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7 Dec 2005 : Column 1344W—continued

Under-achievement

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the provision of mentoring upon underachievement by children from low socio-economic backgrounds. [26053]

Beverley Hughes: The scope and understanding of mentoring practice appears to vary widely depending on the intended aims of the programme. By and large, mentoring appears to have benefits on achievement, and generally such schemes are directed at those from low socio-economic groups almost by definition.
 
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Our principle mentoring programme working with children from low socio-economic backgrounds is the learning mentor programme.

Excellence in Cities (EiC) is a targeted programme of support for schools in deprived areas of the country. Learning mentors are part of this programme, described by Ofsted (2003) as:

Learning mentors are salaried non-teaching school support staff who work with school and college students and pupils to help them address barriers to learning. These barriers can be wide ranging and often very personal to the individual pupil. They include the need to develop better learning and study skills, personal organisation, difficulties at home, behaviour, bullying, or just general disaffection and disengagement from learning.

At present it is estimated that around 6,000 learning mentors are working in the secondary sector and 4000 in primary, funded through excellence in cities (EiC) provision. The numbers will be higher than this as an increasing number are being employed outside of EiC areas.

Learning mentors work with caseloads of pupils, largely on a 1:1 or small group basis, but also run clubs and drop ins". They liaise closely with teachers and other support professionals, and often act as a supportive link between the family and school. One to one support may include developing coping strategies, enhancing motivation, raising aspirations and encouraging re-engagement in learning, taking account of a range of complex underlying issues that may impact negatively on learning and achievement (e.g. bereavement, lack of confidence/low self-esteem, low aspirations, mental health issues, relationship difficulties, bullying, peer pressure, family issues/concerns).

NFER (2004) Evaluation indicates positive impact of learning mentors on attainment outcomes for young people. Seeing a learning mentor was associated with a level of performance above that which might be anticipated from their prior attainment. In particular:


 
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In addition to their impact on academic performance, Ofsted (2003) found that:

The behaviour improvement programme (BiP) evaluation report by the university of London, published in November 2005, states that learning mentors were seen to fulfil one of the key roles in the programme and were highly valued by schools particularly at primary level. The BiP focuses on addressing behaviour and attendance issues in schools.

There are additional forms of mentoring provided within schools which are not provided by school learning mentors (employed by the school/local authority) e.g. peer and voluntary mentoring. There is also the work carried out by the mentoring and befriending foundation (ttp://www.mandbf.org.uk/).

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many troops have been contributed by each country contributing troops to Operation Enduring Freedom; and if he will make a statement. [27158]

Mr. Ingram: The UK contributes around 340 troops to Operation Enduring Freedom. The majority are either part of the Harrier GR7 detachment based in Kandahar or are conducting preparations for a possible UK deployment to southern Afghanistan. In addition, we provide an Afghan National Army Training Team which trains the NCO cadre of the Afghan Army, and there are a number of staff officers in the Coalition HQ.

The US provide information about other nations contributing troops and/or other support to Operation Enduring Freedom on the following website:

Any further information on numbers of troops currently deployed with Operation Enduring Freedom is a matter for the troop contributing nations.

Aircraft Carriers

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the value of the aircraft carrier programme will be given to Swan Hunter. [34514]

Mr. Ingram: The decision on the ship build strategy for the two future aircraft carriers (CVF) and any associated contracts has yet to be taken but will form part of our main investment decision on CVF. This will happen when we are confident that the design is right, the contracts are right and we have sufficient understanding of cost, scheduling and risks involved.
 
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Ammunition

Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) type and (b) quantity of ammunition which was acquired from outside the United Kingdom in 2004–05; and what the source was in each case. [24821]


 
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Mr. Ingram: The information in the following table relates to general ammunition sourced directly from overseas for the financial year 2004–05. It does not include missiles, torpedoes or 'smart' munitions. The total figures provided amount to less than five per cent. of the volume of general ammunition purchased in 2004–05.
DescriptionCountry of originQuantity
Mortar Bomb 60mm HE L 4A1 Fuzed M9815Austria3,600
Round 20mm Phalanx Mk 149 Mod 4USA60,000
Rocket 84mm AT4 CS HP L2A1 (ILAW)Sweden1,400
Round 9mm Practice Tracer AT4 (ILAW)Sweden350,000
Round 7.65 x 17mm Ball Carton DM11A1German100
Round 9mm Ball Carton (SX-2)Germany400
Round 9mm Plastic Blank Carton L2A1Germany170
Round 9mm Simunition Blue (ISD 01)Canada110
Round 9mm Simunition Red (ISD 01)Canada73
Round 12.7mm Raufoss MP Carton L1A1Norway5,520
Round 12.7mm Raufoss MP-T L3A1Norway3,000
Round 12.7mm Raufoss APNorway17,640
Round 12.7mm Raufoss AP L4A1Norway12,120
Round 12.7mm Raufoss 4MP/1T LI A1/M17Norway15,500
Round 12.7mm Raufoss 1MP/1MPT/1API BeltedNorway328,000
Round 40x53mm Practice Impact Marker DM18Germany35,776
Round 40x53mm HEDP S411 LinkedSingapore3,616
Round 40x53mm Target Practice M946A2South Africa1,888
Round 40x53mm Practice Tracer M9914A1South Africa2,176
Mortar Bomb 60mm HE L4A1 Fuzed M9815Austria3,600
Mortar Bomb 60mm Illuminating M721 Fuzed M776USA544
14.5mm Artillery Training RoundGermany10,000
105mm Illuminating RoundSweden4,261
Command Detonated Munition Claymore Ml8USA6,144
Smoke Screening Grenade L84A2Germany30,240
Rocket Motor GTR-18 Smokey SAMUSA3,024
Generator Smoke Training N5 Mk1Germany11,100
Round Anti-Riot L5A7Germany50,000
Round Anti-Riot L21A1Germany267,276
Attenuated Energy Projectile (AEP) L60A1Germany34,272

Details of ammunition sourced specifically for special forces have been omitted from the list for security reasons.


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