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7 Jun 2006 : Column 660W—continued



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City technology colleges Academies( 1)

Number of schools

11

26

School meal arrangements( 3)

Number on roll

12,480

23,800

Number taking free meals

1,270

6,420

Percentage taking free meals

10.2

27.0

Number eligible for free meals

1,530

7.880

Percentage eligible for free meals

12.3

33.1

Pupils with SEN( 4)

Number with statements

130

710

Percentage with statements(5)

1.0

3.0

Number without statements(6)

1,060

5,800

Percentage without statements(5)

8.5

24.4

Ethnic minority pupils( 4,7)

Number

2,640

9,590

Percentage(8)

21.1

40.4

(1 )These figures are based on survey returns from over 99 per cent. of primary and secondary schools. A survey return from one academy is known to be outstanding. No estimation has been made for those survey returns that are outstanding. (2) Includes middle schools as deemed. (3) Includes dually registered and boarding pupils. (4) Excludes dually registered pupils. (5) Number of pupils with/without a statement of special educational needs expressed as a percentage of the total number of pupils on roll. (6) Includes pupils with an SEN status of school action or school action plus. (7) Pupils of compulsory school age and above are classified according to ethnic group. (8) Pupils who have been classified according to their ethnic group and are other than White British expressed as a percentage of all pupils of compulsory school age and above. Notes: Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. There may be discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and totals as shown.
Source: Annual Schools Census.

Sex Offenders

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what arrangements are in place to ensure that sex offenders who are also pupils or students do not have access in schools or colleges to children under 16 years; and what powers he has in respect of such persons. [73813]

Mr. Dhanda: Cases involving sex offenders who are also pupils or students should be considered individually, in line with guidance in “Working Together to Safeguard Children”. There should be a co-ordinated approach, involving youth justice, children’s social care, education (including educational psychology) and health (including child and adolescent mental health). An assessment should be carried out in each case to assess the risks to other children and to decide what plan of action should be put in place to address the young person’s behaviour and to ensure the safety of others. This might include arrangements for monitoring the child to ensure that he does not have unsupervised access to children under 16 while at school or college or provision of specialist services, including education, not in mainstream settings, which help address the young person’s behaviour.

Small Change Big Difference

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department and its agencies have taken following the launch of the Government's “Small Change Big Difference” Campaign. [72007]

Mr. Dhanda: The Department has a health and attendance management strategy that draws on the recommendations of the “Choosing health” White Paper, “Health, Work and Well-Being” document and “Small Change Big Difference Campaign (SCBD)”. In this context, we have recently delivered a number of initiatives to promote health and well being within the Department. These include:

As the programme of work on SCBD develops, the Department of Health will be working across all of Government to ensure the programme joins up to promote maximum impact. DoH is leading the implementation for this initiative as part of its cross-Government commitment to deliver the public health White Paper “Choosing Health”.

Student Finances

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills where potential students in 2006-07 can obtain a full account of what bursaries are available at each higher education institution. [75248]


7 Jun 2006 : Column 663W

Bill Rammell: Students can find out about the bursaries available in the 2006/07 academic year through the UCAS website at http://www.ucas.com/. The website allows students to compare bursaries across subjects and at different institutions.

We are working towards providing students with a facility for the next academic year that will enable them to find out about their entitlement to statutory support and bursaries in one place.

Teachers (Maths Graduates)

Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of mathematics graduates required as teachers in each year between 2006-07 and 2010-11. [73923 ]

Jim Knight: There are 2,350 available initial teacher training places for conventional courses for mathematics in 2006/07 and the indicative number of places for 2007/08 is 2,350. In 2004/05 (the latest year for which final figures are available), an additional 560 people were recruited to train as mathematics teachers on employment based routes, and we expect to recruit similar numbers in the next few years.

Places for 2008/09 onwards have not yet been decided, but will take into account the latest available information on recruitment, teachers leaving and returning to the profession and vacancy rates. The Government aim that by 2014 95 per cent. of mathematics lessons will be delivered by a mathematics specialist.

University Placements (Medicine)

Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many placements were available in 2005 in universities in England to study medicine; how many applications were made for such placements from (a) overseas students and (b) British students; and how many places were given to (i) overseas students and (ii) British students. [66611]

Bill Rammell: The available information is given in the following two tables. The planned and actual intakes of UK and overseas students are determined independently. An increase in overseas students does not affect the number of places available for UK students.

Applicants through UCAS to pre-clinical medicine courses at UK institutions, 2005 entry
Domicile Applicants( 1) Accepted applicants

UK

15,637

7,106

EU

1,426

170

Other overseas

2,297

545

Total

19,360

7,821

(1) Figures only include students where the majority of their applications are to medicine courses. Source: UCAS annual datasets.

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Planned intake and actual intake to UK medical schools, 2005/6

Planned intake(1)

Actual intake(2)

Total

7,588

7,898

Of which:

Home and EU(3)

7,352

Other overseas(4)

546

(1) Planned intake numbers for UK institutions, split by domicile, are not held centrally. In 2005/6, the planned intake at English institutions was 6,078 of which 5,621 were for home students and 457 for overseas students. Actual intake at English institutions in 2005/06 was 6,298 of which 5,872 were home students and 426 were overseas. (2) Intake figures for 2005/6 are provisional until November 2006. (3) Home and EU domiciles cannot be separated in the return as both pay the same fees. (4) Includes students from the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands as they do not pay home fees. Source: HEFCE's medicine and dentistry return.

Vetting and Barring

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2006, Official Report, column 1716W, when the new Vetting and Barring Scheme will take effect; and what interim safeguards he will require in respect of children in children’s establishments and schools and receiving children’s services. [74206]

Mr. Dhanda: Subject to Parliament’s approval of the necessary legislation, our intention is to introduce the new Vetting and Barring Scheme in 2008. Implementation will be staged—as was recommended in Sir Michael Bichard’s report into the Soham murders—to ensure that the new requirements are established effectively. Until then the current barring schemes will continue to operate alongside the system of Criminal Records Bureau checks. Since the Secretary of State’s review into list 99 in January, we have taken a number of steps to strengthen this scheme including the establishment of an independent expert panel to advise and assist the Secretary of State in carrying out his list 99 functions, and new regulations making Criminal Records Bureau checks mandatory for all newly appointed school employees. We will also be introducing new regulations shortly to ensure that any individuals working with children who are convicted or cautioned for sex offences against children will be automatically entered on list 99.

Weapon Detection Scanners (Schools)

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the merits of using weapon detection scanners in schools in areas where children are known to bring weapons into school. [73388]

Jim Knight: We have made no assessment or recommendation about scanners being used in or by schools. The Violent Crime Reduction Bill, if it receives Royal Assent, will enable schools to search, without consent, pupils they suspect are carrying a knife or other weapon. Staff authorised to conduct a search could use a detector but that is for individual schools to decide. Police called in to make a general search at a school could also use a detector.


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Communities and Local Government

Housing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on progress towards the decent homes standard for social housing in (a) Greater Manchester, (b) Stockport Metropolitan Borough and (c) Tameside Metropolitan Borough. [72646]

Yvette Cooper: All 10 metropolitan authorities in the Greater Manchester area have programmes under way to make their social housing decent.

Progress has been made towards the decent homes target with many examples of associated benefits in regeneration, improved housing management performance and tenant empowerment.

Latest figures for the registered social landlord (RSL) sector in Greater Manchester show that c. 19 per cent. of stock was non-decent in 2005. This included recently transferred local authority stock subject to a major investment programme.

In Tameside 301 council homes were transferred to Ashton Pioneer homes in 1999 and this RSL has now completed its investment programme. There are no non-decent properties in the stock and a substantial reduction in empty properties has been reported.

In March 2000, 16,466 homes were transferred to New Charter Housing Group. Non-decency rates are estimated to have been c.70 per cent. at the time. A 10 year investment programme was begun worth approximately £25 million per annum. In 2005, approximately 23 per cent. of the stock was non-decent and New Charter estimates all the stock will have met the decent homes standard by April 2008.

In addition, Manchester city council has successfully transferred estates in Houghton Green and Carrbrook both of which have been in receipt of substantial new investment to take homes up to and beyond the decent homes standard. The transfer of Manchester's Hattersley estate is expected shortly.

Stockport MBC was granted Section 27 consent for their ALMO ‘Stockport Homes’ in October 2005 and is due for inspection by the Housing Inspectorate in June of this year. Should the council achieve a two star rating or better, it will be entitled to access tens of millions of pounds in extra resource to help make all its homes decent over the coming years.

In addition Manchester city council is currently consulting several hundred tenants in the Stockport area over future investment plans for their stock.

In April 2005, 731 RSL properties in Stockport (15 per cent. of the total) were non-decent.


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