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28 Apr 2004 : Column 1045W—continued
Foundation Degrees
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time students enrolled on courses at higher education institutions in London in each of the last 10 years; and what the drop out rates in the first year of study were for each year. [151072]
Alan Johnson: The available information covering undergraduate enrolments to London HE institutions is given in a table which has been placed in the Library.
The information on non-continuation rates is contained in "Performance Indicators in Higher Education", published by the Higher Education
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Funding Council for England (HEFCE), The figures cover full-time first degree courses only, and show, for each individual HE institution in the UK, the numbers and proportion of entrants who failed to continue beyond the first year and the numbers and proportion of entrants who fail to complete their course. Copies of the HEFCE publication are available for students starting courses in 1996–97,1997–98,1998–99,1999–2000 and 2000–01 in the House Library.
Gemini Project
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what level of funding his Department has allocated to the Gemini project; and what evaluation he has made of the effectiveness of the project. [166450]
Mr. Charles Clarke [holding answer 19 April 2004]: My Department has not allocated any funding to this project. This is a devolved matter for the Scottish Executive and my hon. Friend may wish to write to them about this project.
Overseas Students (UAE)
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps are being taken by his Department to assist the higher education sector in attracting students from the United Arab Emirates. [168570]
Alan Johnson: My Department leads and funds the Prime Minister's Initiative (PMI) to attract more international students to the UK, including those from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A vigorous world wide marketing campaign under the Education UK Brand promotes the credentials of UK education and training, and supports the work of the higher education sector in attracting international students who might not otherwise study in the UK. We have also taken a number of steps to make the UK a more attractive study destination for international students by—streamlining entry and visa arrangements; offering opportunities to work while studying; and providing specific information and advice about living and studying in the UK for the first time. The number of UAE students in UK higher education has increased from 777 in 1996–97 to 1,306 in 2002–03, an increase of 68 per cent.
Partnerships for Schools
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the start-up and estimated running costs of Partnerships for Schools are for each year up to and including 2006; and if he will make a statement. [166864]
Mr. Miliband
[holding answer 26 April 2004]: Partnership for Schools is a company limited by shares and a non-departmental public body established on 2 April 2004 to deliver the Building Schools for the Future programme. In 2005–06, this programme will invest around £2 billion in renewing the English secondary schools estate.
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The forecast spend on start up costs (pre-incorporation) for Partnership for Schools was £4.1 million. The forecast running costs are in the following table:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 2004–2005 | 10 |
| 2005–2006 | 9.5 |
| 2006–2007 | 9.8 |
The estimates for 2005–06 and 2006–07 are based on 2004–05 activity with an estimate for inflation, and are indicative as the Building Schools for the Future programme itself is still being developed. In particular, work on the creation of local education partnerships is still subject to consultation with stakeholders.
School Computers (Uxbridge)
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent on computers for schools in Uxbridge in each of the last five years. [168991]
Mr. Charles Clarke: My department does not collect information on school spend on computers at constituency level. However Uxbridge is in Hillingdon LEA and since 2000–01 schools in Hillingdon have benefited from the following funding through the Standards Fund grant for ICT (including match funding from the LEA).
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2000–2001 | 734,488 |
| 2001–2002 | 1,065,479 |
| 2002–2003 | 1,508,280 |
| 2003–2004 | 1,571,762 |
| 2004–2005 | 2,015,276 |
School Places (Battersea)
Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many children attending Battersea primary schools did not get an initial offer of a secondary school place in a Wandsworth school on 1 March, broken down by primary school; [167638]
(2) how many secondary school places were offered by Wandsworth secondary schools on 1 March to out-of-borough applicants, broken down by individual secondary schools; and how many of those offers were accepted. [167639]
Mr. Miliband: My Department does not hold this information.
School Repairs (Bootle)
Mr. Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding money has been spent on repairing schools in Bootle in each year since 1997. [169083]
Mr. Miliband:
The majority of capital funding is now allocated to local authorities and schools by needs-related formulae. Authorities invest according to
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priorities agreed in their asset management plans. The following table shows total capital allocations to Sefton local education authority (LEA) since 1996–97.
| Allocation £000(26) | |
|---|---|
| 1996–1997 | 1,904 |
| 1997–1998 | 1,634 |
| 1998–1999 | 1,802 |
| 1999–2000 | 4,562 |
| 2000–2001 | 9,388 |
| 2001–2002 | 11,146 |
| 2002–2003 | 15,980 |
| 2003–2004 | 16,930 |
Note:
Includes allocations to the voluntary aided sector.
To date, we have also announced indicative allocations of around £10.2 million for 2004–05 and £5 million for 2005–06.
School Tests
Mr. Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of 15 and 16 year olds achieved five+ GCSEs at grade A* -C or GNVQ equivalent in each of the last four years; and if he will make a statement. [168073]
Mr. Miliband: The information requested is as follows:
| Academic year | England |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 49.2 |
| 2001 | 50.0 |
| 2002 | 51.6 |
| 2003 | 52.9 |
(26)GCSE/GNVQ results are reported as standard as the results of pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year i.e. 31 August and therefore reaching the end of compulsory education at the end of the school year.
Teacher Vacancies
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teacher vacancies there were in Burnley on the latest date for which figures are available; and what steps he is taking to reduce them. [167915]
Mr. Miliband: Information on teacher vacancies is not available by constituency as it is collected at local education authority level. In January 2003, the latest information available, there were 40 full-time advertised teacher vacancies in Lancashire local education authority.
Like other areas, since 1997 Preston has benefited from the initiatives that the Government have put in place to recruit and retain teachers and to increase the number of staff supporting them in schools. Since 1997, the number of full-time equivalent regular teachers in maintained schools in the former Lancashire LEA area has risen by 390, from 11,870 to 12,260 in 2003. Over the same period, the number of full-time equivalent school support staff in the area has grown by 2,870 from 3,620 to 6,490 in 2003.
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Mr. Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teacher vacancies there were in Preston on the latest date for which figures are available; and what steps he is taking to reduce them. [168139]
Mr. Miliband: Information on teacher vacancies is not available by constituency as it is collected at local education authority level. In January 2003, the latest information available, there were 40 full-time advertised teacher vacancies in Lancashire local education authority.
Like other areas, since 1997 Preston has benefited from the initiatives that the Government has put in place to recruit and retain teachers and to increase the number of staff supporting them in schools. Since 1997, the number of full-time equivalent regular teachers in maintained schools in the former Lancashire LEA area has risen by 390, from 11,870 to 12,260 in 2003. Over the same period, the number of full-time equivalent school support staff in the area has grown by 2,870 from 3,620 to 6,490 in 2003.
Mr. Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many vacant (a) teacher and (b) deputy head teacher posts there were in (i) primary, (ii) secondary and (iii) special schools in each year since 1997, broken down by local education authority. [167572]
Mr. Miliband: The information requested has been placed in the Libraries.
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