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Learn Direct

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the annual cost to his Department for its contract with Learn Direct is. [170024]

Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 30 April 2004]: The Department currently agrees an annual contract with Ufi/learndirect. However, from August 2004 the LSC will assume responsibility for the planning and funding of learndirect provision, support and development for the learndirect Information and Advice Service and support and development for UK online centres. The Department has therefore agreed a four month contract with Ufi/learndirect the cost of which is £24.972 million.

The cost is broken down as follows:

central and development costs for learndirect learning—£19.389 million

support and development for learndirect Information and Advice Service—£4.083 million

support and development for UK online centres—£1.5 million

Learning and Skills Councils

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on success rates of (a) the North London Learning and Skills Council and (b) the Learning and Skills Councils in England on average in the latest year for which figures are available. [170660]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: These are matters for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Chief Executive will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of the reply in the Libraries.

Level 4 (Bootle)

Mr. Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of 11 year old pupils in Bootle reached level four in (a) mathematics and (b) English in the last seven years. [171299]

Mr. Miliband: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I have given to the hon. Member of Westmorland and Lonsdale (Mr. Collins) on 10 May 2004, Official Report, column. 34W.
 
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School Funding

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the impact of changing the basis of school funding from the periods coterminous with the Government and local government financial years to an academic year. [171768]

Mr. Miliband [holding answer 10 May 2004]: Aligning schools' budgets to the school year would better reflect schools' planning cycles, supporting headteachers and Governing Bodies to make further progress in both schools' financial management and school improvement activities.

The practicality, time scales and best means of moving to three year budgets aligned to the school year will depend on decisions to be taken about the schools' funding regime for 2006–07 and beyond. The Government will consider what changes are required to the schools' funding regime in light of experience of the measures introduced for 2004–05 and 2005–06 to improve stability in individual schools' budgets. Any changes will be fully discussed with local government and schools representatives.

School Standards Fund

Mr. Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what grants for primary and secondary schools have been available through the Standards Fund since its creation; and on what date each was (a) introduced and (b) closed. [171085]

Mr. Miliband: The following table shows for each Standards Fund grant supporting schools and pupils: the year in which it was introduced into the Standards Fund, and the final year of operation. The table also show where grants have merged, or where the grant has been transferred to another agency.

The Standards Fund was created in 1998–99 replacing the previous specific grant programme, Grants for Education Support and Training (GEST). The table also shows which Standards Fund grants continued from the GEST programme.

Many of the programmes supported through the Standards Fund are for specific time limited projects and programmes to encourage activities to be continued at local level.
 
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The Government are considering further rationalisation of specific grants to provide a single grant for schools, to allow them to access improvement projects and programmes according to their own needs and priorities.
Standard Fund Grants since 1998–99

		Introduced	Final year
Baseline Assessment	GEST	1998–99	1998–99	merged into School Improvement Grant in 1999–2000
Assessment: Verification Key Stage 1	GEST	1998–99	1998–99	merged into School Improvement Grant in 1999–2000
Assessment: Supply Cover	GEST	1998–99	1998–99	merged into School Improvement Grant in 1999–2000
Training for Key Stage 2 Teacher Assessment	GEST	1998–99	1998–99	merged into School Improvement Grant in 1999–2000
Books for Schools	GEST	1998–99	1998–99
Specialist Teacher Assistants	GEST	1998–99	1998–99
National Professional Qualification for Headship	GEST	1998–99	2001–02	transferred to National College for School Leadership
Family Literacy	GEST	1998–99	2001–02	transferred to Basic Skills Agency in 2003–04
New Deal for Schools Capital Funding	GEST	1998–99	2001–02
School Effectiveness/School Improvement	GEST	1998–99	2002–03
Qualifications	GEST	1998–99	2002–03
Improving Attendance and Behaviour/Social Inclusion	GEST	1998–99	2002–03
School Security	GEST	1998–99	2002–03
Drug Prevention and Advice	GEST	1998–99	2003–04
Special Educational Needs	GEST	1998–99	2003–04	merged into School Development Grant in 2004–05
Specialist Schools	GEST	1998–99	n/a
Effective Use of National Curriculum Results		1998–99	1998–99
Special Educational Needs: Regional Co-ordination Pilot Projects		1998–99	1998–99
Work Related Learning at Key Stage 4		1998–99	1999–2000	merged into School Improvement Grant in 2000–01
Recruitment Strategy Managers/Local Recruitment Measures		1998–99	1999–2000
Removal of Outside Toilets		1998–99	1999–2000
Energy Management		1998–99	1999–2000
Public/Private Partnership Pilots		1998–99	1999–2000
School Leadership: Serving Heads		1998–99	2001–02	transferred to National College for School Leadership
Induction for Newly-Qualified Teachers		1998–99	2002–03	not in operation in 1999–2000 and 2000–01
Reduction of Infant Class Sizes		1998–99	2002–03	funding transferred to Education Formula Spending baseline
Out of School Hours Learning/Study Support		1998–99	2003–04	merged into School Development Grant in 2004–05
Advanced Skills Teachers		1998–99	2003–04
National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies/ Primary Strategy		1998–99	n/a
Key Stage 3 Literacy and Numeracy/Key Stage 3 Strategy		1998–99	n/a
Football League Study Support Centres/Playing for Success		1998–99	n/a
Health Education Partnerships		1998–99	n/a
Beacon Schools		1998–99	n/a
National Grid for Learning/Information Communication Technology in Schools		1998–99	n/a
Laptops for Heads of Small Primary and Special Schools		1999–2000	1999–2000
School Asset Management Plans		1999–2000	1999–2000
Working Environment Fund		1999–2000	2000–01
Best Practice Research Scholarships		1999–2000	2000–01
Support for Parent Governor Representatives		1999–2000	2000–01	merged into School Improvement Grant in 2001–02
Family Numeracy		1999–2000	2002–03	transferred to Basic Skills Agency in 2003–04
Administrative Support in Small Schools/Small Schools Fund		1999–2000	2002–03	merged into School Support Staff Grant in 2003–04
Travellers and Displaced Persons(36)		1999–2000	2002–03	merged into Vulnerable Children's Grant in 2003–04
Excellence in Cities		1999–2000	n/a
City Learning Centres		1999–2000	n/a
Small/Excellence in Cities Education Action Zones		1999–2000	n/a
Music Services		1999–2000	n/a
Ethnic Minority Achievement(37)		1999–2000	n/a
Pilot Partnership Initiatives		2000–01	2000–01
New National Curriculum		2000–01	2001–02	merged into School Improvement Grant in 2002–03
Supported Early Retirement Scheme for Heads		2000–01	2001–02
New Models for LEA Services		2000–01	2001–02
School Laboratories for the 21st Century		2000–01	2001–02
Pupil Support Allowance		2000–01	2002–03
Teaching Assistants		2000–01	2002–03	merged into School Support Staff Grant in 2003–04
Performance Management Support and Training		2000–01	2002–03
Improving Adult: Pupil Ratios in Reception Classes		2000–01	2002–03
Children of Asylum Seekers		2000–01	2002–03	merged into Vulnerable Children's Grant in 2003–04
Teenage Pregnancies		2000–01	2002–03	merged into Vulnerable Children's Grant in 2003–04
Summer Schools for Gifted and Talented Pupils		2000–01	n/a
Excellence Challenge/Aimhigher		2000–01	n/a
Teacher Incentives/Golden Helios		2000–01	n/a
Training Schools		2000–01	n/a
Fresh Start		2000–01	n/a
Devolved Formula Capital for Schools		2000–01	n/a
Seed Capital Challenge		2000–01	n/a
National Grid for Learning: Regional Broadband Consortia		2000–01	n/a
Pupil Learning Credits		2001–02	2002–03
Learning Support Units		2001–02	2002–03
Recruitment and Retention Fund		2001–02	2002–03
Teachers' Sabbaticals		2001–02	2002–03
Welcome Back Bonus		2001–02	2002–03
Grammar/Non-Selective School Partnerships		2001–02	2002–03
Children in Public Care		2001–02	2002–03	merged into Vulnerable Children's Grant in 2003–04
Sick Children		2001–02	2002–03	merged into Vulnerable Children's Grant in 2003–04
Key Stage 2 Class Sizes		2001–02	2002–03
Information Management Strategy		2001–02	2002–03
Early Professional Development Pilot Scheme		2001–02	2003–04
School Achievement Awards		2001–02	2003–04
Classrooms of the Future		2001–02	2003–04
School Improvement Projects/Targeted Improvement Projects		2001–02	n/a
Diversity Pathfinders		2001–02	n/a
Child Protection Co-ordinators		2001–02	n/a
Condition Funding		2001–02	n/a
Targeted Capital Projects		2001–02	n/a
Interactive Whiteboards		2001–02	n/a
Training for Educational Visits Coordinators		2002–03	2002–03
Building the Room for Improvement		2002–03	2002–03
Staff Workspaces		2002–03	2003–04
Learning through Landscapes		2002–03	2003–04
Laptops for Teachers		2002–03	2003–04	merged into ICT in Schools Grants in 2004–05
Electronic Registration Systems in Secondary Schools		2002–03	2003–04
Behaviour Improvement Programme		2002–03	n/a
Fast Track Payments		2002–03	n/a
Extended Schools		2002–03	n/a
e-Learning Credits		2002–03	n/a
Information Communication Technology Pilot Projects		2002–03	n/a
Primary Foundation Stage Profile		2003–04	2003–04
School Support Staff		2003–04	2003–04	merged into School Development Grant in 2004–05
School Support Staff: Training and Development		2003–04	2003–04	merged into School Development Grant in 2004–05
Gypsy-Traveller Achievement Project		2003–04	2003–04
Gifted and Talented Pupils: Sports Grant		2003–04	2003–04
Transforming School Workforce Pathfinder Projects		2003–04	2003–04
Leadership Incentive Grant		2003–04	n/a
Targeted Improvement Grant		2003–04	n/a
Study Support: Quality Development Programme		2003–04	n/a
Primary Behaviour Pilot		2003–04	n/a
Local Education Authority Support for School Workforce Remodelling		2003–04	n/a
Federations		2003–04	n/a
Leading Edge Schools		2003–04	n/a
Raising Achievement of African Caribbean Pupils		2003–04	n/a
National Primary Strategy EAL Pilot		2003–04	n/a
Vulnerable Children		2003–04	n/a
Enterprise Learning Pathfinders		2003–04	n/a
Key Stage Language Pathfinders: Recurrent		2003–04	n/a
14–19 Pathfinders		2003–04	n/a
London Challenge Projects		2003–04	n/a
School Development Grant		2004–05	n/a	a combination of eight previously separate grants
School Travel Advisers		2004–05	n/a

n/a = The grant continues in 2004–05.
⁽³⁶⁾ Paid as a separate grant outside the Standards Fund prior to 1999–2000.
Note:
GEST means that the grant continued from the previous grant regime.





 
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