House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 9 Jun 2005 (pt 20)

9 Jun 2005 : Column 687W—continued

Drug Abuse (Secondary Schools)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to tackle drug abuse in English secondary schools; and if she will make a statement. [2115]

Beverley Hughes: The Government are committed to taking robust action to reduce significantly the numbers of young people affected by drugs. "Drugs: Guidance for Schools" (DfES 2004) outlines how schools should have in place procedures for managing drug incidents. Schools play an important part in providing drug education and pastoral support to all pupils and in identifying children and young people vulnerable to drug misuse. Those who require extra help should receive it in school or through a referral to other services. Schools should work closely with their local Drug Action Teams (DATs) to ensure that there is appropriate support in place for young people.

Every Child Matters Programme

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for which programmes under Every Child Matters a reduction in crime rates is a specified objective. [2308]

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Beverley Hughes: Every Child Matters: Change for Children is a major programme of reform for children's services. It is based around an outcomes framework against which children's services will be assessed and inspected, which includes the aims that children and young people should engage in law-abiding and positive behaviour, and be safe from crime and antisocial behaviour, both in and out of school. All programmes are expected to contribute to the outcomes framework, and children's services will work in partnership with Youth Offending Teams and other relevant agencies.

Programmes with a specific objective for reducing crime rates include: Positive Activities for Young People, Connexions, Safer Schools Partnerships, On-Track and other Children's Fund programmes and a range of Youth Offending Team programme—particularly Youth Inclusion Programmes, Youth Inclusion and Support Panels and Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programmes. An extensive programme of work to improve behaviour and attendance in schools will have an indirect impact on reducing youth crime rates.

Exclusions and Bad Behaviour Review

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to involve hon. Members in her review of exclusions and bad behaviour. [2867]

Jacqui Smith: The new Leadership Group on behaviour will be happy to receive representations from hon. Members.

I shall keep hon. Members informed in the usual way about any new policies emerging from the work of the Leadership Group.

Free School Meals (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils received free school meals in each London borough in each year since 1997; and how many pupils she estimates are entitled to claim free school meals. [2495]

Jacqui Smith: The requested information has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

John Kelly Schools (repairs)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the need for building repairs at John Kelly (a) girls and (b) boys schools; and if she will make a statement. [2552]

Jacqui Smith: The condition assessment data supplied to the Department by Brent in 2003 showed maintenance requirements for John Kelly Girls School and John Kelly Boys Schools amounting to £460,000 and £586,000 respectively, updated to current price levels. In addition to backlog repair work, the figures cover work needed over a five year period from the dates of the assessments, including cyclical and scheduled maintenance.

Central government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under £700 million in 1996–97 to £5.5 billion this year and will rise further to

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£6.3 billion by 2007–08. Progress is being made year-by-year in improving the quality of the school building stock.

Leadership Incentive Grant

Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of

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secondary schools in (a) Birmingham, (b) Dudley, (c) Coventry, (d) Sandwell, (e) Solihull, (f) Walsall, (g) Wolverhampton, (h) Worcestershire, (i) Staffordshire, (j) Shropshire, (k) Telford and Wrekin, (l) Warwickshire and (m) Stoke-on-Trent receive the Leadership Incentive Grant. [2850]

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is as follows:

Number of maintained mainstream secondary schools

LEA Total LIG⁽²⁵⁾ Non-LIG Percentage that receive LIG⁽²⁵⁾

Birmingham 76 76 0 100

Dudley 22 5 17 23

Coventry 19 11 8 58

Sandwell 18 18 0 100

Solihull 14 4 9 29

Walsall 20 9 11 45

Wolverhampton 18 18 0 100

Worcestershire 29 3 26 10

Staffordshire 55 9 46 16

Shropshire 22 4 18 18

Telford and Wrekin 14 4 9 29

Warwickshire 37 7 30 19

Stoke-on-Trent 17 17 0 100

⁽²⁵⁾ Based on schools receiving LIG funding in 2004–05 and including CTCs and Academies.

	Number of maintained mainstream secondary schools
LEA	Total	LIG⁽²⁵⁾	Non-LIG	Percentage that receive LIG⁽²⁵⁾
Birmingham	76	76	0	100
Dudley	22	5	17	23
Coventry	19	11	8	58
Sandwell	18	18	0	100
Solihull	14	4	9	29
Walsall	20	9	11	45
Wolverhampton	18	18	0	100
Worcestershire	29	3	26	10
Staffordshire	55	9	46	16
Shropshire	22	4	18	18
Telford and Wrekin	14	4	9	29
Warwickshire	37	7	30	19
Stoke-on-Trent	17	17	0	100

Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what criteria are used to decide which schools receive the Leadership Incentive Grant; and whether she plans to change the criteria. [2851]

Jacqui Smith: Those schools eligible for funding through the Leadership Incentive Grant are as follows:

All mainstream secondary schools in recognised priority areas of disadvantage—Excellence in Cities Areas, Excellence Clusters and Education Action Zones—(around 1,100 schools); and

Other mainstream secondary schools with more than 35 per cent. of pupils eligible for free school meals; and

Other mainstream secondary schools where fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils attained five GCSEs at grades A*-C in 2001 or 2002.

There are no plans to change the criteria in the final year of Leadership Incentive Grant funding.

Looked-after Children

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of children subject to (a) fixed-term and (b) permanent exclusions in the last five years were looked-after children. [2316]

Jacqui Smith: The Department collects information on children who have been looked after for at least 12 months and have been permanently excluded from schools. The available information is given in the table.
Number of children looked after at 30 September 2000 to 2004 who had been looked after for at least 12 months and have been permanently excluded from school—England

Looked-after children

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Number of children looked after at 30 September who had been looked after
for at least 12 months 42,200 43,400 44,100 44,900 45,000

of these:

Number eligible for full-time schooling 33,100 33,800 34,500 35,100 35,300

Number of looked after children permanently excluded from school⁽²⁶⁾ 490 450 420 380 320

Percentage of all looked after pupils eligible for full-time schooling⁽²⁷⁾ 1.5 1.3 1.2 1.1 0.9

Total number of permanent exclusions⁽²⁸⁾ 8,320 9,140 9,540 9,290 n/a

Percentage of all permanent exclusions⁽²⁹⁾ 5.9 4.9 4.4 4.1 n/a

n/a—not available
⁽²⁶⁾ If a child was permanently excluded more than once in the previous school year, each occasion has been counted.
⁽²⁷⁾ The number of looked-after children who have been excluded from school expressed as a percentage of all looked-after children eligible for full-time schooling.
⁽²⁸⁾ Total number of perm anent exclusions from maintained primary, secondary and all special schools. Figures are given for the previous school year.
⁽²⁹⁾ The number of looked-after children who have been excluded from school expressed as a percentage of all permanent exclusions.
Sources:
OC2 and Annual Schools Census

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	Looked-after children
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Number of children looked after at 30 September who had been looked after for at least 12 months	42,200	43,400	44,100	44,900	45,000
of these:
Number eligible for full-time schooling	33,100	33,800	34,500	35,100	35,300

Number of looked after children permanently excluded from school⁽²⁶⁾	490	450	420	380	320
Percentage of all looked after pupils eligible for full-time schooling⁽²⁷⁾	1.5	1.3	1.2	1.1	0.9

Total number of permanent exclusions⁽²⁸⁾	8,320	9,140	9,540	9,290	n/a
Percentage of all permanent exclusions⁽²⁹⁾	5.9	4.9	4.4	4.1	n/a

The Department has recently started to collect information on fixed period exclusions via the Termly Exclusions Survey. First findings from this survey for the 2003/04 academic year will be published in a Statistical First Release on 23 June 2005. However, quality checks are still ongoing to establish whether an analysis of fixed period exclusions by looked-after status will be sufficiently robust and fit for publication.

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