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19 Mar 2007 : Column 694W—continued
Higher Education: Research
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many permanent academic research posts were funded in each year from 1997-98 to 2006-07; and what percentage this number was of all academic research posts funded in each year. [127849]
Bill Rammell: The information is shown in the following tables. Data for academic years 1997/98 to 2002/03 and 2003/04 to 2005/06, the latest year available, are shown separately to take account of the Higher Education Statistics Agency's revision of its staff data collection methodology in 2003-04.
| Table 1: Academic staff( 1) employed in research-only activities at English higher education institutions, 1997/8 to 2002/03 | |||
| Academic year | Permanent research-only posts | Total research-only posts | Permanent posts as a percentage of all research-only posts |
| (1) A count of active contracts for academic staff with 25 percent.+ full time equivalent only. Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) | |||
| Table 2: Academic staff( 1) employed in research-only activities in English higher education institutions, 2003/04 to 2005/06 | |||
| Academic year | Open ended/permanent research-only posts | Total | Permanent posts as a percentage of all research-only posts |
| (1) A count of staff with one or more active contracts. Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) | |||
History: Curriculum
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what policy considerations affected the decision to include the study of the second world war and Nazi holocaust in the key stage 3 history curriculum. [127323]
Jim Knight: The two world wars and the Holocaust have been compulsory elements of the key stage 3 history curriculum since 1995. Pupils should study the causes and consequences of various conflicts including the two world wars and the Holocaust and develop an understanding of the changing nature of conflict over time and attempts to resolve conflict.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what policy considerations affected the decision to include the study of the slave trade in the key stage three history curriculum. [127325]
Jim Knight: Studying the nature and effects of the slave trade and its abolition will help pupils to understand the make up of the UK today and put immigration, the Commonwealth and the legacy of the empire into a clear historical context. The slave trade is already a suggested option for history teachers under the current curriculum.
Martial Arts: Schools
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which schools offer (a) boxing, (b) kick boxing, (c) karate and (d) other forms of martial arts (i) within their sports programme and (ii) as part of extended school activities. [127417]
Jim Knight: As part of the National School Sport Strategy, the annual school sport survey collects data on the provision and take up of PE and sport from schools in School Sport Partnerships. All maintained schools are now in such partnerships. Schools are asked which sports or activities they provided during the academic year, but not whether these were offered within or beyond the school day.
The 2005/06 survey (when 80 per cent. of schools were in such partnerships) found that:
1,579 schools (9 per cent. of those surveyed) offered martial arts, including kickboxing, but not judo and karate;
1,077 schools (6 per cent.) offered karate;
571 schools (3 per cent.) offered judo; and
431 schools (3 per cent.) offered boxing.
Naturalisation: English Language
Keith Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants from his Department have had
with counterparts in the Home Department on the role of English language skills in citizenship and social integration. [126132]
Phil Hope: Ministers and civil servants from the Department for Education and Skills regularly meet with colleagues in the Home Office. The changes announced to ESOL in October last year were cleared through the Asylum and Migration Cabinet Committee.
Nurseries: Greater London
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many nursery places for three and four-year-olds there were in (a) Eltham, (b) the London borough of Greenwich and (c) London in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2006. [126689]
Beverley Hughes: The available information is shown in the table.
| Eltham parliamentary constituency | Greenwich local authority area | London | ||||
| Year | Three and four-year-old population | Number of part time funded places filled by three and four-year-olds( 1,2) | Three and four-year-old population | Number of part time funded places filled by three and four-year-olds( 1,2) | Three and four-year-old population | Number of part time funded places filled by three and four-year-olds( 1,2) |
| n/a = not available (1) A place is equal to five or more sessions and can be filled by more than one child. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate. | ||||||
The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 32/2006 ‘Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2006 (final)’ in August, which is available on my Department’s website at:
Nurseries: Teaching Methods
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the implications for funding for nurseries of the implementation of phonics under the Children Act 2006. [127634]
Beverley Hughes: The Government invest some £3 billion each year in delivery of the free early education entitlement to secure twelve and a half hours’ free provision for 38 weeks a year for three and four-year-olds.
Nurseries receiving this funding deliver the Foundation Stage and therefore will already be implementing the preparatory work which paves the way for early reading. This work will continue when the Early Years Foundation Stage supersedes the Foundation Stage in September 2008. The Government are investing some £2 million through the Primary National Strategy to support the teaching of phonics in primary schools and early years settings.
Pre-School Education: Standards
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in nursery schools in Lancashire failed to meet expected standards in literacy and mathematical calculation in each of the last five years. [127119]
Jim Knight: The information is not available in the form requested. Children’s development at age five is measured by the Foundation Stage Profile which replaced statutory baseline assessment on entry to primary school. This involves a continuous observational assessment during the academic year in which a child reaches the age of five. There are no pass or fail marks but, for the purposes of the national PSA target on improving young children’s outcomes, a ‘good level of development’ at the Foundation Stage is defined as achieving a score of at least six points on a Foundation Stage Profile Scale. A child achieving a good level of development can be deemed to be ‘working securely’ within the Early Learning Goals.
The following table shows the percentage of young children in the Lancashire local authority area and the North West Government Office region who achieve a score of six points or more in the assessment scales relating to the Communication, Language and Literacy and Mathematical Development areas of learning. Local authorities only supply full child data in an aggregate form and it is not possible to distinguish between nursery schools and other types of provider from this dataset. Sub-national figures are only available from 2005.
| Percentage of children achieving six points or more( 1,2) in the communication, language and literacy and mathematical development areas of learning on the foundation stage profile in Lancashire local authority area—2005-06 | |||||||
| 2005 | 2006 | ||||||
| Lancashire | North West | England | Lancashire | North West | England | ||
| (1) Children who achieve six points or more within a scale are deemed to be ‘working securely’ within the Early Learning Goals. (2) Includes children in maintained schools and private, voluntary and independent providers. | |||||||
Care should be exercised in comparing the results year on year. Assessment against the Foundation Stage Profile is not yet universally well established and ongoing improvements in assessment and moderation have contributed to a general downward shift in the scores, including the percentage of children working securely within the Early Learning Goals. The downward shift is apparent across most authorities but to varying degrees. While the downward shift in the figures between 2005 and 2006 reflects these improvements to moderation and assessment, the precise extent of the impact is uncertain. While many local authorities may now have settled in respect of assessment, it is possible that there will be further impact in some authorities for some time although the effects on the results are likely to reduce over time as the survey becomes more embedded.
The latest national figures on the Foundation Stage Profile for 2006 were published in a Statistical First Release ‘Foundation Stage Profile 2006 (03/2007)’ in January. A copy of the report and additional tables that show local authority achievement are available from the Department’s website at:
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