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24 Nov 2005 : Column 2183W—continued
Information and Communication Technology
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information and communication technology courses are available for teachers; and what funding is available for such courses. [28577]
Jacqui Smith: A wide variety of approved courses, both in a formal training environment and distance learning, are available to teachers covering all aspects of the use of ICT in schools. The training is provided by a national network of over 800 ICT training providers, managed by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta), and listed within the ICT Support Network Directory (http://www.becta.org.uk/ictsn/).
£120 million funding has been provided to schools through the Standards Fund Grant 31a across 2004–05 and 2005–06 for the Hands on Support (HOS) programme. This funding may be used to buy-in expertise from private training or to provide teachers with an opportunity to share and spread good practice in using ICT with fellow practitioners. Schools have the discretion to decide exactly how much of their HOS allocation is spent on ICT training. Funding will continue in 2006–07 as part of Grant 101-Schools Development Grant.
Looked-after Children
Mr. Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children per 10,000 children are looked after by local authorities in the (a) Inner London local authorities, (b) Outer London local authorities, (c) English metropolitan authorities outside London, (d) Wigan metropolitan borough council area, (e) Salford city council area, (f) Knowsley metropolitan borough council area, (g) South Tyneside council area, (h) Leeds city council area and (i)Wolverhampton city council area. [29475]
Beverley Hughes:
The information requested may be found in Table 1 of Children looked after by local
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authorities, Year Ending 31 March 2004, Volume 2: Local Authority Tables". This is available from the Department's website at:
Schools
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects to publish the results of the consultation on the draft School Admissions Code of Practice. [28235]
Jacqui Smith: We expect to be able to publish the results of the exercise on the Department's consultation website within three months of the end of consultation as recommended by the Cabinet Office.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have been closed due to falling rolls in (i) England and (ii) the Tees Valley in each year since 1997. [31608]
Jacqui Smith: The Department does not hold information on the number of primary and secondary schools in England that have closed because of falling rolls. Nor do we hold information for the Tees Valley as data is gathered by local authority area.
A total of 2,200 schools have closed in the last eight years due to amalgamation, change in religious character, authority ceasing to maintain, fresh start, the opening of an academy and to allow for a new establishment. The numbers of school closures in England, broken down by (a) local education authority and (b) type of school during the calendar years 1997 to 2005 are shown in the table which was placed in the House Library as part of the written answer to question 19695 on 19 October 2005. The figures shown in the table include mainstream schools maintained by local authorities but exclude special schools and independent schools.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have applied to expand since the guidance to the decision-makers that there should be a presumption in favour of expansion was promulgated. [29495]
Jacqui Smith: Since the guidance to decision makers was issued in June 2003, the governing bodies of 22 primary and 26 secondary schools have published statutory proposals to expand their schools. In addition to this, local authorities published proposals to expand 50 primary and 26 secondary schools.
These figures include all proposed school expansions including those to meet population growth, as part of a local reorganisation to meet pupils by the closing of a neighbouring school and to meet parental demand. The presumption to approve expansion proposals, included in guidance issued to decision makers, applies to proposals in respect of successful and popular schools.
Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the money previously delivered to secondary schools via the Leadership Incentive Grant will be made available to secondary
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schools via other budgetary mechanisms; and whether it is included in the Government's guarantee of a 4 per cent. annual funding increase. [31061]
Jacqui Smith:
The Leadership Incentive Grant, introduced in April 2003, is a three-year programme aimed at giving extra help to those secondary schools in the most challenging circumstances to ensure that they have the leadership and the quality of teaching and earning they need to raise the achievement of all their pupils, particularly through developing collaboration with other schools and sharing good practice. All schools and authorities were informed at the outset that the grant would end in March 2006. However, schools with the highest level of relative deprivation and/or lowest attainment will continue to receive additional support in the future. This support will be in addition to the minimum funding guarantee for schools. The details
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of the additional support that will be provided in the next financial year, and the level of the minimum funding guarantee, will be announced in due course.
Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much additional funding has been given to (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools in South Swindon constituency in addition to their standard spending assessment, in each year since 1997. [31660]
Jacqui Smith: The following table sets out funding for Swindon local education authority for each year from 1997–98 to 2005–06. Total funding includes funding via education formula spending/standard spending assessment and revenue and capital grants allocated at an LEA level. It includes the pensions transfer to EFS and the Learning and Skills Council from 2003–04, and is in cash terms.
It is not possible to break down the funding for primary schools and secondary schools in South Swindon constituency.
Notes:
1.Price Base: Cash
Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of education SSA/EFS settlements. Figures from 2003–04 include the pensions transfer to EFS and LSC, the figures prior to 2003–04 have not been adjusted.
Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES departmental expenditure limits relevant to pupils aged 3–19 and exclude education maintenance allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level.
Where responsibility for funding a school has transferred from an LEA, related funding no longer appears in the series.
2.Capital Grants: 2002–03 includes £7.5 million for basic need additional provision; 2003–04 includes £9.8 million for basic need additional provision and a PFI allocation of £62.8 million; 2004–05 includes £1.6 million targeted capital fund; 2005–06 includes £2.4 million targeted capital fund.
3.Rounding: Figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1 million.
4.Status: 2003–04 to 2005–06 figures are provisional as some grants have not yet been finalised/audited.
Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been allocated for (a) capital repairs and (b) new buildings in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in the South Swindon area in each year since 1997. [31643]
Jacqui Smith: Capital allocations are recorded on a local authority basis, and the following table lists the allocations to Swindon borough council and schools in its area. Local authorities determine which proportion of their formulaic capital allocations shall be spent on capital repairs or new buildings, also on primary or secondary schools. Accordingly, no record is held centrally of these four categories.
| £000 | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 1,450 |
| 1998–99 | 3,049 |
| 1999–2000 | 5,208 |
| 2000–01 | 6,056 |
| 2001–02 | 4,289 |
| 2002–03 | 15,164 |
| 2003–04 | 80,240 |
| 2004–05 | 11,594 |
| 2005–06 | 9,182 |
Notes:
1.The large increase is due to a rise in Basic Need funding.
2.The large amount of funding this year is due to a £62.3 million Private Finance Initiative, and a high Basic Need allocation.
Further information on funding can be found on the website: www.teachernet.gov.uk under the heading, Introduction to Capital Funding for School Buildings".
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many surplus places there were in (a) primary, (b) middle and (c) secondary schools in each local authority area in (i) 2000 and (ii)2005; how many there are forecast to be in each year from 2006 to 2010; and on what (A) basis and (B)assumptions those forecasts were made. [30839]
Jacqui Smith:
The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.
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Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how the Government will encourage primary and secondary schools to become self-governing and to acquire trust status as set out in the White Paper. [24532]
Jacqui Smith: The White Paper makes clear that it will be for the governing bodies of individual schools to decide whether to become self-governing foundation schools and to acquire trusts, taking account of the views of parents and other stakeholders. The Government have already introduced a fast-track route for community and voluntary controlled secondary schools to acquire self-governing foundation status and have consulted on extending this to primary schools. Schools wishing to acquire trusts will follow similar procedures, with added safeguards where parents have concerns about the acquisition of a particular trust. In particular, the local authority will be able to refer a school's proposals to acquire a trust to the Schools adjudicator for determination, if it is clear that the school has failed to take proper account of the views of a majority of parents or if there are serious concerns about the impact of the proposals on school standards. The White Paper envisages the appointment of a Schools commissioner who will support the development of trust schools and work with potential trusts.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how her Department plans to hold trust school governing bodies to financial account under her Education White Paper proposals. [31096]
Jacqui Smith: Trust schools will be funded on exactly the same basis as other maintained schools.
They will be subject to the same financial controls, including audit arrangements, as apply currently to maintained schools through each local authority's statutory Scheme for Financing Schools.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she intends to take to prevent a trust school which has been set up as a charity from changing its charitable objects once it is established. [31479]
Jacqui Smith: The Government intend to prescribe by regulations certain charitable objects for all trusts. Trusts will be unable to change these objects. Furthermore, trusts may have additional charitable objects to those prescribed. Trusts will only be able to change such additional objects with the consent of the Charity Commission.
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