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26 Feb 2007 : Column 1003Wcontinued
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he has taken to monitor the BBC's compliance with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's conditions for the Digital Curriculum Initiative. [111179]
Jim Knight: It is not my Department's role to monitor the BBCs compliance with conditions for BBC Jam (formerly the Digital Curriculum) which have been set by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. However officials in the Department are working closely with partner organisations and other Departments, including the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, to ensure that the best educational outcomes are achieved for learners.
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills from which budget he plans to fund a new English for speakers of other languages market as referred to in his Departments Notes of English for speakers of other languages policy update meeting of 5 December 2006. [117671]
Phil Hope: The new English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) qualifications for work will be funded initially by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) through the adult learning budget.
However, more detailed funding arrangements are a matter for the LSC and Mark Haysom, the Chief Executive, has written to my hon. Friend explaining the more detailed arrangements and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 19 February 2007:
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has recently been working closely with the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and awarding bodies on the development of a new range of work focussed English language qualifications. These qualifications will be related to the existing English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) qualifications; however they will be more suitable for those learners who are literate in their own first language.
The present ESOL qualifications fall under the Skills for Life strategy, and as such are funded from the adult learning budget. The new ESOL for work qualifications which will be available from August 2007 and will be funded through adult learning budget.
The existing Skills for Life ESOL qualifications will continue to be available where appropriate (to those learners who have basic skills needs as well as English language needs).
I trust this answers your question.
Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the average level of graduate debt in (a) England, (b) Stockport Metropolitan borough council area and (c) Cheadle constituency. [121030]
Bill Rammell: The Student Income and Expenditure Survey 2004/05, published on 30 March 2006, is a comprehensive study of students' income, expenditure, borrowing and debt. It showed that English domiciled full-time students graduating in academic year 2004/05 anticipated, on average, a total debt of £7,918. Sub-national figures are not available.
A generous package of support is now available to students. The Government have re-introduced non-repayable grants of up to £2,700 for full-time students. In 2006/07 around half of new full-time entrants were eligible for a full or partial grant. Non-repayable bursaries, typically worth £1,000, are available from universities and colleges to those from low income backgrounds. Additional help is available to students facing financial hardship from the Access to Learning Fund administered by individual higher education institutions.
Student loans are available for tuition fees, as well as living costs, so no student has to find their fees before or during their studies. These loans are only repayable after a student has left their course and only then when their annual income reaches £15,000. The rates of interest are well below that of commercial credit and students only pay back in real terms the amount they originally borrow.
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2007, Official Report, column 1111W, on home education, which organisations and individuals his officials have consulted in drafting guidelines for local authorities on elective home education. [123039]
Jim Knight: The list of organisations and individuals my officials consulted on the draft local authority guidelines from 18 February to 29 April 2005, is in the following list:
Advisory Centre for Education
Bedfordshire County Council
Business Link Kent
Cambridgeshire County Council
London Borough of Camden
Coventry City Council
Derbyshire County Council
Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council
Dorset County Council
Education Otherwise Association Ltd.
Essex County Council
London Borough of Greenwich
Herefordshire County Council
London Borough of Hillingdon
Home Education Advisory Service
Home Education UK
Home Service
Lancashire County Council
Leeds City Council
Medway Council
Middlesbrough Council
Newcastle City Council
North Lincolnshire Council
Professional Association of Teachers
Scottish Executive
Staffordshire County Council
The European Academy for Christian Homeschooling
Telford and Wrekin Council
Warwickshire County Council
Welsh Assembly
West Midlands Consortium Education Service for Traveller Children
Wolverhampton City Council
David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) current and (b) future capacity for the teaching of Portuguese at (i) secondary school level and (ii) in higher education; and if he will make a statement. [122770]
Jim Knight: No assessment has been made of the adequacy of current and future capacity of the teaching of Portuguese in secondary schools. The number of pupils taking a GCSE in Portuguese was 727 in 2006, with 141 taking A-level Portuguese. In higher education, enrolments to courses in Portuguese are increasing. The numbers of students studying Portuguese at undergraduate and postgraduate level at higher education institutions in the United Kingdom rose from 530 in 2002/03 to 710 in 2005/06, the latest year for which figures are available, an increase of 34 per cent.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many students are expected to graduate in physiotherapy in England in 2007; [122002]
(2) how many places on (a) recognised access, (b) undergraduate and (c) postgraduate physiotherapy courses are expected to be offered in England in autumn (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009. [122076]
Bill Rammell: The available information relates to entrants to and qualifiers from physiotherapy courses from 2002/03 to 2004/05. It was provided by the Information Centre for Health and Social Care. Comparable information for 2005/06 is expected to be made available in March.
The Department does not produce estimates of projected number of graduates and estimates of projected number of students are not routinely disaggregated by specific subjects.
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of children in each English local authority with a selective admissions system took the 11-plus test in each of the last 10 years; and how many places there were in wholly selective maintained schools in each authority in each year. [120813]
Jim Knight [holding answer 20 February 2007]: The available information has been placed in the Library.
Information on 11-plus tests and places in grammar (wholly selective) schools is not collected centrally. The information given is number of pupils in grammar schools by local authority in England.
Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school partnerships have been established between Wearside schools and schools in developing countries. [122805]
Jim Knight: The Department for Education and Skills does not keep central information about international school partnerships. These can be arranged through a range of individuals and organisations, including government, non-government, local authorities and schools.
However, as an example, under the Department for International Developments Global School Partnerships (DGSP) programme, Easington Community School in County Durham is partnered with St. Augustines CofE School in Ghana and the Venerable Bede School in Ryhope, Sunderland is partnered with St. Johns School in Manyoni, Tanzania.
Mr. Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what guidance he provides to schools to encourage intra- and inter-school sport competition; [122970]
(2) what estimate he has made of the percentage of schools that compete in inter-school sport competitions; [122971]
(3) how many competition managers were employed in school sports partnerships in 2006-07; [122972]
(4) what process is in place to assess Physical Education, School Sport and Club Links returns from each school sport partnership; [122973]
(5) what percentage of 5 to 16 year olds took part in competitive inter-school sport in each of the last five years; [122974]
(6) how the effectiveness of the Club Links element of the Physical Education, School Sports and Club Links strategy is assessed. [122975]
Jim Knight: The Department issues no formal guidance to schools specifically to encourage intra- and inter-school sport competition. Competitive games activities are a compulsory part of the national curriculum for physical education for all pupils aged 5 to 14.
The Department does not collect data relating to the percentage of schools taking part in inter-school competition. However, evidence suggests that all maintained schools do so to some extent. In addition, the annual school sport survey, carried out, analysed and validated by an independent research company, shows that some 37 per cent. of pupils in school sport partnership schools took part in inter-school competition in 2005/06. The figure for 2004/05 was 35 per cent., and for 2003/04 was 33 per cent. Data were not collected before 2003/04.
Inter-school competition is being boosted through the work of competition managers. At the end of December last year, 52 competition managers were in post. By the end of 2007, there will be at least 90.
The main aim of the Club Links programme is to increase the percentage of 5 to 16-year-olds who are members of, or who participate in, accredited sports clubs linked to schools. The effectiveness of the programme is measured through the annual school sport survey. The 2005/06 survey found that 27 per cent. of 5 to 16-year-olds were linked to sports clubs. This beat the 2006 target by 7 percentage points.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answers of 30 January 2007, Official Report, column 222W, on school uniforms, what consideration he has since given to whether the school uniform guidance needs updating to cover the new admissions code and other relevant developments in the law; and if he will make a statement. [122776]
Jim Knight: The Department is currently updating its school uniform guidance which will be published for consultation in the spring.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what consideration the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority gave to the content of the curriculum in use in (a) South Africa and (b) other countries with higher performance levels when designing the new programmes of study as part of the secondary curriculum review. [122655]
Jim Knight: Each year the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority meets around 100 international delegations to inform them about the curriculum and qualifications in England, and to share examples of good practice from around the world. The Director of Curriculum at QCA recently visited South Africa to learn more about its curriculum.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what definition he uses of bear in mind, as used in the notes to the revised programmes of study for Key Stage 3 English designed by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority as part of the secondary curriculum review with reference to teachers to bearing in mind non-standard usages of English. [122658]
Jim Knight: The revised programme of study for Key Stage 3 English states that pupils should be able to vary vocabulary, structures and grammar to convey meaning, including speaking standard English fluently. In order to teach standard English it is necessary to be aware of, and to take into consideration, the most common non-standard usages of English.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his definition is of (a) tableaux, (b) hot seating and (c) thought tracking as used in the notes to the revised programmes of study for Key Stage 3 English designed by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority as part of the secondary curriculum review. [122659]
Jim Knight: The notes are provided by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority as guidance for teachers. They are not part of the statutory requirements of the revised national curriculum programmes of study. Tableaux, hot seating and thought tracking are all standard drama techniques which teachers use.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what informal consultation the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority conducted with parents prior to the development of the revised secondary programmes of study; [122663]
(2) what steps the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority is taking to ensure that (a) parents, (b) pupils, (c) school governing bodies, (d) teachers and (e) headteachers are (i) aware of and (ii) able to respond to the consultation on the national curriculum programme of study; [122664]
(3) what the intended audience is of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority consultation on the national curriculum programmes of study; [122662]
(4) whether materials subject to consultation on the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority secondary curriculum review are available in paper format; [122665]
(5) what steps the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) has taken to ensure that the materials on the QCA secondary curriculum review website are available to groups who cannot access them online; [122672]
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