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23 Mar 2005 : Column 856W—continued
Key Stage 3
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects the Key Stage 3 national results for 2004 to be validated. [223167]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The 2004 Key Stage 3 test results were published on Thursday 17 March 2005 with the release of the Key Stage 3 Achievement and Attainment tables.
The results published in the tables are based on data provided by the QCA's National Assessment Agency to the Department. Schools had the opportunity to check the accuracy of the data and, where reviews of marking have taken place, amend them as part of the tables checking exercise.
Looked After Children
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what work has been undertaken by the Commission for Social Care Inspectorate to improve the care of looked after children placed in private children's homes out of the area of the responsible authority. [222067]
Margaret Hodge: I understand from the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCl) that the Commission is proposing to address this issue by strengthening the scrutiny of local authority commissioning processes. This could include a specific focus on:
the quality of placements for individual children purchased by local authorities from children's homes;
In relation to out of authority placements, CSCl is also considering what further work is required to address the impact of high concentrations of children's homes on their local communities and the impact on children placed in those homes who may be poorly served by their placing authorities.
Medical Schools
Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many places there were at medical schools in each year since 1997; and how many applications there were in each of those years. [221627]
Dr. Howells: The latest information for England is shown in the table. Information for Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish medical schools is the responsibility of the devolved Administrations.
(17) Includes any student who made at least one application for pre-clinical medicine.
Source:
Higher Education Funding Council for England (intake targets); Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (applicants).
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Nursery Education
Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many free part-time nursery education places were available in (a) 1998–99 and (b) 2004–05. [221590]
Margaret Hodge: All four-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since September 1998. All three-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since April 2004.
The available information on the numbers of free part-time early education places taken up by three and four-year-olds in England is shown in the following table.
The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 39/2004 Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2004 (final)", which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
Provisional figures for 2005 are scheduled for release in April 2005.
n/a = Not available.
(18) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.
(19) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
(20) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
(21) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
(22) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
(23) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
Between 1999 and 2004, the number of free nursery education places taken up by four-year-olds decreased by 4 per cent. The number of four-year-olds in the population decreased by 7 per cent.
Office of Fair Access
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures will be used to monitor the performance of the Office of Fair Access in meetings its statutory objectives. [223417]
Dr. Howells:
The Director for Fair Access has statutory functions and duties under the Higher Education Act 2004, but no statutory objectives. In considering how successfully the Director fulfils his functions and duties we will look at his annual report; at any feedback, especially from higher education institutions and students; and in due course at the findings of the independent commission which will be set up to examine the first three years of operation of the variable fees arrangements in higher education.
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School Buildings (South Derbyshire)
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many new classrooms have been built in South Derbyshire constituency since May 1997. [223220]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: This information is not held centrally.
School Staff (Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) full-time teachers, (b) part-time teachers and (c) teaching assistants there were in schools in Shrewsbury and Atcham on (i) 1 May 2001, (ii) 7 June 2001 and (iii) the latest date for which figures are available. [223156]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: Information on the number of teachers and teaching assistants in service is collected in January of each year. The following table shows the number of teachers and teaching assistants in maintained schools in Shrewsbury and Atcham constituency in January 2001 and 2004, the latest information available.
| 2001 | 2004 | |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers | ||
| Full-time | 610 | 600 |
| Part-time | 150 | 180 |
| FTE | 660 | 670 |
| Teaching assistants | ||
| FTE | 220 | 380 |
Notes:
1. Figures include non-maintained special.
2. Teaching Assistant figures include nursery assistants, special needs and support staff and minority ethnic pupil support staff.
3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
Source:
Annual School Census.
Schools (Data)
Mr. Forth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the possible effects on school pupils' health and safety of inaccuracies and unreliability of school attendance data. [223344]
Derek Twigg: The health and safety of children is of course, paramount.
The primary purpose of maintaining school attendance data is to record when pupils of compulsory school age attend education. As schools are required to conduct an assessment of potential risks to pupils' health and safety, they are likely to use school attendance data, along with other sources of information, to minimise any identified risks. The Department is not aware of any significant problems experienced by schools in meeting this requirement.
The Department would want to know of any specific instances where inaccurate or unreliable attendance data contributed to the endangerment of pupils' well being.
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