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16 Mar 2004 : Column 234W—continued
Qualified Teacher Status
Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the availability of qualified teacher status training for Welsh residents in English teacher training colleges located close to the Welsh border. [161760]
Mr. Miliband: In 2004/05, 35,800 places on courses of initial teacher training will be available at institutions located in England, more than at any time since the 1980s. This has allowed the number of places allocated to providers in the three Government Office Regions which border Wales to grow from 12,700 in the current year to 13,337 in 2004/05. Students from Wales who take up places on a Postgraduate Certificate in Education course in England are eligible to receive a £6,000 training bursary from the Government on the same basis as those who are normally resident in England.
Random Drug Testing
Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) whether all schools are subject to random drug testing; [157803]
- (2) whether parental permission for random drug testing will be a requirement before a child can obtain a place in a (a) junior and (b) secondary school; [157808]
(3) what estimate he has made of the costs incurred by schools in obtaining parental permission for random drug testing; [157811]
(4) whether random drug testing in schools includes (a) pupils, (b) teachers, (c) classroom assistants, (d) supply teachers, (e) school grounds staff, (f) maintenance staff and (g) kitchen staff; [157816]
(5) whether a child can be expelled if parental permission for random drug testing is not granted; [157813]
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(6) whether random drug testing will take place in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools, (c) breakfast school clubs and (d) after-school clubs; [157815]
(7) who will carry out the random drug tests in schools. [157817]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: "Drugs: Guidance to Schools" will be sent to all schools this month. The guidance highlights the option for schools to employ drug testing. The guidance applies to all maintained schools and pupil referral units in England. It is for headteachers to decide whether to employ drug testing—random or not.
A school's governing body decides on its behaviour policy. The head teacher has discretion to exclude pupils in response to serious breaches of this policy, taking individual circumstances into account.
Local education authorities and school governing bodies are responsible for deciding local school admission arrangements, but cannot make admission dependent on parents signing any form of parental declaration, which would include parental permission for random drug testing. Parental permission could form part of a home- school agreement between parents and schools. Home-school agreements cannot be made a condition of entry to any maintained school. Procedures on testing and sanctions should be contained in the school's drug policy and be developed through wide consultation with members of the school community.
Any costs of obtaining parental permission will of course depend on the decisions of individual heads as to how often, how and when to seek such permissions. For example if done through an existing system such as existing home-school contracts the costs will be close to zero. If a separate exercise were undertaken the costs would be likely to be higher. These will be matters for heads to consider in the light of their local circumstances.
It will be for schools to decide on the scope of drug testing taking into account the school's drug policy and the employment contracts of those working in the school. A school's drug policy should make clear to which activities the policy applies, including after school and out of school activities, and the scope of any drug testing strategy contained in the policy.
In cases where the carrying out of drug testing is considered appropriate, it will be for schools to decide how and by whom this should be done.
School Repairs
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent on repairing schools in Buckingham in each year since 1997. [161310]
Mr. Miliband: The following table shows capital funding allocated to Buckinghamshire local education authority (LEA) and its schools since 1997–98. The majority of capital funding is now allocated by formulae, linked to Asset Management Plans. In addition, all schools have, since 2000–01, received Devolved Formula capital to use on their most urgent capital needs.
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| Allocation (£000) | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 5,493 |
| 1998–99 | 8,068 |
| 1999–2000 | 11,947 |
| 2000–01 | 19,422 |
| 2001–02 | 11,510 |
| 2002–03 | 16,981 |
| 2003–04 | 27,460 |
Note:
The above allocations include the Voluntary Aided sector.
School Sports Facilities
Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his Department is doing to ensure that the timescales for Private Finance Initiative school developments allow time for consideration of community use of sports facilities. [160938]
Mr. Miliband: PFI contracts are usually between the local authority and a private contractor. It is therefore for the authority to ensure that negotiations include the use of sports facilities by community groups. My Department does not have a direct role in the negotiations themselves. The authority's Outline Business Case, which requires approval by the Treasury-chaired Project Review Group, must include a timetable which allows sufficient time for the consideration of key issues such as the community use of facilities. Projects which involve community use are encouraged; not only does the community benefit, but the annual fee payable by the local authority may be reduced, in recognition of the revenue that is generated by the facilities.
PFI projects provide high quality teaching accommodation along with excellent sports facilities which are a significant asset to the local community.
Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the success of extended schools in opening up schools sports facilities for use by the general public; and if he will make a statement. [160929]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The roll out of extended schools across the country began in 2003, so no specific assessment has yet been made. We are, however, funding the development of full service extended schools, which will offer a prescribed core set of services for pupils, families and the wider community, including sports and arts facilities. By 2006 every LEA in England will be given funding to create at least one school. The development of these schools will be evaluated, and among the main aims of the study will be to assess the impact on indicators such as sport, health and youth crime.
Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will take steps to ensure that, in pricing access to educational establishments' sports and leisure facilities, local education authorities budget for long-term costs, including replacement costs. [161213]
Mr. Miliband: The pricing of access to sports facilities at educational establishments is a matter for local decision.
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Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money has been invested in sports halls in schools in Chorley in each year since 1996, broken down by school. [161560]
Mr. Miliband: The Department does not hold information on how much has been spent on sports halls. Schools premises investment decisions are based on local education authority asset management planning processes and this information should therefore be available locally.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the effects on schools of changes in the level of investment in school sports in Buckingham since 1997. [161562]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The Government are investing more than £1 billion in England to transform physical education (PE), school sport and club links. The funding will help deliver an ambitious Public Service Agreement target, shared with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, to increase the percentage of 5–16 year olds who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum to 75 per cent. by 2006.
Spearheading delivery are School Sport Partnerships, which provide for groups of schools to work together to increase sports opportunities for all young people. Latest research, published by the Departments on 4 March shows that 68 per cent. of pupils in schools that have been in a Partnership for three years, are taking up the two hour entitlement, rising to 90 per cent. at Key Stage 3. Data are currently being collected from remaining Partnerships and will be published in April. Disaggregated results will be available at that time.
Significant funding is also being provided to specifically enhance PE and school sport facilities, with £2,599,000 being allocated from the New Opportunities Fund to schools in the Buckinghamshire LEA area.
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