| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
9 Oct 2006 : Column 125W—continued
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of applications which will be made to Newly Qualified Teacher courses for entry in September from teachers trained (a) in the UK and (b) overseas. [90013]
Jim Knight: The total number of under-graduate and post-graduate places made available to accredited ITT providers for September 2006 is 33,703. A breakdown of these places by UK and overseas trainees is not available. A further 7,289 places have been made available to providers of Employment Based Teacher Training Scheme (EBTTS) courses, including 1,559 places for the Overseas Trained Teacher Programme (OTTP).
Nursery Education
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether a full regulatory impact assessment, including an assessment of the impact on private and voluntary nursery providers, has been carried out for the code of practice on the provision of free nursery education places for three-and four year olds which came into force on 1 April 2006; and if he will make a statement. [91819]
Beverley Hughes: The single substantive change to the delivery of the free early education entitlement, set out in the 2006 code of practice, was the extension of the minimum free entitlement from 33 to 38 weeks. Following the consultation, we made clear that we recognised that not all providers would be able to extend their provision to 38 weeks and that, at the relevant local authority’s discretion, they could be funded for the provision they actually delivered.
In addition, all LAs received additional funding to support the extension to the free entitlement. As a result we concluded there should not be a substantive regulatory impact. A regulatory impact assessment was therefore not required.
Obesity
Mr. Paul Murphy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent discussions (a) he and (b) his Department has had on measures to tackle
obesity among children through (i) better diet and (ii) exercise in schools. [90080]
Mr. Dhanda: Childhood obesity is a serious issue, both in terms of the range of health problems it is associated with and also the cost burden it places on the NHS and the UK economy.
To tackle this problem, the Government have set a public service agreement target
“to halt, by 2010, the year-on-year increase in obesity among children under 11 in the context of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as whole”.
This target is the joint responsibility of the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, the Secretary of State for Health, and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
Officials from these Departments have met and have held meetings with officials from other Departments. They have also had discussions with representatives of partner organisations including the School Food Trust, Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust, to develop and progress the actions which will halt the rise in childhood obesity.
For example, the School Food Programme will contribute to healthier food in schools through new regulation for nutritional standards for food in schools, funding and practical support to improve the quality of food in schools.
The National School Sport Strategy, which is being delivered jointly by this Department and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is increasing the amount and quality of physical education and school sport for our young people. Our overall aim, a joint PSA target, is to increase the percentage of young people who take part in at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport each week to 75 per cent. by 2006 and on to 85 per cent. by 2008.
The Healthy Schools programme, for which this Department and the Department of Health established a joint delivery unit, requires schools which wish to have Healthy School status to meet four standards: healthy eating, physical activity, emotional health, and personal, social and health education. The Government want all schools to be working towards Healthy School status by 2009 and 75 per cent. of schools have already achieved that status or are working towards it.
Research Assessment Exercise
Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how much it cost to administer the Research Assessment Exercise in the last year for which figures are available; [91331]
(2) what estimate his Department has made of the effect on administration costs of changing to a metrics-based Research Assessment Exercise. [91332]
Bill Rammell: The total administrative cost of preparations for the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise to the four UK higher education funding bodies in 2005-06 was £1.184 million. That does not include the direct and indirect costs of the Exercise to universities.
It will not be possible to estimate the administrative cost of a reformed research assessment system until after the results of the consultation exercise that is currently in progress are known. However, the main aim of the Government's proposals remains to secure a significant reduction in the time and money that universities currently devote to the RAE.
Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with universities concerning reform of the Research Assessment Exercise. [91336]
Bill Rammell:
Ministers and officials of the Department for Education and Skills have held discussions with a wide range of interested parties since the consultation document The reform of higher education research assessment and funding was
published on 13 June. These include representatives of Universities UK, the Russell Group, the 1994 Group and the Campaign for Mainstream Universities, together with individual university teachers and administrators.
Salaries
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average salary is of a (a) secondary school deputy head, (b) secondary school head, (c) primary school head and (d) primary school deputy head, broken down by region. [90096]
Jim Knight: The following table provides the average salary of full-time head and deputy head teachers in maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools in March 2003, broken down by government office region. This is the latest information available.
| Average salary of full-time head and deputy head teachers, by phase and government office region: March 2003( 1) | ||||
| £ | ||||
| Nursery/primary | Secondary | |||
| Head teachers | Deputy head teachers | Head teachers | Deputy head teachers | |
| (1) Provisional estimates which are subject to revision. Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £10. Source: Database of Teacher Records. | ||||
School Food Trust
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the School Food Trust. [89222]
Mr. Dhanda: The School Food Trust is a relatively new organisation which will be subject to the usual oversight as a non-departmental public body. Following the School Food Trust taking full responsibility for its grant in aid from 1 April 2006, the first formal quarterly meeting between the Department and the Trust took place on 18 July 2006. There is much to be done but I am satisfied that the Trust has made a good start on its remit to help transform school food.
School Playing Fields
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2006, Official Report, column 1709W, on school playing fields, how much was raised; and how much went to the schools concerned. [90537]
Jim Knight: The capital receipt expected to be raised from the approved applications is approximately £613 million. However, because of land price changes from the time that consent is given to the time that the land is sold, and also because some sales may not yet have taken place, it is not possible to accurately assess how much capital has been raised or how much money has actually been spent.
However, it is set out in guidance that any sale proceeds must be re-invested to provide new or improved sports facilities at schools.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2006, Official Report, column 1709W, on school playing fields, which 10 applications are pending; and for what reasons each sale is being proposed. [90535]
Jim Knight: At its meeting on 20 July, the School Playing Fields Advisory Panel determined a further three applications. There are, therefore, now only seven applications still under consideration. These are:
1. Amy Johnson School, Kingston-upon-Hull: This run-down closed school site is to be sold as part of a regeneration of the area. The sale proceeds will be used towards the cost of new sports facilities in the area.
2. Beanfield Community School, Northamptonshire: The sale proceeds from this closed school site will be used to fund the building of a new school.
3. Blackthorne Middle School, Northamptonshire: The proceeds from the sale of this closed school site will be used as a contribution towards a private finance scheme for a school reorganisation.
4. Ecton Brook Middle School, Northamptonshire: The sale proceeds from this closed school site will be used as a contribution towards a private finance scheme for a school reorganisation.
5. Meadway School, Reading: The proceeds from the sale of part of this closed school site will be used towards the cost of providing sports facilities at a new special school that is to be built on that part of the site being retained.
6. Paddock Wood Primary School, Kent: The local authority has applied to sell part of the school’s playing field to fund a new on-site swimming pool and extend the school’s hard play area.
7. Portland School, Nottinghamshire: It is proposed to sell part of the playing field to fund the redevelopment of the school on its existing site with improved sports facilities.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2006, Official Report, column 1709W, on school playing fields, in how many cases selling the playing fields left the establishment without a playing field. [90536]
Jim Knight: None. Government policy on school playing fields would not allow an operating school to sell all of its playing fields. Only surplus land may be sold.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2006, Official Report, column 1709W, on school playing fields, how many of the playing fields were in urban areas. [90538]
Jim Knight: It is not possible to provide a breakdown for urban areas. However, the number of applications received per local authority is as follows:
| Local authority | Number |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |