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8 Feb 2006 : Column 1208W—continued
Neighbourhood Nurseries
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1918W, on neighbourhood nurseries, how many nursery places were taken up in (a) March 2003, (b) March 2004 and (c) March 2005, broken down by region. [49083]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 6 February 2006]: The information requested on the take-up of nursery places in neighbourhood nurseries is not collected centrally. Pursuant to my answer on 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1918W, the number of neighbourhood nursery places that were available in (a) March 2003, (b) March 2004 and (c) March 2005, broken down by region, is in the following table.
(4) Figures include places created between 2001 and March 2003.
Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance she has issued to local education authorities on the replacement of nursery schools with nursery classes. [49206]
Beverley Hughes: None. However, we continue to make clear to local authorities that maintained nursery schools have a vital role to play in taking forward our agenda for families and children and should not be closed unless there are exceptional grounds for doing so.
Local school organisation committees, who make decisions on school organisations, must have regard to the presumption against closure" provisions included in the statutory guidance on school organisation. This states that decisions to close a maintained nursery school must take account of: the quantity, quality, value for money and convenience to parents and the proposed replacement provision; the impact of the potential loss of the nursery school's experience and knowledge and alternatives to closure.
Overseas Students
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of British-Indians have applied to study in further education institutes in each year since 1997. [45118]
Bill Rammell:
Data on applications to study in further education institutes are not held centrally.
8 Feb 2006 : Column 1209W
School Admissions
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the secondary schools which admit pupils on the basis of partial selection by ability criterion, broken down by local authority; and what the percentage is of pupils at each school admitted in this way. [49453]
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Jacqui Smith: This information is not collected centrally as admission arrangements are set locally, after an annual consultation process. However, I have listed below those schools we are aware of which operate partial selection by ability or aptitude which it would not now be lawful to introduce. This is not a definitive list.
Schools (Newcastle-upon-Tyne)
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the percentage of each cohort who failed to achieve level four at key stage two in each school in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [49346]
Jacqui Smith: The figures for the performance of pupils in schools in Newcastle-upon-Tyne are published as part of the Key Stage 2 Achievement and Attainment Tables each year. These are available on the Department's website at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/performancetables/. The information is also available in the House Library.
Primary standards in English and mathematics are continuing to improve. Since 1997, the proportion of 11-year-olds achieving the target Level 4 and above as measured by the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum tests has increased by 16 percentage points to 79 per cent. in English and by 13 percentage points to 75 per cent. in mathematics. In Newcastle-upon-Tyne the proportion achieving the target Level 4 and above has increased by more than the national rate of improvement (up by 21 percentage points since 1997 to 72 per cent. in English and by 18 percentage points to 69 per cent. in mathematics).
The Government have set a national public service agreement target for 2008 to reduce by 40 per cent. the number of schools in which fewer than 65 per cent. of pupils achieve Level 4 or above in English and Level 4 in mathematics. Good progress has been made towards achieving this target. Compared with 2003 (baseline year), there has been an overall reduction of 34 per cent. (978 schools) in the number of schools achieving below 65 per cent. in English and 22 per cent. (770 schools) in the number of schools achieving below this level in mathematics.
In Newcastle-upon-Tyne there are 23 schools where fewer than 65 per cent. of pupils achieved Level 4 and above in English in 2005, compared with 29 schools in 2003. In mathematics, 26 schools achieved results below 65 per cent. in 2005 compared with 29 schools in 2003.
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Sex Offenders
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what records she keeps of the number of social workers employed by local authorities who have convictions or cautions for sex offences; and what advice she has issued on the management of their contact with children. [45822]
Ruth Kelly [holding answer 26 January 2006]: The Department does not hold such information.
The Government issued statutory guidance, effective October 2005, on making arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children under section 11 of the Children Act 2004, which makes clear that local authorities should have policies and procedures in place to prevent unsuitable people from working with children.
Speech Therapy (Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on speech therapy services for children in Westmorland and Lonsdale in each of the last three years. [47055]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 31 January 2006]: I have been asked to reply.
Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for commissioning services, including speech therapy services for children, to meet the health needs of their local population. In the current financial year, PCTs in Cumbria and Lancashire received resource revenue allocations totalling £2 billion, with the two PCTs covering Westmorland and Lonsdale receiving a total of £413.3 million. By 2007–08, the total resource allocation to PCTs in Cumbria and Lancashire will have increased to £2.8 billion, with the two PCTs covering Westmorland and Lonsdale receiving £528.8 million.
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