Supplementary memorandum by the Department
for Education and Skills (DfES) (COA 55(a))
1. Many submissions
to this enquiry suggest that coalfields regeneration is quite
well advanced. How successful have the programmes by the various
Government departments been to date in terms of meeting the needs
of coalfields communities?
The Government's assessment is that sound progress
is being made by the various Government programmes that impact
on the coalfields. On education and skills, we are confident that
we are heading in the right direction but much remains to be done.
This Department recognises the importance of co-ordinating its
policies effectively to make an impact in deprived areas and will
work with the LSC, RDA and Local Authority to achieve effective
targeting and cohesion.
The Department's policies are raising school
age attainment across the country and in Coalfield areas.
— The performance gap, in both Maths
and English, between pupils attending schools in coalfield areas
and those that do not, has slowly been reducing since 1998.
— Rotherham, Derbyshire, Doncaster,
Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire, saw increases in attainment,
above the national average in both English and Mathematics since
1998.
— The highest increase in mathematics
was of 19 percentage points in Rotherham. In English, the highest
increase was of 14 percentage points in Rotherham and Nottinghamshire.
— KS3 test results in 2003 were the
best ever on record with improvements in all subjects at all levels.
The numbers of LEAs below the floor targets fell significantly
this year with a majority of LEAs improving in all subjects.
— At KS3, since 1998, Coalfield areas
and Neighbourhood Renewal Funded areas have both improved the
most—by 4.4 percentage points.
— In 2003, the proportion of 16 year
olds attending schools in coalfield areas with five or more GCSEs
at A*-C is 46.1% (c.f. a national average of 50.6%—excluding
Independent Schools). Since 1998 coalfield areas have seen a higher
level of improved performance as schools outside coalfield areas
(ie an increase of 7.2 percentage points cf 6.7 percentage points).
— The performance gap between pupils
attending schools in coalfield areas and those that do not has
reduced slightly since 1998 at GCSE.
— Pupils attending schools in Coalfield
areas generally perform better at GCSE than pupils attending schools
in Neighbourhood Renewal Funded Areas—46.1% cf 44.0%. Both
coalfields and NRF areas are catching up on the national average.
(Note some NRF areas are also Coalfield areas).
— Six of the 11 Education Action Zones
(EAZs) located in coalfield areas have been among the most improved
and highest achieving EAZs throughout the country. All Coalfields
EAZs will transform at the end of their statutory period in to
Excellence Clusters or EiC Action Zones and will continue with
their most successful programmes.
2. Why is the level of deprivation in the
coalfields still so high, given the volume of public funds injected
into them?
The Coalfield Task Force identified a unique
set of problems that needed to be addressed through specific targeted
actions. The Government recognises that the regeneration of deprived
action requires sustained effort over the long term. My Department
has set in place policies to improve education attainment and
skills in the coalfield areas. We are already seeing a steady
increase in attainment as a result of these policies and we are
confident that they will help reduce deprivation in the longer
term.
3. By what date does the DfES expect educational
attainment in coalfield schools to match the average for the rest
of the country?
There are no attainment targets specifically
for schools in ex-coalfield areas, and whether or not an LEA serves
a predominantly ex-coalfield area does not alter the LEA's target.
National targets apply to schools and LEAs in these areas in exactly
the same way as they apply elsewhere.
We do, however, have policies designed to support
schools and LEAs that are in areas of recognised deprivation and/or
in danger of missing their floor targets (EiC, Excellence Clusters,
LIG, bespoke packages of support for schools below 20%) and they
are geographically targeted in that regard. By definition, schools
and LEAs that are most deprived get most help, and those in ex-coalfield
areas will benefit from that targeting as appropriate.
The Neighbourhood Renewal National Strategy
Action Plan set out 105 commitments, spread across the departments
involved (including the Home Office, DWP, ODPM and DTI) that are
relevant in some coalfield areas. DfES is responsible for, or
involved with, 21 of these commitments. These include Floor Targets
that are considered as some of the most challenging across Whitehall.
There has been steady improvement in levels of attainment in coalfield
areas.
4. How can you encourage local authorities
and other service providers to tailor mainstream services to the
particular needs of an area?
Education Development Plans have provided the
focal point for coalfield communities to set targets for raising
attainment in schools and to monitor progress. These cover what
each LEA is doing to improve educational standards. But tackling
education and skills is not just a matter for the LEA. The RDA
and the LSC have a key role to play to help develop local strategies
and plans to raise skills and bring new jobs to areas hit by coalfield
closures. At the regional level, my Department has tasked the
RDA to develop a Regional Skills Alliance which brings delivery
agencies together to identify regional skills issues and agree
a plan of action for learning and skills. At the sub-regional
level, it is the responsibility of the local LSC and its partners
to plan provision for any coalfield areas within its patch.
5. Given the emphasis (for example, in Regional
Economic Strategies) on encouraging the transition to "knowledge
based economies", are the former coalfields in danger of
becoming even further economically marginalized because of a low
skills base?
The Government recognises that sustaining a
competitive, productive economy which delivers prosperity for
all requires an ever growing proportion of skilled, qualified
people. Across the European Union, the importance of skills has
been recognised in the economic reform agenda agreed at Lisbon
in 2000. Any area in the English Regions that has a low skills
base is in danger of becoming economically marginalized. This
is why the Government published the Skills Strategy in July 2003.
We must improve the skills base across the English regions in
coalfield and non-coalfield areas. This is an agenda for sustained
effort over the long term. The Skills Strategy identifies a wide
range of actions and initiatives for employers, employees and
individual learners.
6. How are policies for education helping
to empower coalfield communities?
Education policies help empower coalfield communities
through raising the demand for skills and helping individuals
to re-engage in learning. Children's Centres enable parents who
are working or accessing training to obtain affordable childcare.
We have provided funds for extra Connexions Personal Advisers
in North, South and West Yorkshire to support the most vulnerable
young people (following the recommendations of the Selby Coalfield
Taskforce Report). Study Support (including Playing for Success)
is making a real difference to people who are disadvantaged or
potentially disaffected from mainstream. From September 2004,
some 274,000 young people nationally will be eligible to receive
an Education Maintenance Allowance of between £10 and £30
per week. This should make a significant difference to participation
in further education in coalfield areas. The Department is working
closely with all the key coalfield organisations—for example,
the Coalfield Communities Campaign (CCC), Coalfields Regeneration
Trust (CRT), Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation (CISWO)
and Coalfield Learning Initiative Partnership (CLIP)—to
identify and tackle the key issues in coalfield areas.
7. The Excellence in Cities initiative is
making some impact in large cities. How is the DfES adapting this
approach to smaller semi-rural areas like the coalfields?
DfES major policies and initiatives are for
everyone, no matter what their circumstances or where they live.
We recognise that some people and communities need more help or
different help, because of their circumstances. The Department
has a range of targeted programmes and initiatives tailored to
help, for example, schools that are struggling, or communities
facing deprivation. In addition, we try to build flexibility into
the operation of these initiatives so that they can be adapted
to the particular needs of specific groups.
DfES has policies designed to support schools
and LEAs that are in areas of recognised deprivation and/or in
danger of missing their floor targets (EiC, Excellence Clusters,
LIG, bespoke packages of support for schools below 20%) and they
are geographically targeted. By definition, schools and LEAs that
are most deprived get most help, and those in ex-coalfield areas
will benefit from that targeting as appropriate.
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