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7 Jan 2004 : Column 366W—continued
Free School Meals
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of children received free school meals in each of the last five years; and what proportion of children were entitled to free school meals in each of the last five years. [146348]
Mr. Miliband: The information requested is given in the tables.
7 Jan 2004 : Column 367W
| Day Pupils(4),(5) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003(5) | |
| Maintained nursery and primary schools(3) school meal arrangements | |||||
| Number on roll | 4,507,663 | 4,481,677 | 4,451,224 | 4,405,639 | 4,350,260 |
| Number of pupils taking free school meals(6) | 690,321 | 671,486 | 631,638 | 616,625 | 604,911 |
| Percentage of pupil staking free school meals | 15.3 | 15.0 | 14.2 | 14.0 | 13.9 |
| Number of pupils known to be eligible for free meals(7) | 853,020 | 821,521 | 784,976 | 754,511 | 731,611 |
| Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free meals | 18.9 | 18.3 | 17.6 | 17.1 | 16.8 |
| Maintained secondary schools1: school meal arrangements | |||||
| Number on roll | 3,118,277 | 3,177,998 | 3,226,973 | 3,260,931 | 3,308,492 |
| Number of pupils taking free school meals(6) | 367,795 | 368,303 | 353,469 | 354,256 | 349,777 |
| Percentage of pupil staking free school meals | 11.8 | 11.6 | 11.0 | 10.9 | 10.6 |
| Number of pupils known to be eligible for free meals | 527,339 | 523,630 | 509,676 | 486,353 | 478,915 |
| Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free meals(7) | 16.9 | 16.5 | 15.8 | 14.9 | 14.5 |
(3) Includes middle schools as deemed.
(4) Day pupils includes all full-time and part-time pupils who are solely or dually registered, excluding boarding pupils. See
(5) for 2003.
(6) In 2003 boarding pupils are included.
(7) Number of pupils taking a free school meal on the day of the Census in January.
(8) Prior to 2001 figures relate to the number of pupils known to be eligible for a free school meal. From 2001 this definition was expanded to include only pupils who were known to be eligible for and claiming a free school meal.
Source:
Annual Schools' Census
Further and Higher Education
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether it is his intention to increase the overall total number of students aged 18 to 30 who study for courses in (a) higher education and (b) further education institutions by 2010. [144284]
Alan Johnson: The White Paper: The Future of Higher Education was published in January 2003. In this, the Government set out plans to increase participation in higher education towards 50 per cent. of those aged 18 to 30 by 2010.Although there are no numerical targets for expansion of student numbers in further education, funding will increase by £1.2 billion between 2002–03 and 2005–06, a 19 per cent. real terms increase. This will help to support increased participation in further education.
Mr. Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research his Department has carried out on the ability of (a) individual learners and (b) employers to pay increased fees for further education courses. [146233]
Alan Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to his earlier question, 16 December 2003, Official Report, column 835W, refers.
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received from Scottish universities in respect of the proposed Higher Education Bill. [145681]
Alan Johnson: I have received representations from a wide range of sources since the White Paper was published. My Department has had discussions regarding the proposals in the Higher Education Bill with Universities UK which represents institutions across the UK.
7 Jan 2004 : Column 368W
School Finance
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the level of (a) revenue funding and (b) school-based expenditure per school pupil was in each of the last five years, broken down by (i) capital expenditure, (ii) expenditure on special schools and (iii) central administration and support services. [141702]
Mr. Miliband: The bulk of capital funding is now allocated by formula to schools and local authorities, and investment decisions are made locally in the context of the Asset Management Plan. In the interests of reducing the bureaucratic burden, the Department does not collect data for capital expenditure from schools or authorities. The information requested on recurrent funding is contained in the following tables:
| England | £ |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 2,510 |
| 1998–99 | 2,620 |
| 1999–2000 | 2,800 |
| 2000–01 | 3,060 |
| 2001–02 | 3,280 |
| 2002–03 | 3.490 |
| 2003–04 | 3,690 |
Notes:
1. Figures reflect education SSA/EFS settlement (all sub-blocks). Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES departmental Expenditure Limits relevant to EPS pupils aged 3–19.
2. Figures exclude EMAs and grants not allocated at LEA level and the pensions transfer to EPS and LSC for 2003–04.
3. The pupil numbers used are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC 3 year olds maintained pupils, estimated 3–4 year olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers.
4. 2003–04 and 2002–03 figures are provisional estimates as some grants have not yet been finalised/audited.
5. Cash terms figures used are rounded to the nearest 10 so may not sum.
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| NIE | Pupils | NIE per pupil | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (ii) Expenditure on special schools(9) | |||
| 1997–98 | 882,132,000 | 91,870 | 9,602 |
| 1998–99 | 910,015,000 | 91,837 | 9,909 |
| 1999–2000 | 986,451,471 | 90,980 | 10,843 |
| 2000–01 | 1,071,331,814 | 90,055 | 11,896 |
| 2001–02 | 1,151,146,785 | 89,083 | 12,922 |
| (iii) Central administration and support services(10) | |||
| 1997–98 | 1,206,130,000 | 7,473,985 | 161 |
| 1998–99 | 1,330,466,000 | 7,526,071 | 177 |
| 1999–2000 | 1,302,341,279 | 7,565,844 | 172 |
| 2000–01 | 1,408,239,708 | 7,592,711 | 185 |
| 2001–02 | 1,444,640,500 | 7,595,137 | 190 |
(9) Net institutional expenditure includes all school-recurrent funding, including teaching staff and non-teaching staff salaries, school premises costs, equipment and supplies, and unspent balances held by schools at the year end. Excludes spending on central administration and support services such as transport and school meals as well as capital expenditure.
(10) For 1997–98 and 1998–99 management and support expenditure comprises of spending on management and administration, inspection and advisory services, other education support services and school catering services. For 1999–2000, 2000–01 and 2001–02 management and support expenditure comprises of statutory/regulatory duties and other support services.
Notes:
1. Figures are in cash terms as reported by the LEA.
2. The expenditure data for 1997–98 and 1998–99 is drawn from the annual 'RO1' spending returns which local authorities submitted to the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions. From 1999–2000 onwards, data is taken from local education authorities' Section 52 Outturn Statements submitted to the DfES. The pupil data are drawn from the DfES Annual Schools' Census.
Language Study
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 17 December 2003, Official Report, column 958W, on language study, what measures he is taking to reverse the decline in the number of schools offering Latin at (a) GCSE and (b) A-level. [146186]
Mr. Miliband: It is for individual schools and colleges to decide which subjects they are to provide, aside from those in the National Curriculum. From October 2003, we have expanded the Specialist School programme to include Specialist Humanities Colleges, through which schools may focus on Latin alongside other humanities subjects. We have introduced an Advanced Extension Award in Latin which has been available since 2002.
School Streaming
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 15 December 2003, Official Report, column 669W, on streaming, if he will assess the extent to which the practices of (a) personalised learning and (b) teaching tailored to the needs of pupils are endorsed by the conclusions of the research review conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research. [145472]
Mr. Miliband: The practices of (a) personalised learning and (b) teaching tailored to the needs of pupils are fully endorsed by the research review conducted by the National Foundation for Educational Research, which concludes that "schools need to take account of
7 Jan 2004 : Column 370W
what is most appropriate for their staff, pupils, parents and community, in the context of their particular circumstances (such as class size, pupil ability range and resources) and national developments such as the requirements of the National Curriculum."
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