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Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the performance of the Capital City Academy; and if she will make a statement. [2548]
Jacqui Smith: Ofsted inspectors carried out a monitoring visit at Capital City Academy on 18 and 19 May this year, focusing on pupil attainment. That visit found that much has been achieved in the Academy's second year. Year 11 pupils achieved higher than expected results in their 2004 GCSE examinations based on their starting points at the beginning of key stage 4, and the proportion gaining five or more A* to C grades met the target set.
Ofsted conduct monitoring inspections of academies within two years of opening, and the Department's educational advisers also carry out termly monitoring visits. A full inspection of Capital City Academy, which will be published on the Ofsted website, is due before the end of next year.
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what guidelines the Department has issued to child safeguarding units at local education authorities on the recording of (a) teachers' names and (b) details of the complaint where the complaint was dismissed; [4023]
(2) what details about teachers are held by child safeguarding units where a complaint has been made against them; [4024]
(3) what rights teachers have to challenge information held against their name by child safeguarding units; [4025]
(4) in what circumstances information held by child safeguarding units is shared with third parties; [4026]
(5) for how long teachers' names are held by child safeguarding units following the outcome of a complaint. [4027]
Jacqui Smith: My Department has not issued guidelines about recording details of teachers who are the subject of complaints nor does it collect information about the length of time such records are kept by local authorities or what details about the teacher authorities record in each case. It does, however, ask local authorities to collect statistical data about all allegations of abuse made against teachers and other education staff. The information does not identify individuals, but includes information such as the nature of the alleged abuse, and the gender of the person accused, as well as information about how the allegation was investigated and the outcome of that.
It is essential that individuals and organisations working with children share information for the purpose of protecting children. However, it is also important that in all cases the disclosure of information complies with the appropriate legislation: the Data Protection Act and the Human Rights Act, and takes account of the common law duty of confidence, and
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teachers have the same rights as everyone has under the Data Protection Act to see information that is held about them and challenge its accuracy.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to her answer of 6 June 2005, Official Report, columns 33031W, on City Academies, if she will request the information regarding the proportion of lessons setted in city academy schools from Ofsted. [3259]
Jacqui Smith:
Ofsted collect some information from Academies and other schools on the extent to which lessons are setted as part of their inspection into the overall quality of education, although this is not done systematically. For example, they will record whether
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each lesson which is observed is setted or not but they will not ask the school about the total number of lessons which are setting. We do not intend to increase the bureaucratic burden by requiring Ofsted to ask routinely for this information from Academies or other schools.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many students were permanently excluded from each city academy in each academic year since the academy was opened; [3195]
(2) how many permanent exclusions from secondary schools took place in each local education authority which has a city academy in its area, in each academic year since the opening of the academy. [3196]
Jacqui Smith: Latest exclusions data are for 2002/03. The table provides the requested information for the first three academies that opened in September 2002.
Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the (a) projected cost at the time of tender and (b) actual cost at the time of completion was for each IT contract commissioned by her Department and its predecessors in the last five years. [2580]
Maria Eagle: The information in the following table relates to our more recent or current contracts which have been put in place, however, information relating to the last five years is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the Government's estimate is of the number of children being brought up by grandparents because the children's parents have drug addiction problems. [1718]
Maria Eagle: The Government do not make any estimate of the number of children being brought up by grandparents because of parental drug abuse.
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the creation of an Education Champion for Nottingham, North. [3427]
Jacqui Smith: There is a Higher Education Champion for Nottingham, North, funded by Aimhigher through the Department and Higher Education Funding Council.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what criteria will be used to determine whether overall educational standards are too low when making decisions on new school provision. [3857]
Jacqui Smith:
The principal criteria in making such decisions will be Ofsted inspection judgments, and in particular inspectors' opinions that the overall provision
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in the school is inadequate, and that the school requires special measures or significant improvement, in accordance with the Education Act 2005.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what role her Department will have in making new provision in education to address low standards. [3858]
Jacqui Smith: The Education Act 2005 requires local authorities to hold a competition whenever they plan to establish a new secondary school, including a school which is replacing one or more existing schools. This means that if a school is closed, and a new school established in its place, the local authority must invite potential providers to bring forward proposals. A local authority or potential provider may apply to the Secretary of State to publish proposals for a new school without a competition in exceptional circumstances, for example where it is intended to replace a weak or failing school as part of a collaborative restart. In considering such an application, the Secretary of State would have regard to the extent to which the local authority or independent provider's proposals would contribute to the quality and diversity of provision in the area.
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