Supplementary memorandum submitted by
the Department for Education and Skills
INCREASE IN
THE NUMBER
OF TEACHERS
(QUESTIONS 69-70)
The Chairman raised the number of extra teachers
that had taken up post between 1997 and 2003. This subject had
been raised at the Committee's hearing on 23 June by Doug McAvoy
who contended that the numbers of extra teachers was 968. (Questions
317-321).
The statistics that the Department holds are
that there were 423,900 full-time equivalent regular teachers
working in maintained schools in England, compared with 399,200
in January 1997. The increase in full-time equivalent teacher
numbers over this period is therefore 24,700.
At the hearing with David Miliband on 9 July
the reasons for the different views were explored by the Committee.
Partly it is a question of definitions but comparing like with
like, there is no doubt that there has been a considerable increase
in the workforce.
CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS
FOR SCHOOLS
BUILT UNDER
PFI ARRANGEMENTS (QUESTIONS
107-109)
Valerie Davey raised the case of a school in
Birmingham where the costs for heating had risen after the new
building had been constructed under PFI arrangements.
Without knowing the precise arrangements it
is difficult to establish the position at the particular school.
The exemption of LEA maintained schools from
the Building Regulations ended in 2000. Since then Part L2 of
the Building Regulations—Conservation of Fuel and Power—applies
to all schools. The Department has issued constructional standards
including Building Bulletin 87 (BB87)—the Constructional
Standard for Environmental Conditions and the Conservation of
Fuel and Power.
This standard is used by building control bodies
as the normal means of assessing compliance with the Building
Regulations for schools. BB87 is often quoted as a basis of funding
agreements and Building Contracts. The latest edition, issued
in May 2003, can be found at www.teachernet.gov.uk/energy
When a PFI building is being considered those
operating costs which fall to the contractor and those which are
the responsibility of the school depends on the individual contract
and how the individual risks are allocated between the public
and private sector within the contract.
In general the private sectors is expected to
operate the school at a quality higher than the school received
before the new construction. In return the school contribute from
their budget toward the unitary charge, which is agreed before
the contracts are signed.
Guidance for schools and LEAs on how to specify
the outputs and the quality standards was issued to all LEAs that
have ongoing PFI projects, by the Public Private Partnership Projects
Ltd in May 2003. Also known as 4Ps this Local Government Association
body advises local authorities on PFI. Further updates are being
developed and these will be circulated in due course.
July 2003
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