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9 May 2007 : Column 293W—continued
In the first year of national roll out EMA was available to all 16 year olds across England and to 17 and 18 year olds in former pilot areas (young people who are 19 are entitled to receive EMA in certain circumstances). In 2005/06 EMA roll out continued and EMA was available to all 16 and 17 year olds nationally. In 2006/07 EMA is available to all 16, 17 and 18 year olds nationally.
Information on the number of young people who have applied, enrolled and received Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is available at Local Authority Level, but not at constituency level. EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year.
The attached table shows EMA take-up data for Staffordshire Local Authority area and the West Midlands during each academic year since the introduction of the scheme.
| Take-up of EMA in each academic year | |||
| 2004/05 | 2005/06 | 2006/07 to end March | |
I hope this information is useful and addresses your question.
Education: Cambridgeshire
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for what reason the Cambridgeshire Standards Fund Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant was reduced by 30 per cent. in 2004. [134303]
Jim Knight: Changes to the distribution of the Ethnic Minority Achievement (EMAG) element of the Standards Fund were introduced in 2004-05 to bring a better targeted, fairer and more sensible distribution to this grant. These changes were widely endorsed by the DfES “Aiming High: Raising the Achievement of Minority Ethnic Pupils” consultation of 2003.
The redistribution of funding resulted in a small number of local authorities, including Cambridgeshire, receiving less funding than they did under the previous system under which allocations did not properly reflect the number of minority ethnic children in the local authority. However, losses in any one year were limited to 0.05 per cent. of each authority’s overall school funding.
Education: Finance
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the pilot of Activity Agreement Allowances. [128268]
Phil Hope: The Activity Agreement pilots began in April 2006 in eight areas of England. They were originally planned to run to the end of March 2008. In his Budget Report in March, the Chancellor announced an extension of the pilots into the 2007 CSR period.
A comprehensive evaluation project is running alongside the pilots to examine and assess the effectiveness of the pilot activity and to understand how young people respond to the initiative.
The evaluation will report to the DFES in December 2008.
Employer Training Pilots
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2007 to question 131374, on employer train pilots, how many employees had enrolled in Train to Gain programmes by the end of February 2007 in companies where the employer had (a) fewer than 250, (b) between 250 and 1,000 and (c) between 1,000 and 5,000 employees. [133453]
Phil Hope [holding answer 23 April 2007]: Train to Gain is an ongoing service and as such performance is updated on a regular basis. Detailed operational information is not held centrally by the Department but is collected by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Mark Haysom the LSC Chief Executive has written to the hon. Member. and a copy of his reply will has been placed in the House Library.
Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 8 May 2007:
I am writing in response to your recent parliamentary question about how many employees had enrolled in the Train to Gain programmes by the end of February 2007 in companies where the employer has (a) fewer than 250, (b) between 250 and 1,000 and (c) between 1,000 and 5,000 employees?
At the end of February 2007, the LSC had this information for 13,362 of the 18,530 employers with learners at that time. The details you requested are shown below for these employers.
| Company size | Number of companies | Employees enrolled as learners |
I hope this response is helpful to you.
Faith Schools: Admissions
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list those faith schools in (a) Birmingham, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England which do not give priority to children of their faith. [133715]
Jim Knight: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Families: Eating Habits
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if he will include in guidance to schools guidance on encouraging families to eat at home at night round the table; [135977]
(2) whether he plans to take steps to reduce the number of children spending money on unhealthy snacks in between meals. [135978]
Mr. Dhanda: We have no plans to issue guidance to schools on encouraging families to eat at home at night round the table. Arrangements for eating outside of school are rightly matters for individual families to decide. However, our school food programme is designed to help children to recognise the benefits of healthy eating, not only at school but also at home. This includes ensuring that all secondary school pupils will have an entitlement to learn to cook from 2008. This will ensure that they have the necessary skills to enable them to reproduce that healthy food at home.
New school food standards to be introduced in September 2007, cover both food served at lunchtime and at other times of the school day, building on the interim standards introduced in September 2006. The new school food standards will restrict snacks provided in schools to nuts, seeds, fruit or vegetables with no added salt sugar or fat. This will ensure that the food available to children throughout the day in school is healthy and nutritionally balanced. Recognising the benefits of healthy eating should also help to discourage pupils from buying unhealthy snacks on the way to and from school.
First Aid: Education
Mr. Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what principles underpin first-aid education delivered in schools; and if he will make a statement. [134632]
Jim Knight: The Department’s ‘Safefy Education: Guidance for schools DfES/0161/2002’ provides information on how the framework for Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) can address the issue of accidental injury arid death in children and young people. The framework includes teaching young people at primary school level about school rules relating to health and safety issues, and at secondary school level to develop skills to cope with emergencies, including first aid and resuscitation techniques. Beyond this, the guidance also highlights how other parts of the national curriculum can be used to develop children's ability to recognise hazards and respond appropriately to risky situations.
The Department encourages schools to develop strategies that are effective at a local level in raising the profile of safety education and dealing with medical emergencies, working with suitable partners where appropriate to do so. We are aware of the valuable support that organisations such as the British Red Cross offer individual schools or groups of schools at a local level to enrich curriculum work in this area.
Free School Meals
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the impact of the changes made in 2001 to how pupils are found eligible for free school meals on take-up of free school meals. [131589]
Mr. Dhanda: In 2001 pupils whose parents received income support (IS), income based jobseekers allowance (IBJSA) or support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 were entitled to receive free school lunches. Children who received IS or IBJSA in their own right were also entitled to free school lunches.
In April 2003 an additional free school meal eligibility criterion was introduced, predominantly to protect pupils who prior to 6 April 2003 were entitled to receive a free school lunch but, who after that date would otherwise have lost that entitlement as a result of the changes to the tax credit and welfare system. The additional criterion allowed pupils whose parents who were in receipt of child tax credit, without additional working tax credit, and an income as assessed by HMRC that did not exceed £13,230, (2003/04 tax year) (currently 2007/08 £14,495) to receive free school meals.
Also from April 2003 legislation requires:
a claim for a free school lunch, by or on behalf of a pupil, to be made before they could be considered for a free school meal; and
children who receive education suitable for a child under compulsory school (who would otherwise be eligible to receive a free school meal) to satisfy an additional requirement of receiving that education both before and after the lunch period before being eligible to receive a FSM.
A final change was made in April 2003 that extended free school meal eligibility to pupils whose parents receive the guarantee element of state pension credit.
Figures for maintained schools in England show, with the exception of 2004, that since 1997 there has been a continuous downward trend in the number of children known to be eligible to receive free school meals. The 2004 figures reflect the additional families that were brought into entitlement as a result of the changes to eligibility criteria in 2003. Figures show a similar, although lesser percentage, downward trend in the number of pupils that take-up their entitlement.
Further Education
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of 16 to 18 year-olds who were previously not in education, employment or training (a) began a course in (i) a further education college, (ii) a sixth form college, (iii) a school sixth form, and (iv) a work-based learning provider and (b) were no longer included under the definition because they reached their 19th birthday in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [135322]
Jim Knight: The following table shows the number of young people aged 16 to 18 previously not in education, employment or training who began (a) education or (b) work based learning in each of the last three years as a proportion of the average number of young people not in education, employment or training during each of these years.
| Percentage of 16 to 18-year-olds previously not in education, employment or training who began a course 2003-04 to 2005-06 | ||
| Education | Work based learning | |
| Source: Connexions Service | ||
The proportion of young people beginning education cannot be broken down by the type of education establishment. Information on the proportion of young people who are no longer included under the definition because they reached their 19th birthday is not collected as Connexions may continue to work with them after this date. Young people beginning more than one course will be recorded on each occasion.
It is estimated that 220,000 (11 per cent.) 16 to 18-year-olds were not in education, employment or training (NEET) at the end of 2005. Not all of these young people are out of work—the figures include young people taking a break from study, caring for families, or simply between jobs or courses. Annual surveys carried out on a group of young people at ages 16, 17 and 18 found that nearly 20 per cent. were NEET at one of the three survey dates, while only around 1 per cent. were NEET at each of the three survey points.
Record numbers of 16-year-olds are in full-time education. But, we recognise the need to take action to reduce the proportion of young people not in any form of education, employment or training, and have set ourselves a very challenging target to get the proportion down to 8 per cent. by 2010.
Our 14 to 19 reforms are vital: the implementation plan makes commitment to make and offer of learning to every young person after they complete year 11. They also give us the platform for agencies working with young people to plan and develop learning and employment opportunities that meet local needs.
To keep them in learning, need to help them tackle the other issues in their lives that might cause them to leave which we are doing through our every child matters reforms.
Further Education: Student Wastage
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what analysis has been carried out to ascertain the main reasons why students in further education in each of the regions dropped out of their courses in each of the last three years. [132184]
Bill Rammell:
The Department has commissioned research to ascertain the main reasons why students drop out of their further education courses. The report, 'Reasons for Early Leaving from Further Education and Work-based Learning Courses', assesses the reasons for course drop-out and identifies policy
mechanisms that might reduce non-completion. The report does not include analysis at a regional level.
This research is due to be published at the end of June 2007. It will be available from the Department's research website
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) undertake a regular national learner satisfaction survey (NLSS) involving learners studying on a range of programmes in further education, work-based learning and adult and community learning. This survey provides an overview of delivery and satisfaction with education and training in England among learners aged 16 and over. The survey also analyses reasons for early leaving.
In 2004-05 the most common reasons for early leaving were, being on the wrong course (15 per cent.) and health reasons (13 per cent.) Other key reasons related to tutor, assessment and quality of teaching issues (12 per cent.) 10 per cent. left to commence employment.
The findings can be found in the publication, located http://research.lsc.gov.uk/LSC+Research/published/learner-satisfaction/ and by looking at the further education report.
Each LSC region will conduct analysis and commission research to understand issues and concerns specific to them. Analysis of learner data and characteristics are undertaken as part of each region's strategic analysis activity to inform planning and commissioning decisions.
GCSEs: Standards
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of 16 to 18 year olds who are not in education, employment or training have (a) five or more GCSEs at grade A-C, (b) between one and four GCSEs at grade A-C, (c) five or more GCSEs at grade D-G, (d) one to four GCSEs at grade D-G and (e) no GCSEs. [135321]
Jim Knight: The following table gives estimates of the proportion of 16,17 and 18 year olds not in education, employment or training at the requested levels of GCSE attainment by the end of year 11. These are survey based estimates and have been obtained from the Youth Cohort Study, tracking the same cohort of young people. There is no available estimate at a single point in time for the combined 16-18 group.
| Table 1: Proportion of 16, 17 and 18 year olds not in education, employment or training by GCSE( 1) results in year 11 | ||||
| Percentage | ||||
| Population at age 16 | NEET age 16 in 2004 | NEET age 17 in 2005 | NEET age 18 in 2006 | |
| (1) Includes equivalent GNVQ qualifications achieved in year 11 | ||||
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