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Building Schools for the Future

Dr. Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which local authorities have received money under the Building Schools for Future programme; and how much each has received. [34354]

Jacqui Smith: Local authorities will receive monies under the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme after their particular projects achieve contract signature. None have reached this stage yet, but we anticipate the first contract signatures to take place in 2006. There are 17 authorities in pathfinder and wave 1 (2005–06) of BSF and for this approximately £2.2 billion has been allocated; there are 11 authorities in wave 2 and 11 in wave 3, and again approximately £2.2 billion has been allocated for each wave. It is not possible to be more specific as the allocations to individual authorities were indicative and would weaken the competitive tendering process. If a bidder (or bidders) knows the value of a project when it goes to market, i.e. an allocation of £75 million to build three schools, there is the possibility that they will all price their bid at around this mark, rather than a truly competitive price.

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions she has had with other Government Departments concerning using the Building Schools For The Future funds for providing sports facilities. [36472]

Jacqui Smith: Building Schools For The Future (BSF) aims to renew all secondary schools in England in 15 waves of investment starting from this year. This can include new and refurbished sports facilities. Our aims include making high quality sports facilities in schools available to the wider community.
 
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BSF was developed in consultation with a large number of other Government Departments. Its aims on sport have been discussed with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and with other bodies including Sport England. My colleague, Lord Adonis, has regular meetings with the Minister of State for Sport which include discussion of sports provision in schools through the programme.

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will ring-fence funding for sport in the Building Schools for the Future budget. [36666]

Jacqui Smith: Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is a long-term strategic programme to renew and rebuild secondary schools in England and to bring about educational transformation over 15 waves of investment starting this year. It would restrict the successful delivery of new school facilities were we to ring-fence funding through BSF for sport, or indeed for any other aspect of a successful school. Existing provision for sports will vary from authority to authority and school to school.

BSF requires local authorities and schools to have the widest visions of what can be achieved across a group of schools. We set out clear expectations and guidance as to what our aims are in terms of the type of facilities that schools could provide. This includes an expectation that pupils will have access to 21st-century sports facilities, which can be shared with the local community. It is best that local authorities and schools then have the flexibility to achieve this in a way that is most appropriate for their local circumstances.

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will ensure that the Building Schools for the Future budgets includes funds for Olympic sport facilities. [36667]

Jacqui Smith: Building Schools for the Future (BSF) funding is for investment in secondary school buildings in England. Facilities for the Olympic Games in 2012 are separately funded. BSF aims include new and refurbished sports facilities in schools, which will be available to the wider community.

Bullying

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures she is taking to work with the police, education authorities and schools to combat bullying. [35510]

Jacqui Smith: We work with all three of the police, education and local authorities to combat bullying, both directly and through the DfES funded work of the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA). The Department works with particular groups of police on particular projects. For example, we have worked with Leicester city police on countering racist bullying and with Haringey police on countering homophobic bullying. The police have been involved in anti-bullying week.

The nine ABA regional co-ordinators work with statutory and voluntary organisations with an interest in tackling bullying, and in all regions this includes the police.
 
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We have published guidance for local authorities and schools on specific aspects of tackling bullying. Through our conferences we have offered a platform to share good practice and learn from the most successful.

The ABA has established regional network partnerships of lead officers from 146 local authorities in the nine Government office regions. These promote best practice and develop innovative and practical approaches to tackle bullying at a strategic level.

Anti-bullying work has a high profile within the national strategies behaviour strands. There are secondary national strategy behaviour and attendance consultants in every LA working directly with schools to tackle a range of behaviour issues including bullying.

Careers/Connexions Services

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the running costs (a) were of the careers service in the last year of its operation and (b) have been of the Connexions service in each year since it was set up; and what assessment she has made of these costs. [36196]

Maria Eagle: I set out the annual budgets of the careers service and the Connexions service since 1994–95 in my answer of 16 November 2005, Official Report, column 1282W to the hon. Member. We do not hold separate information on the running costs of the careers service or Connexions service. However, we commissioned an independent study in 2003 which estimated that the total administrative costs (including such things as training, communications, transport for outreach work and ICT) of Connexions Partnerships as a percentage of total costs was 25 per cent.

Connexions does of course deliver more than a careers service. We have been consulting on proposals to embed its information, advice and guidance (IAG) and targeted support work more firmly in integrated services for young people.

Education (Southend-on-Sea)

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average A level point score per candidate was in Southend-on-Sea local authority for each year from 1997 to 2005. [34817]

Jacqui Smith: The A Level average point scores per 16 to 18-year-old candidate for Southend-on-Sea local authority can be found in the following table.

	APS per candidate
1997/98	17.2
1998/99	17.8
1999/2000	17.8
2000/01	17.7
2001/02	272.6
2002/03	257.3
2003/04	293.9
2004/05	308.3

 
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Point score calculations

1997/98–1999/2000: The average GCE A/AS point score per student entered for the equivalent of 2 or more A/AS examinations, with a point score based on the following tariff:
Table 1

A Level		AS		AGNVQ
Grade	Points	Grade	Points	Grade	Points
A	10	A	5	Distinction	18
B	8	B	4
C	6	C	3	Merit	12
D	4	D	2
E	2	E	1	Pass	6

2000/01: The average point score per student entered for at least one A level or Advanced GNVQ, based on the points tariff shown in table 1.

2001/02: The average GCE/VCE A/AS point score per student. The point score for each grade are as follows (based on the UCAS points tariff).
Table 2

GCE/VCE AS	GCE/VCE A level	VCE A level Double Award	Score
—	—	AA	240
—	—	AB	220
—	—	BB	200
—	—	BC	180
—	—	CC	160
—	—	CD	140
—	A	DD	120
—	B	DE	100
—	C	EE	80
A	D	—	60
B	—	—	50
C	E	—	40
D	—	—	30
E	—	—	20
N/U/X	N/U/X	U	0

 
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2002/03–2004/05: The average GCE/VCE A/AS and key skills point score per candidate. Points are as in table2 but with a key skill at Level 3 pass equivalent to 20 points.

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