House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 24 Oct 2005 (pt 33)

24 Oct 2005 : Column 126W—continued

Asthma

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what guidance she has issued to schools on dealing with students who have asthma; and what recent discussions she has had on this matter; [19639]

(2) what steps she is taking to ensure that each school has an asthma policy; [19640]

(3) what steps she is taking to ensure that all students with asthma are (a) encouraged and (b) enabled to take part in (i) school sports and (ii) other physical activity. [19641]

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Jacqui Smith: In March 2005 jointly with the Department of Health, the Department published guidance Managing Medicines in Schools and Early Years Settings" to help schools and their employers develop and put in place policies on the management of pupils' medicines and on supporting pupils with medical needs. However there is no legal requirement on local authorities or schools to have such policies in place. The guidance provides some basic information on some common conditions, including asthma, and encourages schools to develop an environment that is asthma friendly. In particular, the guidance recommends that all schools should have an asthma policy as an integral part of their policy on medicines and medical needs. The guidance also recommends all staff, particularly PE teachers, should have training or be provided with information about asthma once a year so that they can support children in all aspects of school life including physical activities when appropriate.

Building Schools for the Future

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many local education authorities in South England applied for a Building Schools for the Future one-school pathfinder project in the most recent round of applications for the Targeted Capital Fund. [19201]

Jacqui Smith: Local authorities were not asked to apply for a Building Schools for the Future one-school pathfinder project. It is the Government's ambition that all local authorities should have capital funding allocated to rebuild, or refurbish, at least one secondary school by 2011. It is our aim to achieve this by investment through Building Schools the Future (BSF), the Academies programme, or this pathfinder scheme. Local authorities that are due to join BSF in the latter part of that programme are being prioritised in the one-school pathfinder scheme according to their building need data. The first 12 authorities that have been targeted to receive this funding were announced on 12 October.

Bullying

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many cases of bullying were recorded in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in Cumbria in each year since 1997; and what the average figures were for English local education authorities for each year. [19214]

Jacqui Smith: Data on bullying amongst children and young people are not collected centrally and there is no reliable basis for an estimate of prevalence. Bullying cases appear to be reported more often now than previously but we have no hard evidence that bullying is increasing or that it is affecting more children. Indeed, as children and young people increasingly feel safe at school to report bullying, and confident that it will be tackled effectively and sensitively, it is likely reporting will rise.

However, any level of bullying is too high and we are determined to help schools tackle the problem. Our guidance pack Bullying: Don't Suffer in Silence", the

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anti-bullying Charter and the anti-bullying website www.dfes.gov.uk/bullying offer detailed advice on preventing and addressing bullying.

Data on bullying are not collected by local education authorities and, similarly, there is no reliable basis for an estimate of prevalence.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what estimate she has made of the number of bullying-related child (a) suicides and (b) attempted suicides in (i) Greater London and (ii) England in each of the last 12 years; [20681]

(2) how many recorded incidents of bullying there were in each secondary school (a) Havering, (b) Essex and (c) Greater London in each of the past five years. [20758]

Jacqui Smith: The Department does not collect centrally figures relating to cases of child suicide and attempted suicide by children who may have been bullied.

Bullying cases appear to be reported more often now than previously but we have no hard evidence that bullying is increasing or affecting more children. Indeed, as children and young people increasingly feel safe at school to report bullying, and confident that it will be tackled effectively and sensitively, it is likely reporting will rise. However, any level of bullying is too high and we are determined to help schools tackle the problem. Our soon to be updated guidance pack 'Bullying: Don't Suffer in Silence', alongside the anti-bullying Charter and the anti-bullying website www.dfes.gov.uk/bullying offer detailed advice on preventing and addressing bullying. We also offer specific advice to schools on tackling homophobic bullying and are developing advice on racist bullying.

Child Care (Grandparents)

Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to assist local authorities to support grandparents who act as foster parents, guardians or holder of a residence order in respect of their grandchildren; and if he will make a statement. [19744]

Maria Eagle: A number of tools have been developed to help local authorities to assess the needs of children and families. In particular, the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families and the new Common Assessment Framework may be used to identify the needs of children in family and friends placements and to help ensure that they receive the universal services to which they are entitled as well as any additional services.

The Department for Education and Skills is also undertaking a range of work targeted at improving the support provided to all those assessed and approved as foster carers, including grandparents, other relatives and friends of the family. This includes the development of proposals for a national minimum allowance for foster carers, the introduction of a new national helpline, work to improve training opportunities for foster carers, and work to improve the support offered to foster carers facing allegations.

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The Department for Education and Skills has funded voluntary organisations to carry out work dealing specifically with family and friends carers. The Family Rights Group were funded to produce a framework for the support of family and friends carers, including information leaflets. They are also developing a resource pack on the use of Family Group Conferences. The Grandparents Association receives funding to provide an advice line for family and friends carers who have a residence order, or carers seeking to apply for a residence order.

The Department is currently considering how best to assist local authorities further to develop and support family and friends care.

Children in Care

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children have left care on average over the last 10 years; and what percentage move directly into bed and breakfast accommodation. [18795]

Maria Eagle: The number of children who ceased to be looked after during the years ending 31 March 1995 to 31 March 2004 are shown in the following table. Information on the percentage of those who move directly into bed and breakfast accommodation is not collected centrally.
Children who ceased to be looked after during the years ending 31 March 1995 to 2004 by age on ceasing1,2: England Numbers

1995⁽³⁵⁾ 1996⁽³⁵⁾ 1997⁽³⁵⁾ 1998⁽³⁵⁾ 1999⁽³⁵⁾

All children⁽³⁴⁾ 33,200 32,400 30,100 29,000 27,100

Under 1 1,700 1,500 1,400 1,300 1,400

1–4 6,100 5,900 5,300 5,000 4,700

5–9 5,800 5,500 5,200 5,100 4,500

10–15 10,900 10,800 10,000 9,500 9,100

16 and over 8,700 8,600 8,200 8,100 7,400

Numbers

2000⁽³⁵⁾ 2001⁽³⁵⁾ 2002⁽³⁵⁾ 2003⁽³⁵⁾ 2004⁽³⁶⁾

All children⁽³⁴⁾ 26,700 25,000 25,400 24,300 25,300

Under 1 1,300 1,300 1,300 1,200 1,300

1–4 4,900 5,000 5,200 5,200 5,500

5–9 4,300 4,000 4,200 4,000 4,300

10–15 8,900 8,000 8,000 7,300 7,500

16 and over 7,200 6,800 6,700 6,600 6,800

⁽³³⁾ Only the last occasion on which a child ceased to be looked after in the year has been counted
⁽³⁴⁾ Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements
⁽³⁵⁾ Figures are derived from the SSDA903 one-third sample survey
⁽³⁶⁾ Figures are taken from the SSDA903 return, which in 1995–96,1996–97 and 2003–04 covered all children looked after.

	1995⁽³⁵⁾	1996⁽³⁵⁾	1997⁽³⁵⁾	1998⁽³⁵⁾	1999⁽³⁵⁾
All children⁽³⁴⁾	33,200	32,400	30,100	29,000	27,100
Under 1	1,700	1,500	1,400	1,300	1,400
1–4	6,100	5,900	5,300	5,000	4,700
5–9	5,800	5,500	5,200	5,100	4,500
10–15	10,900	10,800	10,000	9,500	9,100
16 and over	8,700	8,600	8,200	8,100	7,400

	2000⁽³⁵⁾	2001⁽³⁵⁾	2002⁽³⁵⁾	2003⁽³⁵⁾	2004⁽³⁶⁾
All children⁽³⁴⁾	26,700	25,000	25,400	24,300	25,300
Under 1	1,300	1,300	1,300	1,200	1,300
1–4	4,900	5,000	5,200	5,200	5,500
5–9	4,300	4,000	4,200	4,000	4,300
10–15	8,900	8,000	8,000	7,300	7,500
16 and over	7,200	6,800	6,700	6,600	6,800

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