---

13 Jun 2005 : Column 219W—continued

School Places (Staffordshire)

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures she plans to take to assist parents who fail to get their children into any of their chosen schools in Staffordshire; and if she will make a statement. [3331]

Jacqui Smith: 98 per cent. of parents applying for Staffordshire primary schools, and 95 per cent. applying for secondary schools were allocated their most preferred school. All parents have been offered a school place. Parents who are not satisfied have the right of appeal to an independent appeal panel. This gives them an important opportunity to have their case heard by an independent body who will consider objectively the evidence from the admission authority and the parents before reaching a final decision.
 
13 Jun 2005 : Column 220W
 

School Sport

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2005, Official Report, columns 345–6W, on school sport, (a) what percentage of schools in a school sport partnership responded to the survey and (b) what percentage of schools are in a school sport partnership. [3642]

Jacqui Smith: At the time that the 2003/04 survey was conducted 8,105 schools, 34 per cent. of all schools in England, were within a school sport partnership. In total, 6,547 schools took part in the survey, which represents a high 81 per cent. response rate.

School Support Staff

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action she proposes to take to broaden the range of support staff working in schools. [3848]

Jacqui Smith: More support staff undertaking a wider range of tasks and responsibilities in schools is one of the key components of school work force reform. The importance of the role of support staff is illustrated by the range of partners that signed the National Agreement on Raising Standards and Tackling Workload. There are now over 263,000 full time equivalent support staff in England, an increase of almost 130,000 since 1997.

School Transport

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will provide additional funds for the provision of school transport to Herefordshire council; and if she will make a statement. [3212]

Jacqui Smith: The Secretary of State has no plans to provide additional funds to Herefordshire council for the provision of school transport.

In the 2005–06 Education Formula Spending Share (EPS) settlement, Herefordshire's LEA allocation was £12.8 million: 14.5 per cent. of its total EPS settlement, compared with a national average of 11.4 per cent. This was £100 per resident pupil (26 per cent.) more than was allocated to an average LEA in 2005–06, due to the rural nature of the county.

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what assessment she has made of the trial Yellow School Bus schemes; and if she will make a statement; [3213]

(2) what plans she has to widen trial areas for Yellow School buses; if she will establish a national school bus scheme; and if she will make a statement. [3214]

Jacqui Smith: The Department for Education and Skills is currently considering options for taking forward the Government's commitment to support innovation in home to school transport.

A small number of local authorities operate limited yellow bus schemes for home to school transport. The Department for Transport conducted an evaluation of these schemes in 2003, which suggested that well-designed dedicated bus schemes can help reduce car dependency for the journey to school. The Department
 
13 Jun 2005 : Column 221W
 
for Transport has provided £18.7 million to support a large-scale pilot of yellow buses in West Yorkshire. The first phase of this pilot started in autumn 2004, and it will be extended in 2005 and again in 2006. DfT will be working with West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive to evaluate the impact of this large scale pilot.

Schools (Special Measures)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools placed in special measures by Ofsted were situated within the most deprived 20 per cent. of wards according to the Government's index of deprivation in each of the past 10 years. [3222]

Jacqui Smith: My Department is collating the information requested and I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible, and place a copy in the Library.

Schools Funding

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the per capita pupil funding in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) the London borough of Haringey and (ii) Greater London (A) is in 2005–06 and (B) has been in each of the last five years; what assessment she has made of differences between the figures; and if she will make a statement. [3077]

Jacqui Smith: The figures requested for Haringey and Greater Londonin the table. Total funding includes funding via education formula spending/standard spending assessment and revenue grants allocated at an LEA level. For comparability with previous years the real terms figures exclude the pensions transfer to EFS and the Learning and Skills Council from 2003–04. This transfer is included in the cash terms figures. The principal reason why funding for Haringey is greater than the London average is the high level of deprivation in Haringey.
Average funding per pupil (£)

	2005 to 2006 cash terms, including pensions transfer to EFS and LSC
LEA	Primary (3 to 10-year-olds)	Secondary (11 to 15-year-olds)
Haringey	4,980	6,290
London	4,690	5,720

Average funding per pupil (£)

	Real terms, excluding pensions transfer to EFS and LSC 2003- 04 to 2005–06
Haringey	Primary (3 to 10-year-olds)	Secondary (11 to 15-year- olds)
2000–01	3,690	5,040
2001–02	3,970	5,380
2002–03	4,100	5,450
2003–04	4,300	5,760
2004–05	4,510	5,980
2005–06	4,680	5,920

 
13 Jun 2005 : Column 222W
 

Average funding per pupil (£)

	Real terms, excluding pensions transfer to EFS and LSC 2003 to 2004 2005 to 2006
Greater London	Primary (3 to 10-year-olds)	Secondary (11 to 15-year- olds)
2000–01	3,430	4,500
2001–02	3,640	4,800
2002–03	3,760	4,900
2003–04	4,000	5,010
2004–05	4,190	5,240
2005–06	4,400	5,370

Notes:
1.Price base: Cash terms, and Real terms at 2003–04 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 23.03.05
2.Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of education SSA/EFS settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EPS and LSC.
3.Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES departmental expenditure limits relevant to pupils aged 3 to 10 and 11 to15, and exclude EMAs and grants not allocated at LEA level. For those LEAs in receipt of advance of grant under the transitional support arrangements for 2004–05, advance grant funding is included in the year of payment (2004–05). There will be a consequential reduction in DfES grant for these LEAs in future years (either 2006–07 and 2007–08 or 2006–07 to 2008–09, depending on the terms on which the advance was given to the LEA).
4.The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC 3-year-old maintained pupils and estimated 3 to 4-year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers
5.Figures are rounded to the nearest pound.
2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06 figures are provisional as some grants have not yet been Status: finalised/audited.

Sex Education

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make sex and relationships education a compulsory part of the school curriculum. [3299]

Jacqui Smith: Sex and relationship education (SRE) is compulsory in all maintained secondary schools and discretionary in primary schools. Sex education is included in statutory science lessons which all pupils receive.

Parents can withdraw their child from some or all SRE lessons except those which form part of the science curriculum.

---