House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 06 Feb 2007 (pt 0019)

6 Feb 2007 : Column 834W—continued

Apprenticeships

Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of apprenticeships and advanced apprenticeships had no work-based element spent with an employer in each year since 1997; and which apprenticeships have a work-based element where the apprentice spends on average (a) fewer than five, (b) five to 10, (c) 10 to 20 and (d) more than 20 hours per week with an employer over the same period. [111382]

Phil Hope [holding answer 30 January 2007]: Every apprenticeship programme includes appropriate employment-based learning and application. The balance between work-based and off-the-job learning varies between apprentices and employers according to need. Data on apprenticeships and advanced apprenticeships is collected on the Learning and Skills Council's individualised learner record (ILR). However, it is not possible from the data to determine the time spent by an individual apprentice on the work-based element of their programme.

BBC Digital Curriculum

Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the BBC digital curriculum content can interoperate fully with third-party learning platforms. [112499]

Jim Knight: The BBC aim to provide all BBC Jam commissions in a format which allows any learning platform, or VLE, provider to use them in their products. The BBC is running a series of meetings with the industry to inform them and discuss the process.

Biometric Data

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance his Department has issued on the collection of biometric data by school libraries. [112153]

Jim Knight: The Department has issued no guidance on the collection of biometric data by school libraries. Biometric data is covered like all data by the Data Protection Act 1998. Guidance on data protection issues is available on the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) website. Becta aims to revise its current guidance on data protection to include specific guidance on biometric technology, which will be available on its website by the end of March 2007 after consultation with the Office of the Information Commissioner.

Curriculum

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what plans he has to introduce (a) gender equality issues and (b) issues around domestic violence into the (i) citizenship personal, social and health education parts of the curriculum; [117558]

(2) what steps he is taking to ensure there are work packs for teachers for teaching about domestic violence. [117562]

Jim Knight: One of the aims of the national curriculum is to promote equal opportunities and enable pupils to challenge discrimination and stereotyping.

The programmes of study for citizenship education, which is statutory for all 11-to 16-year-olds, require that children be taught about “human rights and responsibilities” and

“the opportunities for individuals to bring about social change”,

which can include discussing gender equality issues. They also require pupils be taught about the

“importance of resolving conflict fairly”

which can include issues around domestic violence. In addition, the non-statutory framework for personal social and health education (PSHE) says that pupils should be taught

6 Feb 2007 : Column 835W

“to deal with changing relationships in a positive way, showing goodwill to others and using strategies to resolve disagreements peacefully”

and

“to know about the statutory and voluntary organisations that support relationships in crisis”.

Content of the secondary curriculum is currently being reviewed by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and will be published for public consultation shortly.

The DfES supports teaching resources including “Missdorothy.com”, a comprehensive learning programme for seven-to 16-year-olds delivered in the classroom and with links to the national curriculum, which tackles behaviour and personal safety issues including domestic violence.

Early Retirement

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers took early retirement in (a) west Lancashire and (b) England in each year since 1997, broken down by type of institution. [112297]

Jim Knight: The information requested is not available at constituency or local authority level.

The following table provides the number of teachers who took early retirement, defined as before the normal pension age of 60 on premature, actuarially reduced benefits or ill health grounds, in each year from 1997-98 to 2005-06 and broken down by type of institution in England.

Early retirements by type of institution^{( 1)} , 1997-98 to 2005-06—England
	Maintained sector
Financial year	Nursery/primary	Secondary	Special/PRU	Total maintained sector
1997-98⁽²⁾	6,780	7,140	710	14,630
1998-99	2,120	2,270	270	4,660
1999-2000	2,250	2,490	240	4,970
2000-01	2,740	2,730	330	5,800
2001-02	2,580	2,930	350	5,860
2002-03	2,680	2,990	320	5,990
2003-04	2,940	3,540	320	6,810
2004-05⁽³⁾	3,290	4,000	350	7,640
2005-06⁽³⁾	3,370	4,370	380	8,120

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	Other sectors^{( 4)}
Financial year	Independent	Further and higher education	Unknown	Total all sectors
1997-98⁽²⁾	1,200	5,560	280	21,670
1998-99	180	570	170	5,580
1999-2000	180	580	130	5,870
2000-01	260	830	110	7,000
2001-02	370	1,010	110	7,350
2002-03	400	1,150	130	7,670
2003-04	400	1,030	200	8,440
2004-05⁽³⁾	450	1,240	230	9,560
2005-06⁽³⁾	590	1,290	270	10,270
⁽¹⁾ The last known institution where the teacher was in teaching service which may have been some years before the date of retirement. ⁽²⁾ The effect of the change in the Teachers’ Pensions Scheme, from 31 August 1997, was that many more teachers took early retirement in 1997 than in other years. Actuarially reduced benefits are included from 2000-01. ⁽³⁾ Provisional. ⁽⁴⁾ Including only those retirements from independent and further and higher education establishments covered under the Teachers’ Pensions Scheme. Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Source: DfES Pensioner statistical system

Education Maintenance Allowance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the impact of educational maintenance allowances on the number of young people staying in full-time education beyond 16 years. [118835]

Phil Hope [holding answer 5 February 2007]: Recent national participation figures⁽¹⁾ for the number of 16-year-olds in full-time education show an increase of 4.5 percentage points over the past two years. Whilst it is not possible to say that all of the increase was due to education maintenance allowance, this was one of the most important initiatives aimed at increasing participation.

EMA has been particularly effective in engaging some of our most vulnerable young people such as teenage parents and those who for no fault of their own are estranged from their families. EMA has its biggest impact where it is most needed—among those from less well off households, those from an ethnic minority background and among boys, closing the gender gap.

^{(1 )}SFR (June 2006), Participation in Education, Training & Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England 2004 and 2005 DfES, SFR 21/2006.

E-learning Credits

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many e-learning credits have been spent by schools in each local education authority since their introduction; [110558]

(2) how many e-learning credits have been allocated to schools in each local education authority since their introduction. [110559]

Jim Knight [holding answer 22 January 2007]: The table that has been placed in the House Library shows how many e-learning credits have been allocated to schools in each local authority and how many e-learning credits have been spent by schools in each local authority since their introduction.

ESOL

Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will publish research he has undertaken into the English for speakers of other languages market since the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority survey in 2005. [117670]

6 Feb 2007 : Column 837W

Phil Hope: No further research work on this has been commissioned since the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority survey in 2005. However levels of activity in the Further Education sector as recorded through the Learning and Skills Council’s individualised learner record show a growth in demand for ESOL which is clearly unsustainable within the public funding available. Information is not available to disaggregate this information beyond getting a view of overall provision levels, but it is our priority to ensure that funding is prioritised on those who must need public help and support and that those learners who we support are able to access learning that is good quality and is appropriate to their needs.

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Ethnicity in Schools

Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of secondary-age pupils in each local education authority in (a) London, (b) Birmingham, (c) Leicester, (d) Derby, (e) Nottingham, (f) Bradford, (g) Slough, (h) Bolton, (i) Rochdale, (j) Luton, (k) Bristol and (l) Blackburn and Darwen are (i) white British, (ii) black Caribbean, (iii) black African, (iv) Indian, (v) Pakistani and (vi) Bangladeshi. [117543]

Jim Knight [holding answer 30 January 2007]: The information requested is shown in the following table.

6 Feb 2007 : Column 839W

6 Feb 2007 : Column 840W

Maintained secondary schools^{( 1)} : Number and percentage of pupils attending secondary schools by ethnicity—January 2006 by selected local authority areas
Pupils of compulsory school age and above
		White		White British		Irish		Traveller of Irish Heritage
		Number of pupils	^{( 6)} Percentage	Number of pupils	^{( 6)} Percentage	Number of pupils	^{( 6)} Percentage	Number of pupils	^{( 6)} Percentage
		2,764,070	83.6	2,673,980	80.9	12,220	0.4	1,060	0.0
201	City of London	⁽⁸⁾—	⁽⁸⁾—	⁽⁸⁾—	⁽⁸⁾—	⁽⁸⁾—	⁽⁸⁾—	⁽⁸⁾—	⁽⁸⁾—
202	Camden	4,790	48.1	3,549	35.7	239	2.4	10	0.1
203	Greenwich	8,360	57.5	7,289	50.1	150	1.0	4	0.0
204	Hackney	2,100	30.0	1,085	15.5	130	1.9	26	0.4
205	Hammersmith and Fulham	3,320	48.4	2,351	34.3	223	3.3	8	0.1
206	Islington	3,360	41.6	2,106	26.1	146	1.8	3	0.0
207	Kensington and Chelsea	1,760	50.0	1,121	31.9	172	4.9	4	0.1
208	Lambeth	2,410	29.9	1,469	18.2	71	0.9	0	0.0
209	Lewisham	4,200	38.2	3,443	31.3	67	0.6	4	0.0
210	Southward	2,920	28.5	2,238	21.9	155	1.5	10	0.1
211	Tower Hamlets	3,300	23.0	2,671	18.6	50	0.3	⁽⁷⁾—	⁽⁷⁾—
212	Wandsworth	3,750	35.9	3,079	29.5	49	0.5	⁽⁷⁾—	⁽⁷⁾—
213	Westminster	2,800	33.3	1,712	20.4	44	0.5	⁽⁷⁾—	⁽⁷⁾—
301	Barking and Dagenham	8,820	69.8	8,261	65.4	50	0.4	0	0.0
302	Barnet	10,740	55.0	7,329	37.5	241	1.2	10	0.1
303	Bexley	14,820	80.9	14,247	77.8	100	0.5	7	0.0
304	Brent	2,620	15.9	1,316	8.0	299	1.8	18	0.1
305	Bromley	17,890	79.8	17,186	76.6	84	0.4	5	0.0
306	Croydon	9,830	52.8	9,009	48.4	217	1.2	5	0.0
307	Ealing	4,880	32.1	3,862	25.4	216	1.4	27	0.2
308	Enfield	12,850	58.0	8,262	37.3	336	1.5	⁽⁷⁾—	⁽⁷⁾—
309	Haringey	4,800	41.2	2,523	21.6	147	1.3	24	0.2
310	Harrow	3,310	36.7	2,738	30.3	219	2.4	14	0.2
311	Havering	13,970	84.2	13,565	81.7	69	0.4	3	0.0
312	Hillingdon	10,740	62.9	10,151	59.4	128	0.7	16	0.1
313	Hounslow	6,860	41.4	5,691	34.3	209	1.3	14	0.1
314	Kingston upon Thames	6,520	68.1	5,883	61.4	50	0.5	6	0.1
315	Merton	4,770	55.5	4,166	48.4	101	1.2	⁽⁷⁾—	⁽⁷⁾—
316	Newham	3,880	21.2	2,984	16.3	61	0.3	⁽⁷⁾—	⁽⁷⁾—
317	Redbridge	8,410	40.7	7,079	34.3	141	0.7	10	0.0
318	Richmond upon Thames	5,570	77.7	5,061	70.6	49	0.7	0	0.0
319	Sutton	12,220	75.6	11,472	71.0	143	0.9	6	0.0
320	Waltham Forest	6,380	45.3	4,949	35.2	118	0.8	15	0.1
330	Birmingham	36,820	52.4	34,624	49.3	954	1.4	12	0.0
350	Bolton	16,440	83.8	16,237	82.8	38	0.2	7	0.0
354	Rochdale	11,300	79.9	11,179	79.0	32	0.2	21	0.1
380	Bradford	21,490	62.8	21,165	61.8	42	0.1	5	0.0
801	Bristol, City of	12,980	83.8	12,555	81.0	96	0.6	4	0.0
821	Luton	6,620	53.6	6,033	49.1	252	2.0	13	0.1
831	Derby	12,340	78.8	12,004	76.6	70	0.4	8	0.1
856	Leicester	8,290	46.3	7,747	43.3	96	0.5	14	0.1
871	Slough	3,540	39.7	3,181	35.7	81	0.9	⁽⁷⁾—	⁽⁷⁾—
889	Blackburn with Darwen	6,640	70.5	6,582	69.9	16	0.2	3	0.0
892	Nottingham	10,200	74.9	9,884	72.5	59	0.4	6	0.0

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