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4 Jul 2005 : Column 171W—continued
School Premises
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many temporary buildings there were on school premises in each London borough in(a) 1997, (b) 2001 and (c) 2005, broken down by (i)primary, (ii) secondary and (iii) special schools. [8068]
Jacqui Smith: The following table shows numbers of temporary buildings on primary, secondary and special school premises for each London borough. The figures are derived from data supplied to the Department by authorities in 2001 and 2003. No data were collected in 1997. New data have been requested at the end of this year. Not all temporary buildings are used for teaching. They may accommodate one or more classrooms.
Central government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under £700 million in 1996–97 to £5.5 billion this year and will rise further to over £6.3 billion by 2007–08. Progress is being made year-by-year in improving the quality of the school building stock. The bulk of schools capital is now allocated by formula to authorities and schools so that they can address their local priorities, including the replacement of decayed temporary accommodation, on which we have set a high priority.
Modern, high quality mobile or demountable classrooms provide a good environment for teaching and learning where there is short term need. They might, for instance, be needed to cope with a short term increase in pupil numbers, or where extensive remodelling or rebuilding of permanent accommodation means providing temporary accommodation on the school site, rather than transporting children elsewhere.
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Note:
Where no figures are shown, either no data have been supplied by authorities, or there are clearly significant data anomalies.
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School Violence
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her Department's policy is on dealing with violence taking place in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools. [9934]
Jacqui Smith: Although the great majority of schools are safe and orderly places the Government take the issue of violence very seriously. We have made it clear that head teachers may permanently exclude pupils for violence even when this is a first offence. But it is even more important to help schools create an environment that reduces the risk of violence to an absolute minimum. To achieve that we have:
given every secondary school access to high-quality behaviour management training materials and expert advice from behaviour management consultants;
funded extra support for schools facing the greatest challenges through our Excellence in Cities and Behaviour Improvement Programmes;
given schools a legal toolkit on how to ban aggressive parents from the site and have them removed and prosecuted if they flout the ban; and
giving every primary school access to high-quality training and curriculum materials for developing pupils' social, emotional and behavioural skills and developing similar materials for secondary schools;
developing specific violence prevention advice and training in collaboration with associations representing heads and other school staff;
working with the Home Office on legislation to give heads the power to search pupils for offensive weapons; and
asking an expert group of heads and teachers to consider what else could be done to promote discipline and a culture of respect in all schools.
Sixth Forms
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proposals she has received from learning and skills councils relating to school sixth forms referring to (a) closure, (b) reorganisation and (c) opening in each year since councils' powers were introduced. [8493]
Jacqui Smith: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received two reorganisation proposals relating to school sixth forms from the LSC:
a proposal to close four school sixth forms in Haringey and open a new 16–19 school, submitted in September 2004;
a proposal to close six school sixth forms, one sixth form college and one general FE college in Hastings and Rother and to open a new general FE college delivering 16–19 provision on four sites, submitted in February 2005.
Special Schools
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many proposals to close moderate learning disability special schools in the last eight years went to adjudication; and how many schools were subsequently closed. [4097]
Maria Eagle: Schools adjudicators are independent of the Department for Education and Skills. Details of the decisions they have made are published each year by the Office of the Schools Adjudicator in their annual report. Copies, for each year since the office was created in April 1999, have been placed in the House Library.
The Office of the Schools Adjudicators (OSA) was established on 1 April 1999. To date adjudicators have considered 17 proposals to reorganise provision in 31special schools. Of these, 11 included proposals to close special schools catering for children with moderate learning difficulties (MLD). Adjudicators approved nine of these proposals, amounting to the closure of 13schools with provision for children with MLD.
Student Unions
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the responsibility of universities for student unions in respect of the implementation of race relations and diversity policies and legislation. [9138]
Bill Rammell: Universities are bound by equality and diversity legislation and it is the responsibility of their governing bodies to ensure that non-discriminatory practices are followed. With regard to race relations specifically, governing bodies of universities have a positive duty have due regard to the need to eliminate racism and to promote equality. This duty applies to all functions exercised by governing bodies, including their regulatory function in respect of student unions. There is also the specific duty placed upon governing bodies to have in place a policy for promoting race equality and to monitor its effect. The CRE has prepared guidance for further and higher education institutions on their duties under the race relations legislation. Government's approach to pay is to enable local flexibility to meet local needs and to encourage a clear link between pay and individual performance. General FE colleges and sixth form colleges are autonomous institutions, and as such they negotiate their own pay and conditions of service with staff and their unions without Government involvement.
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