundary changes.

(29) Includes Knowsley, Liverpool, St. Helens, Sefton and Wirral local education authorities.

(30) Includes Merseyside.


8 Dec 2003 : Column 283W

Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average class sizes in (a) nursery schools, (b) primary education and (c) secondary education in (i) St. Helens, (ii) Merseyside and (iii) the North West Region were, in each year since 1992. [141473]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: Information on the average class size in nursery schools is not collected centrally. The requested information for primary and secondary schools is shown in the table.

Maintained primary and secondary schools(31): average class size(32),(33): position in January each year 1992 to 2003

Average class size(32),(33)
Primary(34)Secondary(34)
St. Helens(35)Merseyside(36)North westSt. Helens(35)Merseyside(36)North west
199227.026.627.219.720.320.8
199326.226.727.319.620.520.7
199426.826.827.419.720.721.4
199527.027.127.620.321.021.6
199627.527.027.720.020.921.8
199727.827.127.919.920.921.8
199827.627.228.020.120.921.8
199927.627.027.720.021.121.8
200027.326.727.120.621.322.0
200126.626.126.720.621.122.0
200226.025.526.120.320.821.8
200326.925.326.120.820.821.8

(31) Includes middle schools as deemed.

(32) Classes taught by one teacher.

(33) Classes as taught during one selected period in each school on the day of the Census in January.

(34) The boundaries for each area are for the year in question. Figures have not been adjusted to take into account of any boundary changes.

(35) Includes Knowsley, Liverpool, St. Helens, Sefton and Wirral local education authorities.

(36) Includes Merseyside.

Source:

Annual Schools' Census


Family Mediation

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to bring forward reform of family courts to enable them to play a greater role in mediation. [141185]

8 Dec 2003 : Column 284W

Margaret Hodge: The Government encourage the use of family mediation as an alternative to court proceedings in appropriate cases. Mediation can be particularly beneficial in resolving disputes over child contact. Public funding for family mediation is now available throughout England and Wales through the Community Legal Service.

Courts can allow cases to be adjourned so that parties can attempt to resolve the dispute by using family mediation. As part of its project to reduce the proportion of cases resolved by resort to the courts the Government have arranged a pilot whereby selected courts send out information about family mediation to parties in various family proceedings, including child contact disputes.

The Government are also testing the provision of a Family Advice and Information Service (FAInS) which will provide advice for people with family difficulties and will facilitate referrals to other appropriate agencies, including family mediation services.

Foundation Degrees

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what the total cost has been of introducing foundation degrees; [142033]

Alan Johnson: Foundation Degrees were announced by the Secretary of State in February 2000. The budget for Foundation Degrees was included in the 'Grants to HEFCE' and the 'other' Higher Education outturn figures published in the Departmental Report of 2002–03 (page169). The figures are; 2000–01—£4,390 million; 2001–02—£4,798 million; 2002–03—£5,043 million (estimated). Spending plans for Foundation Degrees for the period 2003–04 to 2005–06, totalling £32 million, were published in the White Paper 'The future of higher education' (ISBN: 0 10 157352 9, page 66) and set out clearly against specific activities in "Foundation Degrees—Meeting the need for higher level skills" (ISBN: 1 84478 076 07, page 18) published on 7 October 2003.

GCSEs

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the change in the number of pupils achieving (a) five A*to C grades at GCSE only and (b) five A* to C grades with the addition of a GNVQ between 2000–03. [141834]

Mr. Miliband: The statistical information requested is detailed in the following table:

Pupils achieving both GCSEs and GNVQs who:Pupils achieving GCSEs only who:
YearNumber achieving 5+A*-C GCSE/GNVQPercentage achieving 5+A*-CAchieved 5+A*-C%Achieved 5+A*-C%Achieved 5+A*-C%
1999–00285,71849.24,5501.62,2890.8278,88097.6
2000–01301,61750.07,9622.63,5971.2290,05896.2
2001–02312,73951.619,0986.18,3672.7285,27491.2
2002–03327,30152.640,74712.417,5825.4268,97282.2

Note:

2003 figures are provisional and may change once the performance tables checking process is complete..The figures quoted in the answer relate to the achievements of pupils that were aged 15 at the start of the academic year—ie those pupils aged 15 on 31 August.


8 Dec 2003 : Column 285W

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what boundaries were set by the Oxford, Cambridge and RSA awarding body for GCSE grades A* to U in (a) English literature, (b) English language and (c) mathematics in each year from 1988 to 2002. [141900]

Mr. Miliband: The answer can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.


Next Section Index Home Page