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11 Jan 2005 : Column 199W—continued
School Sport
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the written ministerial statement on school sport of 14 December 2004, Official Report, column 122WS, how much of the two hours minimum of high quality PE and sport at school for children will occur (a) in curriculum time, (b) before school, (c) at lunch time, (d) at break time and (e) after school; and if she will make a statement. [207526]
Derek Twigg: It is for schools to determine the content and structure of their physical education and sports provision. This includes deciding on the mix and balance between what is delivered within and outside of the curriculum. Guidance published by the Department for Education and Skills and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority recommends that 75 minutes per week is required to deliver the physical education programme of study at Key Stages 1 and 2 effectively, and 90 minutes per week at Key Stage 3. At Key Stage 4 the focus is on health, fitness and wellbeing. Our ambition, by 2010, is that all children will be offered at least four hours of sport every week. This will comprise at least two hours of high quality physical education and sport at school and at least a further two-three hours of sport beyond the school day (delivered by a range of school, community and club providers). The expectation is that by 2010 schools will be delivering the two hours of high quality PE and sport at school entirely within the curriculum.
Science Teaching
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to increase the study of science subjects at (a) GCSE and (b) A-Level; and what incentives are offered to encourage the study of science subjects at university. [205543]
Dr. Howells
[holding answer 16 December 2004]: Science is part of the National Curriculum at Key Stage 4 (GCSE). This means that all students are required to study it unless the subject has been disapplied to enable extended work related learning. In the Government's 10 Year Science and Innovation Investment Framework, we outlined how we would increase the number of young people studying science at A level by improving science teaching, making additional incentives available to get more top quality graduates to train to be science teachers. These include increasing the value of the teacher training bursary for science graduates from £6,000 to £7,000 from September 2005 and raising the 'Golden Hello' for new science teachers from £4,000 to £5,000 for trainees entering PGCE and equivalent courses from September 2005. It is generally for universities to decide whether to offer incentives for students to study particular subjects. In the 10 Year Science and Innovation Investment Framework, we said that the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) would provide
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support to universities, industry and scientific societies in their science outreach activities to schools and colleges.. From 2006–07, the Institute of Physics plans to introduce a means-tested bursary scheme for students who study physics at university.
Shared Parenting Cases
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the Government supports maximum contact for non-resident parents in shared parenting cases. [201505]
Margaret Hodge: The Government believe that children benefit from a continuing relationship with both parents following divorce or separation, where it is safe to do so. The Children Act 1989 makes the welfare of the child concerned, rather than the rights of the parent, the paramount consideration for family courts when considering matters relating to the upbringing of children. The assumption that both parents have equal status and value as parents is enshrined in current statute and case law.
While the law is clear, we recognise that the current systems for resolving disputes need to be improved. Our Parental Separation Green Paper proposes a substantial range of measures which, we hope, will achieve major improvements to the system. These measures include:
access to quality information and advice material, made available through solicitors, mediators, by telephone and on websites to help parents to arrive at agreed and practicable contact and residence arrangements in the interests of the child without recourse to the courts;
the development of Parenting Plans—a set of templates which seek to show in practice the sort of contact arrangements that work well for children of different ages and circumstances. These will be available at all points throughout the system—in solicitors' offices as well as through advice and mediation services. They will make clear, in practical terms, arrangements that are generally beneficial for children. They are intended to be used as practical aids, both by parents themselves as well as by solicitors, conciliators and mediators, to assist parents to reach reasonable agreements. They will seek to illustrate what the courts might well decide if the case went to a full hearing;
through the relevant professional bodies, improve accreditation for solicitors providing advice on family matters concerning children;
pilot the use of collaborative law where both parents' lawyers are committed to promoting settlements without going to court;
provide greater encouragement for parents to participate in family mediation that can provide an alternative to court based resolution;
development a more intensive set of interventions for more difficult cases, which seek to shift the "behaviour" of parents who are in dispute through understanding that their child needs and benefits from a continuing relationship with both parents, through the Family Resolutions Pilot Project, currently being piloted in three areas. It uses a video, group discussions and parent planning sessions, spread across at least three separate sessions, undertaken under the direction and authority of the court, but seeking to avoid, as far as possible, a full formal court hearing;
support CAFCASS to direct resources to out of court settlements and to help parents implement their agreements;
improve case management by the courts, through the earlier listing of cases, with a rapid return to court where needed, with cases being considered throughout by the same judge; and
provide courts with a more flexible range of levers to promote settlements and to enforce contact orders by, for example, referring parties to specialist parenting or community based programmes or through the awarding of financial compensation where the defaulting parent has caused loss to the other parent.
We are currently reviewing the responses to the consultation in the Green Paper.
Sixth Forms
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the impact on post-16 participation rates of the availability of school sixth forms. [207549]
Dr. Howells: The Department's five-year strategy includes the estimate that over the next five years some 100,000 additional places for 16–19 year olds will be needed. That means we will need more school and college sixth forms and more apprenticeships and other vocational opportunities, with providers collaborating and contributing their areas of expertise to a broad collective offer for all the young people in their locality.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions she has had with Learning and Skills Councils about the Department's support for school sixth forms. [207551]
Dr. Howells: The Department's five-year strategy sets out new measures to promote increased choice for 16–19 year olds including, where appropriate, increased choice of school sixth forms.
competitions, administered by the LSC, for substantial new 16–19 provision, with a view to opening up the provider market;
a new 16–19 capital fund, administered by the LSC, that will bring together school and college funding;
a presumption that proposals from leading specialist schools to open sixth forms will be approved by the Schools Organisation Committee in areas where school sixth form provision is lacking or 16–19 participation or attainment is low.
Officials are working with the LSC to develop guidance that will help local partners implement these measures. The Department and the LSC plan to consult on the guidance in January with a view to issuing it in March, when we will place a copy in the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the impact that a sixth form has on a school's performance at (a) Key Stage 3 and (b) Key Stage 4. [207552]
Mr. Stephen Twigg:
The provisional figures for 2004 for England indicate that 55.9 per cent. of 15-year-old pupils in maintained mainstream schools with sixth forms achieved five or more grades A*-C at GCSE and equivalent compared with 46.7 per cent. of those in schools without sixth forms.
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The percentage of pupils in maintained mainstream schools with and without sixth-forms achieving level 5 or above in the National Curriculum Key Stage 3 assessment tests in English, mathematics and science in 2004 are as follows:
| Schools with sixth forms | Schools without sixth forms | |
|---|---|---|
| English | 75 | 67 |
| Mathematics | 76 | 70 |
| Science | 70 | 62 |
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school sixth forms have (a) opened and (b) closed since 1997. [207563]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: Since 1997, in England:
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