| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
16 Jun 2005 : Column 596W—continued
Secondary Education (Newark)
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has for improvements to secondary education in Newark. [4754]
Jacqui Smith:
Ministers have no specific plans for improvements to secondary education in Newark. The Department's strategy for children and learners sets out how we intend to achieve improvements over the next five years for children's services, and for education and lifelong learning.
16 Jun 2005 : Column 597W
Social Exclusion
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2005, Official Report, column 482W, if she will make a statement on the progress towards reaching the public service agreement target to which she refers; and how this is measured. [5034]
Beverley Hughes: The Department has a PSA target to Improve children's communication; social and emotional development so that by 2008 50 per cent. of children reach a good level of development at the end of the Foundation Stage, and reduce inequalities between the level of development achieved by children in the 20 per cent. most disadvantaged areas and the rest of England".
The 50 per cent. level, set in July 2004 and covering the period April 2005 to March 2008, was based on the 2003 Foundation Stage Profile (FSP) results. The target level is provisional as the 2003 FSP data were experimental statistics". The 2005 results, which will be published in a Statistical First Release in October, will inform the calculation of a challenging trajectory to enable the progress made by children to be measured. The 2005 survey will also collect for the first time information about children in the 20 per cent. most disadvantaged areas and this will be used to measure the rate of development achieved by children in these areas compared to the national picture. The figures from the 2004 survey indicate that 51 per cent. of children are working securely within the Early Learning Goals for communication, social and emotional development.
Special Educational Needs
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the Government's policy is on the teaching of children with special needs in mainstream schools. [4728]
Maria Eagle: The Government's overarching priority for children with SEN is that their needs should be met in an appropriate way, through an appropriate package of support. Children with less significant needs should in general be able to have their needs met in a mainstream environment, provided that appropriate support is in place. However, we recognise that mainstream schools are not suitable for some children with special educational needs. Both mainstream and special schools have a significant role to play.
There needs to be a range of high quality provision for pupils for whom mainstream education may not be right, or may not be what their parents want. There must be strong links between special schools, mainstream schools, special units and resourced provision. This type of partnership working is a key aspect of the Government's published strategy on SEN—Removing Barriers to Achievement".
Special Needs Tribunals
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many special needs tribunals took place in the last year for which information is available, broken down by local education authority. [3668]
16 Jun 2005 : Column 598W
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 13 June 2005]: The followingtable shows the numbers of SEN appeals decided by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal in the last full Tribunal year, September 2003 to August 2004.
The numbers of SEN appeals decided by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal in the last full Tribunal year, September 2003 to August 2004, were as follows:
16 Jun 2005 : Column 600W
Teacher Assaults
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers were assaulted by pupils in each London borough in each year since 2000; and if she will make a statement. [4804]
Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Tuition Fees
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her estimate is of the (a) number and (b) percentage of (i) higher education institutions and (ii) further education colleges that are planning to charge the full tuition fee of £3,000 from 2006. [3058]
Bill Rammell: Based on information released by the Office for Fair Access on 17 March 2005, we estimate that around 91 per cent. of HEIs and FECs are planning to charge the full tuition fee of £3,000. Based on access agreements assessed before 4 March 2005, 110 HEI's and FEC's were planning to charge the full fee of £3,000.
University College Worcester
Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects a decision to be made on extending full university status to University College Worcester. [4842]
Bill Rammell: We are awaiting advice from the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) on University College Worcester's application for university title. We expect to receive this soon.
University Departments (Closures)
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) physics, (b) mathematics and (c) chemistry departments in universities have closed since 1997. [3049]
Bill Rammell:
Information on the closure, merger or opening of particular university courses and departments is not collected by the Department. Higher education institutions are autonomous organisations responsible for their own academic direction and strategic use of funds, and any decisions on closures of departments are made by them, not by Government or the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
16 Jun 2005 : Column 601W
The then Secretary of State for Education and Skills wrote to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) at the beginning of December 2004 asking their advice on what types of action should be considered to strengthen and secure subjects of strategic national importance, including mathematics and science. HEFCE have set up an expert group to look at this issue and to report to the HEFCE board this month. The board will inform Ministers of the outcome.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |