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Classroom Supervisors

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of supply teachers' time are estimated will be replaced by classroom supervisors under the proposals in the technical note provided by her Department to the Gershon Review; and how much money is expected to be saved by this change. [3725]

Jacqui Smith: The thrust of the workforce reform agenda—which is supported by school workforce unions and employers, as well as by Government—are to encourage schools to make the most effective use of all their resources. In many cases, using cover staff rather than supply teachers will be the best option—in terms of educational benefit as well as value for money. But deployment will depend on a number of factors, including how much short term absence—much of which is unforeseeable—a school needs to cover.

Education Funding

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been set
 
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aside for high-quality tuition in (a) the arts, (b) music, (c) sport and (d) foreign languages for the next three financial years. [4235]

Jacqui Smith: We are investing in major national programmes such as Creative Partnerships—providing a £2.5 million contribution to the larger DCMS funding specifically to run an education team—to support schools to give their pupils the opportunity to experience learning through creativity and working with artists, actors etc. We also support the Artsmark Awards which recognise schools that have made a strong commitment to the arts and have encouraged schools to increase their provision of arts to pupils, thereby raising the profile and quality of arts education across the country

To date, £270 million has gone to LEA Music Services through the Music Standards Fund. The MSF was set up in 1999 to protect music services and to expand music provision outside of the National Curriculum. We now plan to distribute up to a further £210 million during the course of the current spending period, and this includes a planned £30 million increase intended to specifically support Music Services to implement the Ofsted supported Wider Opportunities Music Programme at Key Stage 2. This successful programme was piloted in 13 areas, and consisted of new musical experiences and whole class instrumental tuition.

The Government are investing £978 million in the five years to 2008 to deliver the national PE, School Sport and Club Links strategy. £28 million of the overall budget has been set aside to support the professional development of teachers and other to enhance the quality of PE teaching and learning.

The Secretary of State announced a £115 million Boost for Modern Foreign Languages" in March 2005, providing support for languages teaching over the next three years. £60 million of that sum will support initial and existing teacher training, and another £14 million will support new approaches for teaching and learning for 11 to 18-year-olds.

EU Students

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of EU students who have been resident in the UK for more than three years and will be eligible for higher education maintenance support from 2006 as a result of the European Court of Justice judgment in the case R (Bidar) v the London borough of Ealing. [3979]

Bill Rammell: It is difficult to estimate precisely the number of EU students that may be eligible for higher education maintenance support because of the uncertainty involved in projecting future numbers of EU students and the limited data available centrally on the number of years people in this group may have been resident in the UK. An EU student will still need to satisfy the requirement of three years residence in the UK prior to the start of his or her course in order to be eligible for maintenance support. Based on the limited data available, we estimate that around 6,000 full time EU students studying in English institutions could in
 
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principle be eligible for maintenance support in Academic Year 2006/07 as a result of changes we have made to regulations in the light of the ECJ ruling.

Further Education Funding

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many further education colleges have reported that they expect to be in financial deficit in this financial year; and if she will make a statement. [2743]

Bill Rammell: The latest data that the LSC has collected from further education colleges regarding their 2004–05 financial position is from the 2004–07 financial plans. These financial plans indicate that 78 out of 390 colleges (20 per cent.) were forecasting a financial deficit for 2004–05.

GCSE Music

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance her Department has issued on the provision of GCSE Music in secondary schools. [4109]

Jacqui Smith: This Government recognises the importance of music in schools both as a subject in its own right and as a means of driving up standards across the curriculum. Music is a statutory requirement for all pupils up to the age of 14. At Key Stage 4 it comes within the statutory entitlement to study arts—schools must provide access to a minimum of one course in the arts—art and design, music, dance, drama or media arts.

The Department has not provided guidance to schools on offering music GCSE, or indeed any other subject. It is for schools to decide what subjects to offer for GCSE in the light of suitable accommodation, facilities and suitably qualified teaching staff; and taking account of demand.

Key Stage Learning

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the actions her Department will take to ensure that children who have not achieved the expected standards of numeracy and literacy at Key Stage 2 receive support at secondary school to achieve these standards; and whether these will include (a) curriculum flexibility, (b) targeted reading materials and (c) increased resources. [3852]

Jacqui Smith: Children who have not achieved the age-related expectations in numeracy and literacy on transfer to secondary school remain a key priority for this Government. The 14–19 White Paper and our recent manifesto set out our actions and proposals for improving the support for and schools' focus on these pupils. These include reviewing the Key Stage 3 curriculum to create more space to help those who have fallen behind; strengthening the support and guidance already provided to secondary schools by the Secondary National Strategy, and extending it to Key Stage 4; and strengthening the Achievement and Attainment Tables to include English and maths in the GCSE 5A* -C measure.
 
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Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance her Department has produced on the range of subjects beyond the core requirements of the national curriculum offered in secondary schools at Key Stage 3 and 4. [4234]

Jacqui Smith: My Department produces guidance materials to support teaching and learning in all the core and foundation subjects of the National Curriculum and other elements of the school curriculum (such as PSHE and RE). In addition, QCA provides guidance on a range of statutory and non-statutory elements of the curriculum, including areas of study outside of the National Curriculum, for example business studies, work-related learning, and economics.

Leadership Group on Behaviour and Discipline

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) whether she expects the report of the Leadership Group on Behaviour and Discipline to be published; and if she will make a statement; [3772]

(2) how much has been allocated for the work of the Leadership Group on Behaviour and Discipline; [3773]

(3) which professional bodies have been invited to(a) attend and (b) nominate teachers and head teachers to the Leadership Group on Behaviour and Discipline; [3774]

(4) what the (a) functions and (b) membership of the (i) Leadership Group on Behaviour and Discipline and (ii) Behaviour and Attendance Reference Group are; [3775]

(5) what functions the Leadership Group on Behaviour and Discipline will take over from the Behaviour and Attendance Reference Group; [3776]

(6) whether the Behaviour and Attendance Reference Group will be abolished; [3777]

(7) how much funding the Behaviour and Attendance Reference Group (a) received in each year since it was established and (b) is projected to receive. [3778]

Jacqui Smith: The Leadership Group on Behaviour and Discipline, announced on 20 May, will advise the Government on how effective school discipline reaches every classroom, how to improve parental responsibility for their children's behaviour and deliver a culture of respect in all schools. Chaired by Sir Alan Steer of the Seven Kings High School in Ilford, the group has a membership of heads and teachers with a proven track record in managing behaviour. Six of these have been nominated by teacher unions and professional associations—ATL, NAHT, NAS/UWT, NUT, PAT and SHA. The Leadership Group is due to report by the end of October to a ministerial group on behaviour and attendance. The Ministerial Group comprises general secretaries of those six organisations, a representative from Unison, Ofsted, local authorities and governors, including a parent governor. The ministerial group's role will be to advise Ministers on the development and implementation of behaviour and attendance policies and to play an active part in promoting and helping to embed the most effective practice in improving behaviour and attendance across all schools. This includes receiving the report of the Leadership Group. I
 
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intend to make available the report of the leadership group, once my Ministerial Group has had an opportunity to consider its findings.

With the creation of the two new groups, and pending the report of the leadership group, we have suspended meetings of the Improving Behaviour and Attendance Programme (IBAP) reference group. The IBAP reference group has played a valuable role since its creation in September 2002. Its functions have been to review and help develop strategy, including the effect and practicalities of its implementation; to comment on guidance and other materials that have been made available to schools and LEAs; and to provide a forum for partners to discuss behaviour and attendance issues. Following the decision to suspend its meetings, its overall strategic role and its role as a discussion forum will be taken forward by the new Ministerial Group. No decisions have yet been taken on its future role.

The IBAP reference group did not receive any specific funding, apart from costs of its meetings. It is envisaged that similar arrangements will apply to the two new groups. As the Leadership Group comprises serving heads and teachers, we are providing supply cover costs.

The members of the IBAP reference group are listed as follows.
AssociationName
ACEJulia Parnaby
ACEIngrid Sutherland
Association of Education Welfare ManagersJenny Price
Association of Education Welfare ManagersJennie Clark
NEC of AEWMStewart Bray
OfstedDavid Moore
OfstedEileen Visser
Youth Justice BoardPaul Dale
Youth Justice BoardDavid Padley
Youth Justice BoardJulie Conalty
Youth Justice BoardRobert Newman
Association of Educational PsychologistsDavid Webster
Association of Educational PsychologistsMary Jenkin
ATLJulie Coverdale
ATLMartin Johnson
NAHTJan Myles
NAHTKathryn James
NAHTPhilippa Erasmus
Children's SocietyVacant
Commission for Racial EqualitySuma Das
ConfEdJo Davidson
ConfEDChris Waterman
DCMSPhil Clapp
DOHCathy James
General Teaching CouncilSally-Ann Davies
GTCECarol Adams
Information for Schools and College GovernorsElizabeth Alqadhi
CFBTSue Bainbridge
KS3/CfBTMarilyn Toft
NASWEMichael Sunderland
LGAMark Behrendt
NAGMHadrian Southern
NASUWTKim Garcia
NASUWTChris Keates
NASUWTPatrick Roach
NASUWTJennifer Moses
NCSLEdith Pagliacci
NCSLPat Collarbone
NPQH—NCSLRobin Attfield
National Council for Parent-Teacher AssociationDavid Butler
NFPIAnn Page
National Governors CouncilMary Wallis-Jones
National Planning and Parenting InstituteMary Macleod
NUTJohn Bangs
NUTRosamund McNeil
NCBPhilippa Stobbs
Professional Association of TeachersJean Gemmell
Professional Association of TeachersSharon Vaughan
SHABob Carstairs
SHAKate Griffin
UNISONVacant
Teacher Training AgencyLaura Mahoney
Teacher Training AgencyMartin Dore
IndependentRashida Sharif

 
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