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2 Nov 2005 : Column 1178W—continued
Homework
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to revise Ofsted inspection criteria to include monitoring of the amount of homework set in schools to enable assessment of compliance with recommendations in her Department's publication Homework: Guidelines for Primary and Secondary Schools. [22857]
Jacqui Smith: The new school inspection framework requires inspectors to evaluate the school's provision in terms of its impact on achievement rather than compliance with non-statutory guidelines (in this case on the amount of homework provided). If the school's self-evaluation form, or other evidence, suggests that the school's policy on homework is contributing to unsatisfactory progress being made by pupils, inspectors may specifically examine this as part of the inspection. There are currently no plans to revise the inspection criteria in this regard.
Independent State Schools
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what role local authorities will take in relation to the introduction of independent state schools. [23145]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 1 November 2005]: Local authorities will have a new role as commissioners of education, rather than the direct providers of school places. In future all new or replacement schools will be self-governing (foundation), trust, voluntary aided or—where appropriate—academies. Where there is a need for a new or replacement school in an area the local authority will draw up a specification for the school and invite promoters to submit proposals. The local authority (or, in some cases, the schools adjudicator) will decide which proposals to approve, taking account of the views of parents and other stakeholders.
Existing community and voluntary controlled schools may also publish proposals to become self-governing (foundation) or trust schools. It will normally be for individual governing bodies to decide those proposals, but where the governing body has failed to take proper account of the views of a majority of parents about the acquisition of a trust or there are serious concerns about the impact of the acquisition of a trust on school standards, the local authority may refer the proposals to the schools adjudicator whose decision on them will be final.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the impact on future pay levels for teachers of the proposed new independent state schools. [23146]
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Jacqui Smith [holding answer 1 November 2005]: Teachers at trust schools will be subject to the same legal provisions on pay and conditions as teachers at other maintained schools.
Labour Statistics
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many entry to employment trainees found employment in (a) 2003, (b) 2004 and (c) 2005 to date; [22395]
(2) how many entry to employment places are available in England; how many have been taken up; and what the drop-out rate is. [22396]
Jacqui Smith: Entry to Employment (E2E) is the main programme for young people not yet ready to enter an Apprenticeship, employment or learning opportunities directly. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) guarantees all young people for whom E2E is appropriate, a place on the programme. This is in addition to the commitment that every 16 to 18-year-old can have a place in post-16 education and training.
The LSC collects data by academic year. In 2003/04 10,430 left E2E for employment. In 2004/05 11,226 left E2E for employment. Drop out information is not collected by the LSC. In 2004/05, 43 per cent. of E2E leavers went into a positive destination (Jobs, Further Education or Work Based Learning). This has risen from 35 per cent. in 2003/04. The number of places made available in England, in 2004/05 was 49,523. Of these 47,702 were taken up based on provisional 2004/05 data.
Learning Methods
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2005, Official Report, columns 488–9W, on learning methods, if she will define the term (a) multiplication facts and (b) multiplication tables. [23762]
Jacqui Smith: An example of a multiplication fact is 8 x 7 = 56. A set of facts make up what are commonly known as multiplication tables.
Music Teaching
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her assessment is of the (a) availability and (b) standards of the teaching of music at (i) secondary and (ii) primary schools. [23890]
Jacqui Smith: As part of the national curriculum, music is a statutory subject for all pupils between the ages of five and 14. Music can also be taken as an option at key stage 4.
Ofsted's annual report for 2004–05 continues to show a steady improvement in all aspects of primary school music, which is now good or very good in nearly six schools in 10. This picture is replicated at secondary level, where teaching at KS3 is now good or better in approaching three quarters of schools. Teaching is of significantly higher quality in both key stage 4 and post-16 courses.
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Non-contact Time Obligations
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will take steps to assist schools with the lowest pupil funding level to secure adequate funding to enable statutory non-contact time obligations to be met; and if she will make a statement. [24615]
Jacqui Smith: Work force reform, including statutory non-contact time, is about more than additional funding. We have always said that contractual changes, such as planning, preparation and assessment (PPA), would require reform as well as investment and we firmly believe that much can be achieved within schools from redeploying existing resources to introduce and sustain the changes. Schools will need to consider their own circumstances and the opportunities available to them—some strategies may be easier to implement than others. There is no one size fits all" approach and schools will need to decide what strategies would be the most appropriate for them.
In introducing new arrangements for school funding from 2006–07, we intend to deliver greater certainty and stability for schools. Our intention is to set the minimum funding guarantee for 2006–07 at a level which covers anticipated average cost pressures on schools, including the full-year costs of implementing work force reform, subject to a final assessment of those pressures. We will announce details of authorities1 funding allocations in the late autumn together with the level of the guarantee.
Non-departmental Public Bodies
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by her Department (a) publish their advice to Government, (b) publish an annual report and (c) lay an annual report before Parliament; and whether it is a statutory requirement in each case. [20144]
Jacqui Smith: My Department sponsors three advisory non-departmental public bodies: the Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy (IAGTP), the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) and the Teachers' TV Board of Governors. The Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy does not have a statutory base but publishes its advice and recommendations to the Government in an annual report which is announced in Parliament via a written ministerial statement. There is no statutory requirement to do so.
The School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) has a statutory base but is not under a statutory duty to publish any report to the Government. However the Prime Minister and Secretary of State are under a statutory duty to publish a report from the STRB. There is no requirement for the STRB to publish an annual report or to lay a report before Parliament.
The Teachers' TV Board of Governors does not have a statutory base but does publish an annual report that contains its advice to Government on its website at www.ttvboard.org. It does not lay an annual report before Parliament and there is no statutory requirement to do so.
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Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by her Department (a) hold public meetings, (b) conduct public consultation exercises, (c) conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests, (d) publish a register of members' interests, (e) publish agendas for meetings and (f) publish the minutes of meetings; and whether it is under a statutory requirement in each case. [20145]
Jacqui Smith: My Department sponsors three Advisory Non-Departmental Public Bodies: the Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy (IAGTP), the School Teachers' Review Body (STRB) and the Teachers' TV Board of Governors. The information requested is listed as follows:
(b) The School Teachers' Review Body conducts consultation with representative bodies within several categories prescribed under the Education Act 2002.
(d) The Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy, School Teachers' Review Body and the Teachers' TV Board of Governors.
(f) The Teachers' TV Board of Governors publishes summaries of its meetings on its website at www.tttv.board.org
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