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6 Mar 2006 : Column 1230W—continued
School Buildings
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether it is her Department's policy to reduce grants for new school buildings if a sprinkler system is included in the plans. [53348]
Jacqui Smith: It is not the Department's policy to reduce grants or other forms of capital funding for new school buildings if sprinkler systems are included in the plans.
Where a local education authority (LEA) decides that sprinklers are needed in a new school, it will clearly add to the overall project costs. Limited figures we have from LEAs indicate that installing sprinkler systems in new schools adds some 5–10 per cent. to construction costs. Because this data is based on a relatively small number of projects, we have commissioned the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to carry out a cost benefit analysis of installing sprinklers in new school buildings. We expect a preliminary report from BRE by Easter.
School Providers
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many potential providers have submitted proposals to set up schools under provisions for open competition in the Acts of (a) 1998, (b) 2002 and (c) 2005; and how many of these have been successful in each case. [54357]
Jacqui Smith:
The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 did not make provision for competitions for the establishment of new secondary schools. The Education Act 2002 introduced the requirement that a local authority run a competition where it proposed to establish an additional secondary school as a community or foundation school. These measures came into force in June 2003 but there have been no competitions to date. The Education Act 2005 will extend the requirement for competitions to all proposals for new secondary schools, including replacement
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schools, but the provisions have not yet been commenced. We are currently consulting on regulations and guidance which will bring these measures into force.
Promoters, other than a local authority, may currently publish proposals for a new school without the need for a competition. When the 2005 Act measures come into force new secondary schools will normally be established following competitions. Promoters will, however, be able to apply to the Secretary of State for consent to publish proposals without the requirement of a competition.
School Results
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of 11-year-olds attending (a) faith schools and (b) other maintained schools achieved (i) level 4 and (ii) level 5 in (A) English, (B) mathematics, (C) science, (D) reading, (E) writing, (F) reading and writing and (G) reading, writing and mathematics in each year since 1996. [52557]
Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Figures for 2005 have been provided as follows:
| Percentage pupils achieving level 4 or above | ||
|---|---|---|
Faith schools | Other maintained schools | |
| English | 84 | 77 |
| Maths | 80 | 73 |
| Science | 90 | 85 |
| Reading | 89 | 83 |
| Writing | 69 | 61 |
| Reading and writing | 68 | 59 |
| Reading, writing and maths | 63 | 54 |
| Percentage pupils achieving level 5 or above | ||
|---|---|---|
Faith schools | Other maintained schools | |
| English | 31 | 24 |
| Maths | 35 | 28 |
| Science | 52 | 44 |
| Reading | 49 | 39 |
| Writing | 18 | 14 |
| Reading and writing | 16 | 12 |
| Reading, writing and maths | 11 | 8 |
Note:
Only LA maintained schools whose results are published in the Achievement and Attainment Tables are included in this analysis.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of 11 year olds in receipt of free school meals attending (a) faith schools and (b) other maintained schools achieved (i) level 4 and (ii) level 5 in (A) English, (B) mathematics, (C) science, (D) reading, (E) writing, (F) reading and writing and (G) reading, writing and mathematics in each year since 1996. [52559]
Jacqui Smith:
The information requested is not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Figures for 2005 have been provided as follows:
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| Percentage pupils in receipt of FSM achieving level 5 | ||
|---|---|---|
Faith schools | Other maintained schools | |
| English | 14 | 10 |
| Maths | 16 | 13 |
| Science | 29 | 25 |
| Reading | 26 | 20 |
| Writing | 8 | 6 |
| Reading and writing | 6 | 5 |
| Reading, writing and maths | 4 | 3 |
Notes:
1. Only LA maintained schools whose results are published in the Achievement and Attainment Tables are included in this analysis.
2. The free school meal information is gathered through the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) in January 2005.
School Sport
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department is taking to ensure that sufficient time is made available for high quality physical education in schools. [55227]
Jacqui Smith: The Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Culture Media and Sport are jointly implementing the national PE, School Sport and Club Links strategy in England. In the five years to 2008 over £1.5 billion is being invested (including £686 million lottery funding) to implement the strategy.
The strategy is delivering an ambitious public service agreement target to increase the percentage of five to 16-year-olds who spend a minimum of two hours a week on high quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum to 75 per cent. by 2006 and then 85 per cent. by 2008. The long-term ambition, by 2010, is to offer all children at least four hours of sport every week.
Spearheading this strategy is the creation of a national PE/sports infrastructure, by establishing a network of Sports Colleges and School Sport Partnerships (families of schools which work together). There are currently 411 live partnerships incorporating 80 per cent. of schools in England. The 2004/05 school sport survey results found that overall, 69 per cent. of pupils within a School Sport Partnership were participating in at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport a week. In 2003/04 this figure was 62 per cent.
School Staff (Child Protection)
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether it is her policy to inform parents at the school involved when teachers are found to have indecent pictures of children on their computers. [48543]
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Ruth Kelly [holding answer 7 February 2006]: The Department for Education and Skills expects employers to notify its List 99 team and the police as soon as possible after such an offence came to light. Any teacher convicted of this offence would be automatically barred.
It is not the Department's policy to notify parents in such circumstances. This would be a decision for the governing body of the school.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether it is her policy to issue a caution to teachers found to be breaking the law by having indecent pictures of children on their computers in exchange for them resigning; and if she will make a statement. [48545]
Ruth Kelly [holding answer 7 February 2006]: Formal cautions are the responsibility of the police.
School Statistics
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) at what stage the data quality issues affecting the Statistics of Education: School workforce in England statistical release were detected; what the data quality issues are; and whether they have affected previous releases on the school workforce; [47227]
(2) when she expects the final version of the Statistics of Education: School Workforce in England volume to be completed. [47228]
Jacqui Smith: This annual volume brings together a range of data from various sources. A potential problem with one of the sources was found in January 2005 and since then analysis has been carried out to identify the underlying cause and to explore potential solutions. This analysis is continuing and this interim version of the volume was released in January so as not to hold up the release of the majority of the tables, which are unaffected. As a national statistics publication, the content and the timing of the release are determined by the Department's head of profession for statistics and are not influenced by Ministers.
The problem relates to the way that members of the leadership group are identified.
Further work is required, but it is now clear that a number of head teachers have been mis-recorded as either deputy or assistant heads.
The information in question is based on service details from the Teachers Pension Scheme. This is maintained primarily for pension administration purposes but is also used for statistical purposes. The grade issue does not affect pension administration.
The on-going analysis shows that the problem appears to relate to the introduction of the leadership pay spine in September 2000. Consequently, some tables within previous editions of the volume are affected. A note explaining how each table is affected has been added as an annex to the explanatory notes on the Research and Statistics Gateway 1 . Statistical first releases on the school workforce don't use data from the pension scheme and are not affected in any way.
Further analysis is being carried out during February with a view to finalising the volume in March. If possible, updated or amended tables will be included. If
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the further work indicates that the problem is likely to take longer to resolve, any possible additions or amendments will be released on the Research and Statistics Gateway, alongside the volume, as soon as possible.
1 The Research and Statistics Gateway is the web portal that provides access to all DfES statistics, it can be found at the following address:
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