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29 Nov 2005 : Column 479W—continued
Freedom of Information
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Freedom of Information applications her Department has received; how many have taken more than 20 days to process; and how many of these gave rise to complaints about the time taken. [31213]
Maria Eagle:
From January 2005, when the Freedom of Information Act took effect, to June 2005, the Department for Education and Skills received 340 Freedom of Information requests for information of which 29 took more than 20 working days to process giving rise to two complaints about the time taken. The Department for Constitutional Affairs is committed to publishing quarterly updates in relation to departmental
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performance under FOI, including information on both the volume and outcomes of requests. The bulletin for the second quarter was published on 30 September 2005 and can be found on the DCA website at http://www.foi.gov.uk/statsapar-jun05.htm and in the Libraries of both Houses. The next bulletin for the third quarter will be will be published before Christmas, while an annual report will be published in early 2006.
Missing Children
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children were reported missing from care in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority area. [29554]
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Maria Eagle: The information requested may be found on the Department's website at: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DBA/VOL/v000569/index.shtml.
Further Education
Mr. Stephen O'Brien:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2005, Official Report, columns 817–8W, on
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further education, how much funding was allocated to the learner support funds in further education in 2004–05. [27459]
Bill Rammell: The following table shows the Department of Education and Skills' expenditure on financial support for learning in FE between 2003–04 and 2007–8 (actual and planned). All amounts are rounded to the nearest £1 million.
| Actual | Planned | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | |
| Learner support funds | 158 | 148 | 122 | 125 | 130 |
| Other financial support for learners | 171 | 305 | 474 | 586 | 610 |
| Total financial support for learners in FE | 329 | 453 | 596 | 711 | 740 |
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures are being taken to ensure that students in the bottom two socio-economic groups are encouraged into further education. [31601]
Bill Rammell: The Government's 14–19 Education and Skills White Paper sets out the prime objective of our 14–19 strategy to ensure all young people have opportunities to stay on and achieve their full potential in learning post-16. We are doing this through widening choice in the curriculum, improving the quality of the learning experience, and providing young people with the guidance and financial support they need. Particularly relevant measures for the bottom two socio-economic groups are:
the pre and post 16 Entry to Employment programmes—(work based learning designed to help disadvantaged or disaffected young people overcome often serious barriers to learning).
the Connexions Service (a front line support service for all young people offering advice on careers and lifestyle issues)
a range of financial support and incentives (especially the income-tested educational maintenance allowance, a weekly payment of up to £30 designed to encourage young people to stay in learning).
Gifted and Talented Youth
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2005 to the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton (Mr. Gibb), Official Report, column 118W, on gifted and talented youth, how many members of the National Academy of Gifted and Talented Youth there are in each school in Staffordshire. [32015]
Jacqui Smith: There are 863 members of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth (NAGTY) in Staffordshire schools. The following table includes all Staffordshire local education authority schools plus those independent schools with NAGTY members.
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Leadership Training
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the leadership training involved in the (a) Teach First and (b) Fast Track Teaching schemes. [33141]
Jacqui Smith: We have commissioned an independent five year evaluation of the Fast Track Teaching programme, which is due to report in 2008. An interim report will be published by the Department in early 2006. This will assess key aspects of Fast Track, including the provision of leadership training. The Training and Development Agency for Schools is funding an evaluation of the initial teacher training element of Teach First.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how the leadership skills of participants in the (a) Teach First and (b) Fast Track Teaching scheme are assessed. [33142]
Jacqui Smith: In order to be offered a place on either Teach First or the Fast Track teaching programme, applicants are required to demonstrate their leadership potential in a challenging multi-stage selection process. Both programmes use a competency-based application sift and each has its own assessment centre.
Teach First recruits high-calibre graduates to train and qualify as teachers. It runs a compulsory leadership programme in partnership with the Tanaka Business School at Imperial College and the Institute of Education, amongst others. This Foundations of Leadership Programme aims to develop participants' leadership and entrepreneurial skills through internship, coaching, school-based projects and competitions and skills training.
Fast Track recruits teachers in the early years of their teaching career. It supports participants' accelerated leadership development by providing a programme of coaching support, mentoring and development activities, tailored to individual need. Fast Track teachers are assessed against a leadership impact scale which allows their progress to be benchmarked. The ultimate test of these teachers' leadership skills is to compete against other applicants for leadership roles. A number of Teach First participants and Fast Track teachers have achieved leadership positions in their schools. The first Fast Trackteacher to achieve a headship will take up her new post in January 2006.
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