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School Improvement Partners

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what arrangements she has made to fund School Improvement Partners. [1624]

Jacqui Smith: The role of School Improvement Partners is part of a ground-breaking new approach for supporting schools and holding them to account, called the New Relationship with Schools. Working from powerful new data analyses and from schools' own evaluations of themselves, the New Relationship will get deeper into each school's key issues than has been possible hitherto and will do so with less red tape. But the underlying purpose of holding each school to account is not new and the New Relationship does not change the formal accountability requirements.

A school's Improvement Partner is a credible, experienced education practitioner charged with challenging and supporting the school. School Improvement Partners are accredited to a demanding national standard and work locally.

Local authorities will be able to find part of the funding for the School Improvement Partner function by discontinuing some of their existing work—the series of meetings and reporting currently used for formal school accountability, including reviews of school targets. But for secondary schools, existing funding will not suffice. The Government are making a contribution that we expect will cover the majority of the costs, because the School Improvement Partner function requires more investment than the current function that local authorities will be able to discontinue. We are offering each local authority £2,000 a year for each of
 
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the secondary schools to which it appoints a School Improvement Partner, together with a one-off payment of £380 for each secondary school to support the establishment of the School Improvement Partner function. For School Improvement Partners for primary schools roll-out of the function begins a year later than for secondary schools, in September 2006. We are just beginning a trial of the School Improvement Partner function for special schools.

School Leavers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to reduce levels of unemployment among school leavers. [295]

Maria Eagle: Reducing youth unemployment is a priority for this Government, which has a target to reduce the proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training (NEET) by 2 percentage points between 2004 and 2010. The recent 14 to 19 Education and Skills White Paper sets out how we will build a system to raise participation and achievement; ensuring young people are able to master the functional skills, attitudes and behaviours needed for their continued engagement in education and employment after age 16.

School leavers in particular may seek information, advice and guidance on their post-16 options from their school, the Connexions Service, or the Connexions Direct helpline. The forthcoming Youth Green Paper will examine how all those involved in delivering information, advice and guidance can work together to ensure all young people receive the help and support they need.

The Connexions Service, which works closely with Jobcentre Plus actively identifies school leavers who are unemployed, and seeks to find them appropriate work or learning opportunities. Those not yet ready may undertake Entry to Employment, a tailored programme of learning and support to enable them to progress to further learning opportunities or meaningful employment. The Government announced, in the recent Budget, plans to pilot Activity Agreements and an Activity Allowance to help re-engage 16 to 17-year-olds who have been out of education, employment or training for some time.

The Education Maintenance Allowance gives young people from lower income households the financial support they need to remain in education. Young parents may also receive funding to cover the cost of child care through the Care to Learn initiative.

School Meals

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when (a) Lewisham local education authority and (b) schools in Lewisham are expected to receive extra funding to improve school meals. [1596]

Jacqui Smith: Over the three years 2005–07 to 2007–08, all maintained schools in England will receive a share of the £220 million set aside to help local education authorities and schools strengthen their support for healthy eating and to provide better quality food. Of this, £30 million each year will go to schools to
 
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help meet transitional costs involved in developing and improving their whole school" approach to food. £30/50/50 million will go to LEAs to enable them to support schools with this process, with an emphasis on schools in deprived areas and schools starting from a low base.

The first instalment of this additional funding will be available to schools and LEAs this autumn. Further details about the distribution of both grants between individual local authorities and schools will be announced in due course.

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much will be made available to schools in Leeds to improve school meals over the next three years; and if she will make a statement. [1728]

Jacqui Smith: Over the three years 2005–07 to 2007–08, all maintained schools in England will receive a share of the £220 million set aside to help local education authorities and schools strengthen their support for healthy eating and to provide better quality food. Of this, £30 million each year will go to schools to help meet transitional costs involved in developing and improving their whole school" approach to food. £30/50/50 million will go to LEAs to enable them to support schools with this process, with an emphasis on schools in deprived areas and schools starting from a low base.

The first instalment of this additional funding will be available to schools and LEAs this autumn. Further details about the distribution of both grants between individual local authorities and schools will be announced in due course.

School Sport

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many children received the Government's target of two hours' school sport each week in the last period for which figures are available; and how this figure is calculated; [1735]

(2) how much of the £750 million pledged to school sport has been (a) committed and (b) spent. [1736]

Jacqui Smith: The results from the first PE, School Sport and Club Links survey (published on 29 April 2004) showed that 62 per cent. of 5 to 16-year-olds are participating in at least two hours high quality PE and school sport each week. The survey covers information—taken independently—from over 6,500 schools that were in School Sport Partnerships at that time. We hope to publish the results of the second annual survey in September 2005.

Over 3,000 schools in England are benefiting directly from £686 million investment to enhance school sport facilities from the Big Lottery Fund (previously the New Opportunities Fund). £750 million represents the total budget for the United Kingdom. To date, £622 million of the total £750 million budget has already been allocated to projects and is therefore in the process of being drawn down. £70.4 million has been spent. This
 
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reflects the fact that the programme was always intended to be a 5–6 year programme, with most projects starting on site during 2004–05.

Schools

Mr. Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many new secondary schools have opened in Hertfordshire in each year since 1997; and how many new secondary schools are scheduled to open in Hertfordshire in each year between 2005 and 2011. [788]

Jacqui Smith: According to departmental records one secondary school opened in Hertfordshire LEA in September 2000, following a local re-organisation of schools. The Department has also been informed that proposals have been approved for a further secondary school to open in September 2006.

We have not been informed of any other proposals for new schools.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many local education authorities have submitted schemes for removing surplus places in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each of the last six years; and if she will estimate the total consequent change in education spending in each year. [933]

Jacqui Smith: Responsibility for ensuring that there are enough school places in an area rests with the local authority. Decisions about school organisation—including to remove surplus places—are taken locally by the School Organisation Committee or by the independent schools adjudicator where the SOC cannot agree unanimously. Local authorities do not submit schemes to this Department.

There is no specific capital programme for the removal of surplus places. Much of our capital support is allocated to local authorities and schools by formulae, linked to locally agreed asset management plans. This enables decisions to be taken locally on how these resources should be invested. In addition, surplus place removal can be achieved through wider projects supported under Building Schools for the Future and the Targeted Capital Fund programmes.

While we have no information available on savings achieved through surplus place removal, we support such action where it is economic to do so and where it makes sense in terms of local education provision.

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