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14 Jun 2005 : Column 363W—continued
Learning Edge Partnership Programme
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to her Answer of 6 July 2004, Official Report, column 340W, on the Leading Edge Schools Programme, what discussions her Department is having on the Leading Edge Partnership Programme; and with whom. [4093]
Jacqui Smith: Discussions have taken place about the future of the Leading Edge Partnership Programme, in the context of the Five Year Strategy commitment to offer leading roles for high performing specialist schools, with a wide range of professionals. The Department has had discussions with, among others, the Specialist Schools Trust, the Youth Sport Trust, the Teacher Training Agency, the Leading Edge Partnership Programme's Steering Group and other interested Head Teachers.
Mobile Phones (Schools)
Mr. Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what policies are being developed to stop the bullying with mobile phones known as 'happy slapping' in schools. [4407]
Jacqui Smith: Happy slapping incidents may well be considered violent crimes under existing criminal law legislation, and therefore should be dealt with in the same way as other such incidents. Guidance on dealing with such incidents is available on the teachernet website and further advice to schools on violence reduction is currently being developed.
In terms of bullying by mobile phone, part of the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) remit under the funding provided by the Department is to develop innovative and practical approaches to tackling bullying, including the modern menace of bullying by text messaging. Bullying by text messages on mobile phones is also referred to in our guidance pack for schools 'Don't suffer in Silence'.
Mr. Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will consult mobile phone companies on the development of new technologies to block the use of mobile phones in schools. [4408]
Jacqui Smith: There are currently no plans for the Department to begin consultation with mobile phone companies on technologies to block mobile phone use in schools.
New School Provision
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how she proposes to encourage the creation and retention of small schools and state boarding schools. [4237]
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Jacqui Smith: Local authorities are responsible for planning school places in their area including the creation and retention of small schools. In the interests of raising standards, we expect local authorities to take parents' preferences for a particular type of provision into account in the planning process. Statutory Guidance to school organisation committees and the schools adjudicator makes clear that they must not assume a school must be of a certain size to be a good school.
In relation to State Boarding Schools, we have made available £5 million to support projects to increase boarding provision or undertake essential work to existing boarding accommodation.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what mechanisms will be put in place to ensure new school provision in areas where school standards are low. [4239]
Jacqui Smith: Where the appropriate response to low standards in an area is the establishment of a new school—whether an additional school or a school to replace one or more existing schools—the local authority will be required under the Education Act 2005 to invite potential providers to bring forward proposals.
Otley College
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for what reason Otley College decided to close the IT training centre at Colchester. [269]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 23 May 2005]: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Mark Haysom to Mr. Bob Russell, dated 9 June 2005:
I write in response to your recent question to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills regarding the closure of the IT Centre at Otley College, Colchester.
Otley College's funding allocation for adult learners in 2005–06 has been capped at the 2004–05 level to support growth in funding for 16–18 learners.
The IT Centre offers free, low level IT courses mainly to adults, that are funded entirely from the college's funding allocation from the LSC. This provision is not a priority for the LSC and the college, having reviewed its adult provision, has decided to close the Centre because it is not economically viable. In making this decision the college was aware that suitable alternative provision was available in Colchester. Colchester has a large FE college, a large adult community college and numerous private providers that offer similar IT courses.
In order to achieve Government targets for 2005–06 LSC funding has been focused on priorities which has reduced the funding available for non-priority adult provision such as that offered at the IT Centre in Colchester. The scale of reduction in adult provision is likely to be greater than anticipated due to our need to support unprecedented numbers of young people in FE provision, and the LSC is currently reviewing planning arrangements and modelling funding implications to assist college plans for 2006–07.
Out-of-Hours Learning
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her estimate is of the proportion of (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools that support out-of-hours learning. [4015]
Jacqui Smith: We recently commissioned MORI to conduct research into the extent and nature of study support in schools. Findings indicated that 90 per cent. of primary and 98 per cent. of secondary schools now offer some study support. The most popular activities are PE and sport, followed by music and ICT.
Out-of-school Units
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many places have been available in out-of-school units in each year since 1995; and what plans she has to increase the number. [4123]
Jacqui Smith: The available information is given in the table. It is the responsibility of local authorities (LAs) to provide suitable education for those children of compulsory school age who, by reason of illness, exclusion from school or otherwise, may not otherwise receive it. Therefore each LA will decide how many PRU places it needs, in line with its own policies, the efficient use of resources and DfES guidance.
(40) Also includes pupils with other providers.
(41) Pupils who are on the unit's register and on another school's register,
(42) Provisional figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
Source:
Annual Schools Census
Post-16 Education
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action she is taking to increase (a) flexibility of provision and (b) choice and diversity in 16–19 education. [3835]
Jacqui Smith:
The actions we are taking to increase (a) flexibility of provision and (b) choice and diversity in 16–19 education are set out in the Departments' five year strategy, the 14–19 White Paper and the Government's manifesto.
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We plan to publish more detailed guidance on measures to increase choice and diversity in 16–19 provision later this year.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to increase diversity in 16–19 provision of education outside sixth form colleges, school sixth forms and further education colleges. [3836]
Jacqui Smith: An objective of competitions for new 16–19 provision is to open the market to new providers. These could include schools and colleges. They could also include others, for example private sector providers of vocational learning. The intention is that competitions will attract high quality, and where appropriate innovative proposals that will contribute to an improved local offer.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance will be produced for stakeholders in 16–19 provision of education on increasing choice and diversity. [3837]
Jacqui Smith: The guidance on increasing choice and diversity in 16–19 provision that was prepared earlier this year has been reviewed in the light of policy developments. We plan to issue it for consultation later in the summer.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list prospective stakeholders in 16–19 provision with which her Department has held initial discussions. [3838]
Jacqui Smith: Departmental officials have worked with the LSC on developing draft guidance on how the new measures for increasing choice and diversity in 16–19 provision will work in practice. We plan to consult stakeholders more widely on the draft guidance later in the summer.
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will allocate a portion of the funding for rebuilding of secondary schools to further education colleges for delivery of vocational education to 14 to 16-year-olds. [4263]
Bill Rammell: Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is for investment in schools.
The Spending Review settlement for 2005–06 to 2007–08 provides however, for capital investment in both the schools and further education sectors. The Department has been working with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to ensure that this capital investment is complementary. Where BSF proposals address the 14–19 agenda in association with a local further education college, the LSC will consider this when determining applications to upgrade further education provision, where this is deemed to be necessary as part of the overall local strategy. In order to support the needs of further education colleges, the Chancellor's March 2005 Budget statement included additional resources for the sector of £100 million and £250 million in 2008–09 and 2009–10 respectively.
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