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19 Feb 2007 : Column 257W—continued
Secondary Education: Castle Point
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) applications there were for and (b) places there were at each secondary school in Castle Point in each of the last three years. [117716]
Jim Knight: Information on the number of applications made for secondary school places is not collected centrally. The number of places available in each secondary school in Castle Point in each of the last three years is set out in the following table.
| Secondary schools | |||
| Number of pupil places | |||
| School name | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
Secondary Education: Standards
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department is taking to raise standards in secondary schools. [119851]
Jim Knight: The “Five Year Strategy for Children and Learners: Maintaining the Excellent Progress” includes an overview of the key activities we are undertaking to raise standards in Secondary Schools, and the 2005 Schools White Paper—“Higher Standards, Better Schools for All”—sets out our vision for raising standards in Schools. I would also refer the hon. Member to the annual departmental report. Some key facts are summarised as follows:
In 2006, 85,000 more pupils obtained five or more GCSEs at A*-C than in 1997.
Spending per pupil since 1997 has doubled, and there are now 36,000 more teachers and 150,000 more support staff.
Since 1997, there has been a 15 percentage point increase in the number of 14-year-old pupils achieving level 5 or above in English, a 17 percentage point increase in mathematics and a 12 percentage point increase in science at Key Stage 3.
Through the Building Schools for the Future programme we are investing £17.5 billion in schools capital between 2005-08, enabling most secondary schools to be refurbished or rebuilt.
More than 2,600 secondary schools—85 per cent. of the total—have specialist school status and we are on track to achieve the target of every school achieving specialist status by next year. 70 schools are already working towards trust school status, enabling them to work with external partners to create a distinctive ethos and direction for their school, and we have over 100 academies open or in the pipeline in some of the most challenging parts of the country.
There is more work still to do. In recent years, the number of children eligible for free school meals achieving five good GCSEs has improved faster than the national average, but we need to do more to tackle some of the gaps between economically disadvantaged pupils and their peers, and between boys and girls.
The Government are investing over £1 billion between 2005-08 in personalised learning and extended services—including £621 million for secondary schools to help them tailor their teaching
and learning to the needs of their pupils, including those who need support to help them catch up and those who have a particular gift or talent.
The Secondary National Strategy for School Improvement is at the heart of our work to transform secondary education and spreads effective teaching and learning to all schools through training and materials, a comprehensive development programme for teachers, and support from local consultants who are experts in their field.
The Key Stage 3 Behaviour and Attendance training programme for all secondary school staff involves training materials and resources to ensure consistent and effective policy and practice on behaviour and attendance and offers expert consultancy support to schools across the curriculum.
Sector Skills Councils
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will introduce a common reporting framework for sector skills councils to include (a) financial information, (b) governance and key management personnel and (c) business involvement. [118853]
Phil Hope: The Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA) is responsible for reporting to Ministers on all aspects of sector skills councils’ (SSC) performance.
The SSDA, in consultation with SSCs, has developed the SSC standard against which individual SSCs are assessed. This includes finance, governance and key management and personnel arrangements. The SSC standard forms part of the overall SSC Performance Management Framework, and engaging with employers in their sector is a key requirement of all SSCs.
In his recent report “Prosperity for all in the global economy—world class skills” (December 2006) Lord Leitch provided a clear analysis of the future skills needs of the UK and made a series of proposals for change. These would include the reform and re-licensing of sector skills councils. We have welcomed the report and will consider, together with stakeholders and in the context of the Comprehensive Spending Review, how to take forward the challenging agenda it sets.
Special Educational Needs
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will rank education authorities in (a) London and (b) England by the (i) number and (ii) percentage of pupils with special educational needs but without statements; and if he will make a statement. [118467]
Mr. Dhanda: The requested information has been placed in the Library.
Students: North East Region
Mrs. Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of children leaving full-time education in (a) Gateshead East and Washington West and (b) Tyne and Wear went on to a place at university in 2006. [118535]
Bill Rammell: The latest available information is shown in the table. Information for 2006/07 will be available from January 2008.
Students: Wales
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students from (a) Wrexham and (b) Wales attended universities in England as undergraduates in each of the last five years. [118235]
Bill Rammell: The latest available information is shown in the following table.
| Entrants to undergraduate courses at all English higher education institutions for the academic years 2001/02 to 2005/06 | ||
| cademic year | Number of entrants from Wales | Of which: Wrexham parliamentary constituency |
| Note: Figures are on a HESA Standard Registration Population basis and are rounded to the nearest 5. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). | ||
Teachers’ TV
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 22 January 2007, Official Report, column 1488W, on consultants, what the total cost was of hiring the consultants to whom he refers; and what the estimated number of regular viewers of Teachers’ TV was in 2006. [120218]
Jim Knight: Teachers’ TV aims to help raise standards in classrooms by helping to share good practice, support continuing professional development, offer classroom resources, and provide education news and information. The channel's target audience includes teachers, school leaders, teaching assistants and school governors.
Two individual consultants were used by Teachers' TV on specialist projects during 2006. They provided a total of 35 days’ input to the channel at a cost of £12,250.
Viewing of the channel among the schools work force is measured by an independent market research company, Ipsos MORI. The results of their study for the school year which ended on 31 July 2006 show that
Teachers' TV was viewed by an average of 94,000 members of the schools work force each month.
Unauthorised Absences
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many unauthorised absences were recorded at (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each local education authority in each year from 1997 to 2006. [116988]
Jim Knight: A table containing the figures requested has been placed in the House Library.
Unauthorised absence is absence without leave from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences, such as lateness, holidays during term time not authorised by the school, absence where reason is not yet established and truancy.
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many unauthorised absences from schools in (a) Eastbourne and (b) East Sussex there were in each year since 1997. [116545]
Jim Knight: The percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absence in Eastbourne parliamentary constituency and East Sussex local authority in each year since 1997 are shown as follows.
| Percentage of half days missed in maintained primary schools( 1) due to unauthorised absence( 2,3) | |||
| Eastbourne | East Sussex | England | |
| Percentage of half days missed in maintained secondary schools( 1) due to unauthorised absence( 2,3) | |||
| Eastbourne | East Sussex | England | |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Due to local government reorganisation, regional figures are not available prior to 1998. (3) Figures for Eastbourne are available to one decimal place. Figures for East Sussex local authority are available to one decimal place prior to 2001/02 and two decimal places from 2001/02 onwards. | |||
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