You are here: Parliament home page > Parliamentary business > Publications and Records > Hansard > Commons Debates > Commons Debates by date > Commons Debates - previous sessions > Bound Volume Hansard - Written Answers
Previous Section Index Home Page

11 Mar 2004 : Column 1720W—continued

Children's Departments

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received concerning the proposed formation of a children's department within local authorities; and if he will make a statement. [157358]

Margaret Hodge: We have received 4,604 responses to the Green Paper 'Every Child Matters' and have considered them very carefully. Last week we published 'Every Child Matters: Next Steps', which reports on the outcomes of the consultation and sets out the Government's proposals for taking this work forward.

Children's Fund

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2004, Official Report, column 1186W, on the Children's Fund, if he will list each project funded by the Children's Fund to date. [155076]

Margaret Hodge: The information requested on individual projects funded is not collected centrally; this is held only by partnerships. The latest available data shows that a total of 4,665 Children's Fund services were being delivered across England to 321,033 children, young people and carers.

A list of the 149 Children's Fund partnerships in England follows. Wave 1 partnerships were approved to begin from July 2001, Wave 2 partnerships from April 2002 and Wave 3 partnerships from April 2003. Under the 2002 Spending Review the programme has £150 million per annum, although we have been able to commit an additional £20 million to all partnerships from our 2004/05 budget.

Partnership

Wave 1

























11 Mar 2004 : Column 1721W

















Wave 2










































11 Mar 2004 : Column 1722W










Wave 3

















































11 Mar 2004 : Column 1723W












Computer Access

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what programmes are in place to enable mature students on low incomes to acquire computers. [158150]

Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 2 March 2004]: At present no centrally funded programmes are in place that enable mature students on low incomes to acquire free or low price computers. The Government have however, established a network of UK online centres. These centres provide open access to ICT and the internet for people in all communities. All mature students in England should be able to find a UK online centre near to their home.

Many higher education institutions run local schemes to provide financial support or computer loans to their students on a case-by-case basis.

There are several programmes that provide general financial support to mature students on a basis of need, such as Access Funds. These are explained in the booklet, "Money to Learn", published by the Department for Education and Skills.

Departmental Policies (Regent's Park and Kensington, North)

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the impact of his Department's policies on the constituency of Regent's Park and Kensington North since 1997. [145418]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The constituency Regent's Park and Kensington, North covers part of both Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea local education authorities. Where the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) can or does collect information by constituency, it has been provided.

Additional information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, my Department is investigating ways in which we disseminate information about the effects of our policies at a local level. We hope to have systems to facilitate this in place later this year.

Children, young people and families

The Government have sought to increase the range, number, quality and effectiveness of services for children, young people and families since 1997. Although data are not collected on a constituency basis, information is available on the impact of programmes delivered in the London boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, and Westminster.

11 Mar 2004 : Column 1724W

Children's Social Services

Children's social services in the constituency are delivered by both Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster, both of which are three star social services authorities (as published in the Annual Review of Performance Reports, issued by the Chief Inspector of the Social Services Inspectorate).

Early education

The Government have guaranteed a free, part time, early education available place to all our four-year-olds since 1998 and an increasing number of three-year-olds, if their parents want it. All three-year-olds will be guaranteed a free place by April 2004.

Both Kensington and Westminster authorities have confirmed that they will be able to meet their statutory obligation to three-year-olds by April 2004. Currently, we understand that around 50 per cent. of Kensington's three and four-year-olds take up an early education place, while in Westminster the participation rates are: 86 per cent. for four-year-olds and 92 per cent. for three-year-olds.

Child care

Since 1999, a total of 1,583 new pre-school and out of school child care places have been created within the constituency benefiting 2,689 children.

Disadvantaged area programmes

There are four Sure Start local programmes in the constituency providing a range of early learning, health and family services and with 3,230 children in their catchment areas, and one early excellence centre has been established in the constituency offering early education, childcare, health and family support to local children and families. Neighbourhood nurseries are being built in disadvantaged communities throughout the country following an initiative that began in 2001. There are five proposed flagship children centres in both Kensington and Chelsea LEA and Westminster LEA, some of which would be developed from acclaimed local nursery schools.

Connexions

Connexions, the Government's front line support service for all young people aged 13–19, is providing advice, guidance and support to young people in Regent's Park and Kensington, North constituency through Central London Connexions partnership. Since its launch in June 2002, following a 12 month pilot, young people aged 13–19 have had access to support and advice on a range of issues to help them participate and achieve in education, employment and training and to reach their full potential as adults.

Youth Services

There are two local authority youth services in Regent's Park and Kensington, North—in Westminster and in Kensington and Chelsea. There is evidence that the Department's policies have made a positive impact on the standards of youth service provision in both areas, in both of which Ofsted inspections identified weaknesses but which, when re-inspected in October 2003, were found to have made good progress.

Extended schools

The Department is supporting the rollout of up to 240 full service extended schools by 2006, so that there will be at least one in each LEA area. Quintin Kynaston School in Westminster LEA and Sion Manning RC

11 Mar 2004 : Column 1725W

School for Girls in Kensington and Chelsea LEA are being developed as full service extended schools from this year.

Schools

Recurrent funding

The estimated 1 increase in per pupil funding in Westminster in real terms from 1997–98 to 2004–05 is £1,160, compared with the national average of £880.

School performance tables

Key stage (KS) figures can be found on the DfES website at: www.dfes.gov.uk/performancetables.

Specialist schools

There are two specialist schools in Kensington and Chelsea LEA and four specialist schools in Westminster LEA:

Education Action Zones

There is an Education Action Zone in Westminster, which includes three secondary schools, 22 nursery and primary schools and two special schools.

Beacon schools

Within Regent's Park and North Kensington constituency there are a total of seven Beacon schools.

Primary Strategy Leadership

Six primary schools are part of the Primary Strategy Leadership programme in Kensington and Chelsea. Westminster LEA has not identified particular schools to participate in the programme but is using consultant leaders to give leadership support to all schools across the LEA.

Leadership Incentive Grant

There are eight secondary schools in Westminster in receipt of LIG and four schools in Kensington and Chelsea in receipt of LIG.

Behaviour improvement projects

In Westminster four secondary schools and 17 primary schools are involved in the BIP. In Kensington and Chelsea there are three secondary schools and 12 primary schools.

Healthy schools

There are different levels of involvement within the NHSS, level three being the highest—37.5 per cent. of schools in Kensington and Chelsea and 53 per cent. of schools in Westminster are working at this level and are recognised as healthy schools.

14–19 Education

The Government's strategy for 14–19 education and training, set out in "14–19: opportunity and excellence", will provide all young people with the opportunity to continue their education in different settings, including schools, colleges, and the workplace.

The impact of the 14–19 agenda on Regent's Park and Kensington, North includes:

16–19 area inspection (14–19 from March 2003)

16–19 area inspections were introduced in 1999 as a key means of securing improvements in education and training for young people. The royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea underwent a 16–19 area inspection in summer 2002. A copy of the Ofsted report can be found on their website www.ofsted.gov.uk.

11 Mar 2004 : Column 1726W

With London Central LSC in the lead, local partners developed an action plan that was accepted by Stephen Twigg, the Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Schools, on 12 January 2003. London Central LSC is responsible for the successful implementation of the plan, which is on-going.

Vocational Provision

London Central LSC currently has four work-based learning providers delivering vocational programmes in the constituency of Regents Park and Kensington, North.

Learners in the borough have access to all of the remaining 31 work-based learning providers in the London Central portfolio. Within easy travelling distance they can gain entry to over 35 additional occupational areas ranging from accountancy, engineering and sport and recreation to construction, hospitality and retail.

Educational maintenance allowances

Neither Kensington and Chelsea nor Westminster is covered by Educational Maintenance Allowances (EMA) pilots although some students attending FE institutions in these LEAs may be in receipt of EMA because most of inner London is covered by pilots.

Higher education

Participation

The number of 18 to 20-year-olds entering full-time higher education courses, are as follows:

Number

Kensington and ChelseaWestminster
1997655613
1998584650
1999614647
2000654672
2001658688
2002655717

Adult education

The Local Labour Force Survey shows that in Regents Park and Kensington, North:






Next Section Index Home Page