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EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Academies

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of pupils at each academy achieved (a) five A* to C GCSE grades or equivalent, (b) five A* to C GCSE grades and (c) five A* to C GCSE grades in English and Mathematics in 2005; and what the equivalent figures were for the predecessor school of each academy in its last year of operation. [43048]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 23 January 2006]: The information requested is shown in the tables.

	2005(30)
Academy	Number of 15-year-old pupils(31)	% achieving 5+A*-C GCSE and equivalents	% achieving 5+A*-C GCSE only	% achieving A*-C in English and mathematics
The Business Academy Bexley	123	29	12	17
Greig City Academy.Haringey	132	54	13	10
Unity City Academy	203	16	4	6
Capital City Academy	127	17	17	14
The City Academy Bristol	170	52	23	19
West London Academy	111	28	14	11
Manchester Academy	114	25	15	12
The King's Academy	182	43	29	24
Djanogly City Academy Nottingham	237	57	18	18
The Academy at Peckham	164	22	22	20
Walsall Academy	57	67	7	21
London Academy	170	48	35	24
Stockley Academy	98	19	8	13
Northampton Academy	198	34	28	18

⁽³⁰⁾ Figures from 2003/04 includes GCSEs and a range of equivalent qualifications approved pre-16. Figures for earlier years includes GCSE/GNVQ only.
⁽³¹⁾ Age at the start of academic year i.e. 31 August.

Predecessor schools	Last year of operation(32)	Number of 15-year-old pupils(33)	% achieving 5+A*-C GCSE and equivalents	%achieving 5+A*-C GCSE only	% achieving A*-C in English and mathematics
Thamesmead Community College	2002	100	6	6	5
St. David and St. Katherine CofE	2002	147	26	24	19
Keldholme	2002	112	21	3	10
Langbaurgh	2002	73	11	10	8
Willesden High School	2003	156	7	5	6
St. George Community Centre	2003	186	25	13	9
Compton Sports College	2003	142	37	21	15
Ducie High School	2003	130	12	11	8
Coulby Newham School	2003	135	28	24	19
Brackenhoe	2003	110	15	14	12
Djanogly CTC	2003	171	60	30	27
Forest School	2002	82	20	18	80
Warwick Park School	2003	167	16	14	11
TP Riley School	2003	83	49	1	7
Edgware School	2004	213	32	32	21
Evelyns Community School	2004	126	17	13	13
Lings Upper School	2004	214	30	25	14

⁽³²⁾ Figures for 2004/05 are revised. Figures for earlier years are final.
⁽³³⁾ Age at the start of academic year i.e. 31 August
City of London, Lambeth and Mossboume Academies did not have any pupils taking GCSEs and are omitted from the table.

Civil Servants (Overseas Visits)

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what costs were incurred by her Department as a result of sending civil servants on overseas visits in each of the last 10 years. [46285]

Bill Rammell: The information requested is set out in the following table. The figures are taken from the Department's financial systems for the years in question. The figures include overseas visits by Ministers who are not classified as civil servants and could be separated only at disproportional cost. All travel by civil servants complied with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code.
Expenditure on overseas visits

	£000
1996–97	883
1997–98	663
1998–99	773
1999–2000	789
2000–01	832
2001–02	506
2002–03	243
2003–04	218
2004–05	180

 
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These figures reflect the Department as constituted at the time the accounts were produced and so are not adjusted for Machinery of Government changes. Figures before 1996–97 are not available.

Colleges (Suspended Accreditation)

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether students who are enrolled on and have paid fees for courses for which colleges have had their accreditation suspended (a) are still able to qualify through external assessment and (b) are entitled to have their fees refunded. [48123]

Phil Hope: In these circumstances, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) would expect colleges to make alternative arrangements for the learners, either by offering alternative qualifications accredited with another awarding body or by arranging for an alternative college with the relevant accreditation to take over the provision to these learners.

Depending on the alternative educational arrangements, as set out above, for the learner to gain their qualification the college would be expected to consider whether a fee refund was appropriate for the learner. The LSC would expect colleges to consider, sympathetically, learner requests for fee refunds where they were not satisfied with the alternatives being offered. If the course fee included an element of examination fee then that should be refunded.

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many further education colleges have had NVQ accreditation status removed or suspended by the City and Guilds in the last 12 months; and what the NVQ subject areas were. [48124]

Phil Hope: This is a matter for City and Guilds of London Institute. I understand that Chris Humphries, Director General at City and Guilds of London Institute, has corresponded on this matter with the hon. Member.

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether further education colleges are allowed to (a) advertise and promote and (b) enrol students onto courses for which their NVQ accreditation has been suspended. [48125]

Phil Hope: The Government would not expect any college to enrol any new learners onto any programme for which their accreditation had been lost or suspended. We would also not expect advertising or promotion of such courses.
 
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Consultants

Ms Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many consultants have been engaged by her Department since March 2005; and at what cost. [43684]

Bill Rammell [pursuant to the reply, 26 January 2006, Official Report, c. 228W]: I am providing an amended response. The Department for Education and Skills spent £2.2 million from administration costs and £7.4 million from programme expenditure on consultants since March 2005 to date (April—December 2005–06 accounting period).

Criminal Record Checks

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the number of requests for enhanced disclosures that will be generated as a result of making Criminal Records Bureau checks mandatory for all new appointments of school staff. [45245]

Ruth Kelly: These new arrangements will generate demand for additional checks on top of the existing annual total of 2.9 million checks. However, making CRB checks mandatory which were previously strongly advised in guidance should not, in itself, lead to a significant increase in the number of requests for checks and on this basis the CRB is confident that it will be able to cope with the change without any reduction in its standards. We will work with them as they continue to monitor the situation.

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will set out a timetable for (a) laying the regulations and (b) implementing the regulation to make it a mandatory requirement for Criminal Record Bureau checks on all new school staff. [45246]

Ruth Kelly: Work is currently in hand to make on-appointment CRB checks compulsory for all new appointments to the schools work force and to introduce a parallel requirement that all supply agencies have a CRB disclosure for all staff who work in schools. In the meantime, I have written to all schools setting out how the checking system will work so that heads are clear about their responsibilities.

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