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23 Oct 2006 : Column 1563W—continued
CAFCASS complaints procedures allow for any factual errors in reports to be corrected prior to the court hearing where CAFCASS has been informed or becomes aware of such errors in advance of that hearing. This would not include any issues of disputed facts, which would be matters that the court itself would have to consider, weigh up and form a judgment about, in the light of all of the available evidence before it.
CAFCASS as an organisation holds the responsibility for ensuring that such reports are prepared to recognised standards and that the quality of work undertaken by practitioners on its behalf, in preparing and completing such reports, meets these standards. CAFCASS practitioners are directly accountable to their line managers or contract managers for their adherence to its Service Standards. Allegations that CAFCASS practitioners have breached CAFCASS Service Standards are specifically noted within CAFCASS complaints procedures as being matters that can properly be examined within those procedures.
Complaints about CAFCASS in particular cases, which are not resolved by its complaints procedure, can be referred to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
During the course of 2006 CAFCASS has introduced new quality assurance procedures in order to guarantee the quality of reports prepared on its behalf, prior to them being submitted to the Courts. CAFCASS is also currently consulting on new national standards to replace existing current Service Standards, for all its work including report writing, and is about to issue on 1st November a new Record Keeping Policy.
Children and Adoption Act
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what contact activities (a) courts will be able to order and (b) public funding will pay for when the Children and Adoption Act 2006 is fully operational. [95389]
Mr. Dhanda: Under provisions in part 1 of the Children and Adoption Act 2006 courts will be able to order programmes, classes and counselling or guidance sessions that may assist with establishing, maintaining or improving contact with a child. Other possible activities are programmes designed to address a person’s violent behaviour and information sessions about mediation. Contact activities will not extend to include medical or psychiatric examination, assessment or treatment or taking part in mediation.
The Secretary of State may, by regulations, make provision on levels of financial assistance to be paid in respect of an individual as regards an activity in which s/he is required by a contact activity direction or condition to take part. Regulations in this regard will be laid in respect of all contact activities.
Citizenship Education
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what plans he has to encourage the recruitment of specialist trained citizenship teachers by schools; [94891]
(2) what assessment he has made of the Ofsted report “Towards Consensus—Citizenship in Secondary Schools”; [94892]
(3) what recent assessment he has made of the quality of teaching of citizenship in schools; and what steps he is taking to improve the standard of such teaching. [94893]
Jim Knight: The DfES welcomes the Ofsted report “Towards Consensus—Citizenship in Secondary Schools” which recognises that much good work has taken place, that steady progress is being made in citizenship teaching and acknowledges that there is still much room for improvement. 200 initial teacher training places in citizenship education are being made available each year and the DfES is funding 1,200 Citizenship Continuing Professional Development (CPD) places over the next two years to enable citizenship teachers to broaden and deepen their subject knowledge. We have also published a CPD handbook and citizenship self-evaluation tools for both primary and secondary schools. We continue to support the Association of Citizenship Teachers and work with a range of organisations to provide resources and support for teachers.
Dyslexia
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in independent schools in Somerset have received public money for help with dyslexia in the last five years. [93573]
Mr. Dhanda: No information is collected centrally on the number of children in independent schools who have received public money for help with dyslexia.
Excluded Pupils
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether it is his intention to prevent children excluded from school from attending a public library. [95239]
Jim Knight: No. The proposed offence at clause 100 of the Education and Inspections Bill will require the parents of pupils who have been excluded from school to ensure that their child is not in a public place during school hours during the first five days of exclusion.
The proposed legislation is framed in such a way that such parents could avail themselves of the defence of “reasonable justification” where circumstances prevent compliance with the duty. In the case of a child being in a public place, such as a public library, at the relevant time, it would be for the parent to prove their presence was reasonable. For example, the parent would have to demonstrate why the library could not have been visited outside of school hours.
Ultimately it will be for the courts to decide whether reasonable justification has been proved.
Faith Schools
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects building to begin for the new Faith School in Everton, Liverpool; and if he will make a statement. [95497]
Jim Knight [holding answer 20 October 2006]: A scheme for the new Church of England and Roman Catholic Faith School has been agreed and the proposals have been approved by the local Schools Organisation Committee. The capital funding for the new build has been secured.
Liverpool Archdiocese has informed the Department that although the scheme has been agreed with all concerned, the promised pupil numbers have not materialised. Over the last two years the numbers have actually reduced and the number on roll currently stands at 70 pupils plus 11 in the nursery.
Both the Liverpool Archdiocese and the Church of England Diocese are anxious to see some movement on the new school build programme. However, they are conscious that a new school cannot be justified with the current numbers on roll. The Dioceses and the local authority are currently trying to establish a suitable way forward for this school in line with the wider regeneration programme in Liverpool.
Green Corns, Rochdale (Behavioural Problems)
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what mechanisms are in place for the inspection of (a) curriculum, (b) hours of teaching, (c) examination entry, (d) attendance at lessons and (e) supervision in relation to children with behavioural problems placed in small homes, with particular reference to Green Corns in Rochdale. [94459]
Jim Knight: Green Corns Ltd. operates a number of children's homes in the north west, some of which have been registered as independent schools. All independent schools must comply with standards set out in The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003 as amended. These set out the quality of education, welfare, health and safety arrangements for pupils that all registered independent schools must meet. Ofsted inspections of Green Corns schools examine the breadth of the curriculum, timetabled teaching hours, attendance, behaviour and supervision of pupils. Independent schools are not required to enter pupils for examinations.
Heartlands Development, Haringey
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost per bidder is of the three day consultancy offered to bidders for sponsorship of the new school to be built on the Heartlands development in Haringey; how much the Government have provided to Haringey council for that process; and if he will make a statement. [94136]
Jim Knight: Since 1 September local authorities wanting to establish a new secondary school have been required under Section 66 of the Education Act 2005 to invite bids from potential promoters. Each potential promoter is entitled to receive three days' consultancy support funded by the Department to help them prepare their bids and we have allocated a budget of £1,500 to cover the cost of each support package.
As the Department is providing this consultancy support directly to potential promoters we have not transferred any funding to Haringey.
Heartsease High School, Norwich
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what stage the negotiations for the award of City Academy status for Heartsease High School, Norwich have reached; and how (a) parents, (b) members of the public and (c) other interested parties are being consulted on academy status for the school. [93953]
Jim Knight: The Heartsease Academy project entered the feasibility phase of development on 7 September 2006. As with all academy projects consultations will now take place, providing opportunities for parents, members of the public and other interested parties to make their views known.
Consultations will also be put in hand soon by the local authority on the proposals it will publish for the closure of the Heartsease High School to enable its replacement by the Academy.
Home Schooling
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding is available for home schooling; and if he will make a statement. [94728]
Jim Knight [holding answer 17 October 2006]: Parents may choose to provide their children with a full-time education at home, but there is no central funding available to assist them. Local authorities may provide financial support to home schooling parents at their discretion, although there is no requirement for them to do so.
International GCSE
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the operation of The Coventry City Council and the North West Federation of Schools (International General Certificate in Secondary Education) Order 2005 (S.I., 2005, No. 1739). [95200]
Jim Knight: The results for 2005/06 from the first cohort were up to expectations—all those anticipated achieved a pass at Grade C or above. The English course is a success and is now running for 2006/07.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will amend literacy and numeracy requirements for higher level teaching assistants to include the International GCSE at grade A*-C in English language, English literature or mathematics as acceptable literacy and numeracy qualifications. [95670]
Jim Knight: The Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) Standards are a set of national, professional standards. They currently require nationally accredited qualifications for two reasons: firstly because they reflect national standards and criteria for subject content and robustness of assessment; and secondly because they are monitored by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to ensure that assessment is fit-for-purpose and that standards of attainment are maintained across time, across centres and across awarding bodies.
The HLTA Standards are, however, currently under review and we are consulting on a range of issues, including the literacy and numeracy requirements for candidates seeking to attain HLTA status. The case for the widening of the Standards to include non-accredited qualifications will, therefore, be discussed as part of this review.
Kent LEA
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) whether demographic statistics in Kent were taken into account when determining funding levels for Kent local education authority; [95142]
(2) what factors are taken into account when calculating funding levels for schools in Kent; [95143]
(3) what funding levels have been allocated for the local education authorities in (a) Gravesham, (b) Medway and (c) Kent. [95144]
Jim Knight: Each local authority's total Dedicated Schools Grant for 2006-07 was calculated by multiplying their full-time equivalent pupils (aged 3 to 15) from the January 2006 pupil count by their Dedicated Schools Grant Guaranteed Unit of Funding (the Dedicated Schools Grant Guaranteed Unit of Funding is unchanged from that set in December 2005 and is available on Teachernet at www.teachernet. gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=9405.)
The Dedicated Schools Grant Guaranteed Unit of Funding for 2006-07 was based on actual spend per pupil in 2005-06, with a basic increase of 5 per cent. per pupil (5.1 per cent. for London authorities) and headroom allocated to reflect five ministerial priorities (personalisation at key stage 3, personalisation in primary schools, more practical learning options at 14 to 16, workforce reform and early years expansion). £30 million was also distributed between authorities who spent below the level of undamped Schools Formula Spending Share in 2005-06.
Where authorities were below 90 per cent. participation for their three-year-olds in January 2006, the number of three-year-olds for funding purposes was brought up to 90 per cent. of the projected population.
Each authority also received a minimum cash increase of at least 4 per cent. over their 2005-06 Dedicated Schools Grant allocation to provide additional support for authorities with falling rolls.
The methodology for calculating the Dedicated Schools Grant in 2007-08 will be the same as for 2006-07. An overview to the 2007-08 Dedicated Schools Grant allocation process can be found at http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id==10356.
The 2006-07 Dedicated Schools Grant Allocations can be found at http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank /index.cfm?id=9405. The Dedicated Schools Grant in 2006-07 was £152.202 million in Medway (an increase per pupil of 6.8 per cent.) and £718.205 million in Kent (an increase per pupil of 6.9 per cent. which includes the Gravesham constituency).
Muslim Schools
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many state-funded Muslim schools there were in England in each of the last five years. [94356]
Jim Knight: The following table shows how many maintained Muslim schools were open in England as at September of each of the last five years:
| Primary schools | Secondary Schools | Total | |
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many private Muslim schools were inspected in each of the last five years; [94357]
(2) how many private Muslim schools there were in England in each of the last five years. [94358]
Jim Knight: The information requested is given in the following table.
| Academic year | Number of Independent Muslim schools inspected( 1) | Number of registered Independent Muslim schools |
| (1 )Includes seven schools which have since closed and excludes five schools inspected in academic year 2000-01. | ||
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