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28 Nov 2005 : Column 189W—continued
Schoolchildren (Financial Assistance)
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if she will take steps to provide assistance to children who are eligible for free school meals with the costs of (a) school uniforms and (b) school sports wear; [31331]
(2) if she will issue guidance to schools on limiting the cost of school uniforms. [31355]
Jacqui Smith: Local authorities have discretionary powers to provide school clothing and/or school clothing grants. They set their own eligibility criteria. Individual local authorities decide whether to provide grants, as they are best placed to determine the level of need in their area.
Current DfES guidance on school uniform advises governing bodies to give high priority to cost considerations when they set their school uniform policy. It advises that they should keep costs to a minimum by, for example, ensuring that uniform includes generic products that can be purchased in supermarkets and high street stores. It also states that no school uniform should be so expensive as to leave pupils or their families feeling socially excluded.
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Schools (Hemel Hempstead)
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) teachers and (b) full-time equivalent teaching posts there were in schools in Hemel Hempstead constituency in each year since 1997. [25563]
Jacqui Smith: The table provides the full-time equivalent number of teachers in service in maintained sector schools, including pupil referral units, in Hemel Hempstead constituency in each January since 1997.
The number of full-time equivalent teaching posts in Hemel Hempstead is not collected centrally.
(103)Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools.
Note:
Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
Source:
Annual School Census.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what property her Department owns in Hemel Hempstead constituency. [25564]
Maria Eagle: The Department does not own any property in Hemel Hempstead.
Schools Inspection Framework
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects to introduce the new inspection framework; what representations have been made to her by schools on this framework; and if she will make a statement. [31876]
Jacqui Smith: The new school inspection framework was published in July 2005 and came into effect from September 2005. The framework, and the new inspection arrangements more generally, were subject to extensive consultation and trialling, and received widespread support from schools, parents and others.
The Childcare Bill introduced on 8 November 2005 includes provision for a reformed and simplified inspection and regulation regime for early years. Subject to parliamentary approval, this will lead to changes in the inspection framework for all settings, including schools, catering for children aged 0 to 5 from 2008. There will be full consultation on the development of these new arrangements.
Special Advisers
John Hemming:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the special advisers in
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post in her Department, broken down by pay band; and what the total budgeted cost to her Department of special advisers is for 2005–06. [29411]
Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 16 November 2005, Official Report, column 1257W.
Information relating to costs for 2005–06 will be published after the end of the current financial year.
Special Needs Schools
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many special needs schools have been established since 1997. [19374]
Maria Eagle: 298 schools have been established or registered to admit children with special educational needs since 1997.
This figure includes local authority maintained special schools—community special or foundation special schools; non-maintained special schools, which are run by charities or charitable trusts; independent special schools which are approved by the Department to make provision for pupils with SEN; and other independent schools that are registered with the Department as catering wholly or mainly for children with statements. Before a child with special educational needs can be placed at the latter, the Secretary of State's consent is required.
Teachers
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average pay of (a) primary and (b) secondary school teachers holding (i) education degrees, (ii) master's degrees and (iii) doctorates was in 2004–05. [31382]
Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not held in the format requested.
Information on the average salary of teachers gainingqualified teacher status through undergraduate (education degrees) and post graduate (PGCE) routes into teaching was published by the department on 27 October 2005. The information was collected from a sample of teachers between three and a half and four years after they completed their undergraduate degrees in 1999. This shows that the average salary of teachers trained by the undergraduate route was £23,000 for primary teachers and £24,300 for secondary teachers. The figures for teachers with PGCEs were £20,700 and £21,900 respectively. The teachers may have entered teaching immediately after graduating or may have delayed entry. Teachers qualifying with a PGCE will generally have entered service later than those qualifying through undergraduate routes and will be on a lower point of the teacher's pay scale.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of teachers who have a second source of income from work other than teaching. [31933]
Jacqui Smith:
No such estimate has been made.
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Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) schools and (b) local education authorities have submitted representations on planning, preparation and assessment time since the beginning of the autumn term. [32114]
Jacqui Smith: We and the National Remodelling Team (NRT), together with our partners on the Workforce Agreement Monitoring Group (WAMG), have engaged with a large number of schools and local authorities over our workforce reform programme—including on planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time for teachers.
The latest information indicates that almost every school has successfully introduced PPA time. NRT and WAMG are working to address the handful of schools that still need support.
Temporary Classrooms (Gravesham)
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many temporary classrooms are in use for lessons in schools in Gravesham. [32634]
Jacqui Smith: Data supplied to the Department by Kent local education authority in 2003 showed 87 temporary buildings at schools in Gravesham. Where these 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.
Truancy
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils were recorded as having at least one incident of truancy in 2004–05. [31391]
Jacqui Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Rugby and Kenilworth on 24 November 2005, Official Report, column 1652.
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