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31 Mar 2004 : Column 1531W—continued
Education (North Tyneside)
Mr. Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money was given to schools in North Tyneside local education authority from the Capital Modernisation Fund in each of the last seven years. [164376]
Mr. Miliband: The Department of Education and Skills does not hold this information centrally. Capital Modernisation Fund is allocated by projects and not by area.
Mr. Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of pupils achieved at least (a) one and (b) five GCSE grades A* to C in North Tyneside local education authority in each of the last seven years. [164378]
Mr. Miliband: Information on pupils achievement at GCSE/GNVQ are detailed in the following table:
| Academic year | Achieved at least one A*-C | Achieved at least5 A*–C |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 66.7 | 42.7 |
| 1998 | 67.4 | 44.5 |
| 1999 | 69.2 | 43.4 |
| 2000 | 70.2 | 45.2 |
| 2001 | 70.9 | 46.6 |
| 2002 | 72.9 | 48.0 |
| 2003 | 71.1 | 48.2 |
(27) Pupils are aged 15 at the start of the academic year i.e. 31 August
Free School Meals (Grammar Schools)
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of pupils were eligible for free school meals in maintained grammar schools in England, broken down by those aged (a) 11 to 18 years, (b) 11 to 15 years and (c) 16 to 18 years. [162726]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The requested information is given in the table.
| Grammar schools(28) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils aged(30) | Number of pupils(29) | Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals(29) | Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals(29) |
| 11 to 15 | 110,730 | 2,550 | 2.3 |
| 16 to 18 | 39,910 | 610 | 1.5 |
| 11 to 18 | 150,640 | 3,160 | 2.1 |
(28) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
(29) Includes pupils with sole and dual (main) registration.
(30) Age as at 31 August 2002.
Source:
Annual Schools' Census
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Further Education Institutions
Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with the Central London Learning and Skills Council about the withdrawal of Westminster Kingsway College Further Education College from Battersea. [163482]
Alan Johnson: None. I refer the hon. Member to my reply to his earlier question on 18 March 2004, Official Report, column 467W.
Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which further education institutions owned buildings (a) immediately following incorporation in 1993 and (b) in 2003. [163520]
Alan Johnson: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) hold data on which further education institutions owned buildings immediately following incorporation and the numbers of disposals and acquisitions up to and including 2003. This is a matter for the LSC. Mark Haysom the Council's Chief Executive will write directly to my hon. Friend. A copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
Internet
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools have access to (a) the internet and (b) broadband. [164800]
Mr. Charles Clarke: As at April 2002 over 99 per cent. of schools in England had access to the internet.
As at December 2003 49 per cent. of schools (98 per cent. of secondary schools and 41 per cent. of primary schools) have access to broadband. The Government's target is to connect all schools to broadband by 2006.
Learning and Skills Councils
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which functions of learning and skills councils would be transferred to regional assemblies. [164547]
Alan Johnson: In our White Paper 'Your Region, Your Choice' we set out proposals for each Assembly to appoint two members to the Board of each local Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in its region, and for the national LSC to consult Assemblies on its guidance to the local LSCs. We also propose that local LSCs will be required to have regard to Assembly strategies, including in drawing up their spending plans; and to consult the relevant Assembly about their local plans.
Looked-After Children
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many year 11 looked-after children (a) did not sit any examinations, (b) obtained no qualifications, (c) obtained one GCSE or GNVQ and (d) obtained at least five GCSEs (or equivalent) grades A* to C broken down by local authority, in each year since 1994; and what the equivalent figures were for all children. [158067]
Mr. Miliband: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.
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Middle Schools
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which local education authorities have (a) middle schools, (b) planned re-organisation that revives middle schools and (c) signified their agreement to his plans for middle schools. [164499]
Mr. Miliband: The following local education authorities have middle schools:
- Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Devon, Dorset, Harrow, Hertfordshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Kirklees, Leicestershire, Milton Keynes, Newcastle upon Tyne, Norfolk, North Tyneside, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Poole, Somerset, Staffordshire, Suffolk, West Sussex, Wiltshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Worcestershire.
The Isles of Scilly, Hammersmith and Fulham, Nottinghamshire, Sheffield, and Surrey also have individual "all-through" schools, which cater for primary and secondary pupils, and are classified as middle schools under the 1996 Education Act
The Department has not been informed of any planned reorganisations which would involve the introduction of new middle school provision.
The Secretary of State has no plans for middle schools. The organisation of school provision is a local matter. Local education authorities have overall responsibility for ensuring that there are sufficient schools to meet local needs and final decisions on proposals to change the pattern of provision would be made by the local School Organisation Committee (SOC) or schools adjudicator.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his Department's policy is on the viability of middle schools within his plans for secondary education. [164500]
Mr. Miliband: The organisation of school provision, including the viability of schools, is a local matter. The Department does not promote a particular organisational model since this depends on the needs and circumstances of an area. Our plans for transforming secondary education remain fixed on improving teaching and learning supported by a drive for building strong school leadership teams; specialism and collaboration; reforming the school workforce and developing partnerships beyond the classroom. Whatever the pattern of local school provision, our aim is that all schools should be equipped to personalise learning to ensure high expectations for all, based on a sound knowledge and understanding of each child's learning needs.
Pay
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to reduce the pay gap in the higher education sector. [164769]
Alan Johnson: As the employers, higher education institutions (HEIs) are responsible for pay in higher education. However, we do recognise that Government funding plays a part in what institutions can pay their staff.
We have invested nearly £330 million from 2001–02 to 2003–04 through the Rewarding and Developing Staff (RDS) initiative to help HEIs increase their human
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resource capability. One of the six priority areas that HEIs need to address in their human resource strategies is the development of equal opportunity targets, including ensuring equal pay for work of equal value.
RDS sits within the broader context of Government funding in higher education. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) are allocating almost £6 billion of grants for 2004–05, a 9.3 per cent. increase on 2003–04. Within that, funding for teaching is increasing by 5.6 per cent. The 2004 Spending Review settlement, announced on 17 March, will allow investment in the sector to continue to grow in real terms.
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