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Learning and Skills Council
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many staff employed by the Learning and Skills Council have previously worked in administrative posts in the offender learning sector; [24963]
(2) how many staff employed by the Learning and Skills Council have previously worked in the offender learning sector. [24965]
Bill Rammell: The Learning and Skills Council is responsible for the planning and funding of the Offenders' Learning and Skills Service. The LSC is working in close partnership with the National Offender Management Service, the Prison and Probation Services, Youth Justice Board and Jobcentre Plus and other organisations to deliver our vision that offenders in custody and in the community should, according to need, have access to opportunities which enable them to gain the skills and qualifications they need to hold down a job and to play a positive role in society, so that they are less likely to reoffend. Information about its staff is an operational matter for the LSC. Mark Haysom has written to the hon. Member with further information. A copy of his reply has been placed in the Library.
Letter from Mark Haysom to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 30 November 2005:
I write in response to your recent Parliamentary Question where you asked the Secretary of State for Education and Skills:
a) how many staff employed by the Learning Skills Council (LSC) have previously worked in administrative posts in the offender learning sector.
All we can state is that the Offender Learning function when transferred will be adequately resourced. In preparation for the transfer the LSC has appointed in each of its 9 regions and at the national office, dedicated senior postholders with recent experience in the offender learning sector. These Learning and Skills Advisors work closely with the Heads of Learning and Skills employed in every prison in England.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make an assessment of the impact of funding decisions by Learning and Skills Councils on adult education provision in (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06. [33479]
Phil Hope:
The Learning and Skills Council will publish the Statistical First Release for 2004/05 on 8 December (as pre-announced in the Schedule for the Publication of National Statistics) which will show
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numbers of learners in LSC funded provision. Similar information for 2005/06 will be published in December next year.
This Government has significantly increased funding for further education (FE) in recent years. Total funding has increased by £1 billion in 2005/06 when compared to 2002/03 which represents a 25 per cent. increase. In 2005/06 total funding for FE has increased by 4.4 per cent. compared to 2004/05. This level of funding will enable us to meet our key priorities for 2005/06 to meet the needs of young people, those lacking literacy, numeracy and English language skills and those seeking a first full Level 2 qualification.
Funding for non-vocational learning opportunities for adults, delivered mainly through local authority adult education services, has also increased. In 2004/05 we provided over £207 million to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in support of this learning. This has risento £210 million in 2005/06. The Government is committed to safeguarding the availability of a wide range of learning for personal and community development (previously termed adult and community learning).
Learning Difficulties (Schools)
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools for children with learning difficulties have received a (a) grade 1, (b) grade 2, (c) grade 3, (d) grade 4 and (e) grade 5 rating by Ofsted inspectors in their most recent inspection. [32763]
Jacqui Smith: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, David Bell has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
Letter from David Bell, dated 29 November 2005:
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
The table attached shows an analysis of the overall effectiveness judgments for special schools inspected between January 2000 and July 2005. Most special schools (89 per cent.) were inspected in this period. Although all the schools include children with statements of special education need, not all cater solely or mainly for children defined as having learning difficulties; some will include children with physical or sensory disabilities. In addition to the breakdown you asked for, I have also included, for reference, the numbers of schools that were graded 6 or 7 for overall effectiveness.
Note:
1.Where schools have been inspected twice during the period 2000 to 2005, only data from the most recent inspection is included.
2.The framework for inspection changed in September 2003, so the figures contain judgments made under two inspection frameworks.
3.The table includes 101 schools which have closed since they were inspected.
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Local Education Authority Employees
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many individuals are employed by local education authorities; and how many of these are (a) on schools' payrolls and (b) not on schools' payrolls. [33145]
Jacqui Smith:
The Department collects data on the school work force in England, but not the number of persons employed by local authorities. The latest information available (January 2005) shows that there were 431,900 full-time equivalent teachers and 268,600 full-time equivalent members of support staff working in maintained nurseries and schools in England. These
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figures include persons employed by local authorities, directly by those maintained schools which employ their own staff, and by third parties.
Local Education Authority Schools (Newcastle)
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will estimate the number of secondary school age children resident in Newcastle who were educated at local education authority sector schools in (a) Northumberland, (b) North Tyneside and (c) Gateshead in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [32326]
Jacqui Smith: The information requested has been provided in the following table.
(46)Pupils aged 11 to 15.
(47)Includes middle deemed secondary, CTCs and academies
(48)Denotes negligible percentage
(49)Denotes suppressed value
Source:
Annual school census.
Local Education Partnerships
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether a future (a) foundation school and (b) trust school whose land and buildings are under a local education partnership arrangement will have the right (i) to negotiate and (ii) to terminate such an arrangement. [32413]
Jacqui Smith: Schools which acquire new foundation or trust status will take on all legal benefits and obligations of the predecessor schools, including where they have received investment through Building Schools for the Future. The new foundation or trust school will inherit any existing contracts agreed by the previous governing body. It will not be able to opt out of contracts it inherits, but will be able to renegotiate existing contracts, including termination, with its private sector provider, where the contractual provisions enable this. Where the authority has entered into a contract on behalf of the school it will require the authority's cooperation.
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