---

4 Oct 2004 : Column 1811W—continued

School Furniture

Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received in favour of commissioning research into the possible relationship between back pain and school furniture as the part of its plan to refurbish every secondary school in the next 15 years; and what plans he has to commission such research. [188669]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: There has been no formal representation made to the Department since the announcement of the Building Schools for the Future programme regarding a possible relationship between back pain and school furniture. However, informal discussions have been held with the National Back Pain Association in the recent past and we are aware of that organisation's concerns in this regard. The Department has no plans to commission research on this issue but is developing an ergonomic website which will allow teachers and building professionals to determine the correct size of furniture for a particular pupil, supported by child size data gathered recently by a survey jointly funded by the Department.
 
4 Oct 2004 : Column 1812W
 

Special Schools

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will issue guidance that pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties should not be sent to moderate learning difficulties special schools. [189049]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice gives guidance to local education authorities on carrying out their statutory duties for identifying, assessing and making provision for children with special educational needs, including those who have behaviour, social and emotional needs. The Code of Practice makes clear that local education authorities must make decisions about the placement of children with statements of SEN on an individual basis, taking account of parental preference.

Stable Families

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to promote stable families. [186975]

Margaret Hodge: We believe that all children deserve the chance to grow up in a stable loving family, and we
 
4 Oct 2004 : Column 1813W
 
are increasing the support available to families who want it. We know that poverty places great stress on families and can be a major contributing factor to family breakdown. There are around 500,000 fewer children living in relative poverty than there were in 1997, and there have been significant increases in child benefit, and more generous support through new tax credits. We have also introduced the biggest ever package of legal changes to help working parents balance work and family, including the right to request flexible working—for fathers, as well as mothers and over one million people are now taking this up.

The Every Child Matters Green Paper put supporting parents and carers at the heart of our approach to ensure that every child reaches their full potential in life. Through the development of Sure Start, Children's Centres and Extended Schools we are now bringing together support for all children and families in a more integrated way. We are expanding the Children's Centre programme to create 2500 centres by 2008.

Every Child Matters also highlighted the role of relationship counselling and family mediation services. Current arrangements are being amalgamated to form a new Strengthening Families Grant programme to fund voluntary and community sector organisations providing relationship support. A family focused, single grant programme will help to promote stable families. However, the Government recognises that some relationships will inevitably break down and the recently published Parental Separation: "Children's Needs and Parents' Responsibilities" Green Paper details a range of measures to provide more effective support to families in relation to contact and residence after divorce and separation.

Although Governments cannot create stable families, we believe that these—and other—measures are playing a valuable role in supporting families.

Sure Start (Tamworth)

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding has been allocated to the Tamworth constituency under the Sure Start scheme since its inception. [188113]

Margaret Hodge: Sure Start Tamworth is a round four Sure Start programme. It has an indicative capital allocation of £1,000,000. Its revenue allocation is £599,000 for 2003–04 and £613,975 for 2004–05.
 
4 Oct 2004 : Column 1814W
 

Under the neighbourhood nurseries scheme, the Manna House Neighbourhood Nursery in Tamworth received £151,200 revenue grant and £58,780 NOF funding for capital.

Teacher Recruitment

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many new teachers were recruited in (a) 1997, (b) 2000 and (c) 2003. [189522]

Mr. Miliband: The number of new recruits to initial teacher training in England in those years was as follows:

Academic year	Recruits(16)
1997/98	27,810
2000/01	29,510
2003/04	41,090

⁽¹⁶⁾ Includes conventional (PGCE/BEd) and employment-based training routes.
Source:
Teacher Training Agency

The numbers of teachers taking up posts for the first time in maintained schools in England in the 1997–98 and 2000–01 financial years were as follows. Data for 2003–04 are not yet available:

Financial Year	New entrants to teaching (17)
1997/98	27,420
2000/01	28,150

⁽¹⁷⁾ 10–20 per cent. of part-time teachers may not be included in the data.
Source:
Database of Teacher Records.

Teacher Salaries

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average total salary was in each year since 1997 of (a) a primary school teacher and (b) a secondary school teacher in (i) Greater London, (ii) each London local education authority and (iii) England. [189477]

Mr. Miliband: The following table gives the average total salary for full-time regular qualified teachers in the maintained nursery and primary and secondary sectors in each London local education authority, Greater London and England in each year from 1997. 2002 is the most recent information available. The figures include all allowances and cover all grades.
Nursery and Primary Schools

	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
City of London	24,960	24,290	25,950	25,900	27,780	29,540
Camden	24,640	25,590	26,810	27,820	29,760	31,920
Greenwich	24,510	25,110	26,200	27,250	28,550	31,190
Hackney	23,950	26,310	26,580	27,580	26,990	30,910
Hammersmith	23,620	24,170	25,060	26,440	28,190	30,220
Islington	24,400	24,770	25,860	26,970	28,710	30,360
Kensington and Chelsea	25,850	27,400	29,620	30,840	33,440	n/a
Lambeth	24,400	24,010	26,560	27,210	27,610	29,770
Lewisham	24,610	25,380	26,580	27,440	29,360	31,780
Southwark	24,340	24,850	25,860	27,230	29,050	31,330
Tower Hamlets	25,870	25,560	26,440	27,590	29,200	31,850
Wandsworth	24,190	24,840	25,650	26,540	28,270	30,280
Westminster	24,230	24,960	25,490	26,680	28,100	30,370
Barking	23,370	24,150	25,240	26,010	28,100	30,820
Barnet	22,930	23,680	24,610	25,640	27,460	29,140
Bexley	22,600	23,430	24,270	25,000	26,520	28,400
Brent	25,070	25,360	26,300	27,410	29,480	31,970
Bromley	23,470	24,130	25,090	26,080	27,710	29,520
Croydon	22,830	23,570	24,440	25,520	28,330	30,400
Ealing	23,530	24,260	25,300	26,110	27,880	30,140
Enfield	23,250	23,870	24,820	25,710	27,280	29,680
Haringey	24,330	24,880	25,820	26,720	28,550	30,780
Harrow	23,650	24,090	25,060	25,960	27,750	29,600
Havering	22,740	23,590	24,610	25,810	27,500	29,410
Hillingdon	22,400	23,050	24,110	24,800	26,410	28,740
Hounslow	22,790	23,570	24,690	25,620	27,230	29,090
Kingston upon Thames	23,020	23,590	24,540	25,420	26,480	29,920
Merton	24,140	24,670	25,640	26,640	28,100	30,000
Newham	23,430	24,280	25,080	26,120	27,700	30,390
Redbridge	22,820	23,480	24,220	25,210	27,270	29,030
Richmond upon Thames	22,870	23,710	24,740	25,450	26,950	28,730
Sutton	22,740	23,270	24,370	25,360	27,060	29,430
Waltham Forest	23,300	23.970	24,920	26,030	28,090	30,370
Greater London	23,670	24,310	25,320	26,280	27,950	30,170
England	22,090	22,700	23,580	24,550	26,190	27,580

 
4 Oct 2004 : Column 1815W
 

Secondary schools

	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
City of London	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Camden	26,210	27,260	28,530	29,690	31,750	34,260
Greenwich	25,780	26,410	27,180	28,200	29,600	32,580
Hackney	25,310	28,100	28,320	29,370	29,040	32,350
Hammersmith	26,610	27,540	28,690	29,900	32,570	35,170
Islington	25,320	26,220	27,800	28,780	30,490	32,730
Kensington and Chelsea	27,590	28,750	29,880	30,810	33,580	33,600
Lambeth	25,920	26,040	28,350	29,210	30,160	33,470
Lewisham	26,800	27,070	28,400	29,380	31,390	34,010
Southwark	26,300	27,010	27,860	29,580	31,820	34,920
Tower Hamlets	26,980	26,970	28,000	29,090	30,820	34,430
Wandsworth	25,880	26,540	27,370	28,200	30,590	32,950
Westminster	25,550	26,060	27,000	28,210	29,370	32,600
Barking	24,820	25,560	26,740	27,750	30,390	32,820
Barnet	24,300	25,060	26,060	27,090	29,240	31,090
Bexley	24,500	25,100	25,890	26,740	28,610	30,580
Brent	26,300	26,980	27,860	28,920	n/a	n/a
Bromley	24,480	25,190	26,100	27,160	29,100	31,160
Croydon	24,700	25,160	26,260	27,500	28,860	32,410
Ealing	24,840	25,580	26,480	27,670	29,820	32,390
Enfield	24,700	25,230	26,290	27,430	29,470	n/a
Haringey	25,500	26,280	27,190	28,490	31,010	33,170
Harrow	24,980	25,600	26,550	27,640	29,890	32,460
Havering	24,890	25,600	26,610	27,730	30,190	32,590
Hillingdon	24,650	25,310	26,450	27,330	29,460	31,750
Hounslow	23,960	24,840	25,870	27,100	28,880	31,110
Kingston upon Thames	24,800	25,310	26,350	27,300	n/a	31,380
Merton	25,690	26,190	27,070	28,140	30,730	33,050
Newham	25,000	25,660	26,800	28,020	30,280	32,990
Redbridge	24,650	25,410	26,350	27,380	29,880	31,820
Richmond upon Thames	24,220	24,940	25,990	27,310	29,580	31,230
Sutton	24,450	25,200	26,210	27,040	28,550	31,130
Waltham Forest	24,630	25,280	26,460	27,560	29,790	32,090
Greater London	25,150	25,840	26,870	27,950	29,930	32,430
England	23,510	24,170	25,080	26,010	28,000	29,530

n/a = Not available.
Source:
Database of Teachers' Records (DTR).





 
4 Oct 2004 : Column 1817W
 

---