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17 May 2007 : Column 858W—continued
Schools: Playing Fields
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many disposals of school playing fields of areas of land greater than 0.2 hectares were proposed in each of the last 10 years; [137499]
(2) how many general consents have been approved since the School Playing Fields Advisory Panel was set up; and under what conditions and circumstances general consents are approved for school playing fields; [137500]
(3) what average area in hectares of playing fields is owned by (a) all schools, (b) academies, (c) specialist schools and (d) specialist sports schools; [137501]
(4) how many of the planning applications for development of school playing fields were for improvements to the facilities in each of the last 10 years; [137503]
(5) how many (a) applications to develop and (b) developments there have been of school playing fields in the last 10 years; and what the area in hectares was of each; [137504]
(6) how many applications for development on school playing fields have been made in the last 10 years, broken down by region. [137505]
Jim Knight: In the last 10 years the Department has received a total of 248 applications (109 of which in respect of closed schools) that involve the disposal of an area of land capable of forming a sports pitch of at least 0.2 hectares. Of the total received, 54 must be subsequently withdrawn, 16 are still under consideration, 176 have been approved and two were rejected. Of the approved applications, the sale proceeds were used to provide new or improved sports or educational facilities in every case.
Since the School Playing Field Advisory Panel was set up, in July 2001, the Department has approved 1,076 general consent applications. The effect of a general consent is that, in certain circumstances, the specific prior consent of the Secretary of State is not required to dispose of school playing field land. Such circumstances include the disposal of an area of land to provide a facility as part of an extended school, such as childcare, lifelong learning etc.; the disposal of the ancillary social and recreational areas that surround the buildings of a closed school; certain disposals where playing fields remain as playing fields (for example a transfer to the district council); the exchange of one school playing field for a replacement newly-created school playing field of at least equal size, resulting is no net loss of facility; the disposal of areas of playing field under 50 square metres; and a temporary loss of school playing field.
Data on school playing fields were supplied to the Department by local authorities in 2001 and 2003. However, because the data were incomplete, it is not possible to assess accurately the number and area of school playing fields.
Education Ministers only have power to regulate the disposal of school playing fields. They do not have any statutory powers to govern the future use or development of school playing fields. These are matters for local planning authorities to consider.
Schools: Sports
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been claimed by primary schools for teacher training under the PE, School Sport and Club Links scheme. [136938]
Jim Knight [holding answer 14 May 2007]: As part of their core funding, £36.3 million was claimed from 2004 to 2006 by School Sport Partnerships for the release of primary school teachers from the timetable to undertake training in physical education. This enables teachers to take places on the national PE, School Sport and Club Links strategy’s professional development programme. This has seen over 143,000 teacher training places being undertaken by primary school teachers from April 2005 to March 2007. These places develop teacher’ skills in delivering high quality physical education for their pupils.
Science: Curriculum
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 20 April 2007, Official Report, column 701W, on science: curriculum, for what reason specific mention of (a) role of lung structure in gas exchange, (b) tectonic processes, (c) geomorphological processes, (d) weather and climate, (e) ecosystems, (f) population distribution and change, (g) the growth and development of settlements and (h) specific properties of light and sound is no longer proposed to be included in the National Curriculum programmes of study. [137397]
Jim Knight: The changes in science and geography are in line with the remit that the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority was given in February 2005 when it was asked to review the Key Stage 3 curriculum. Although some of the language in the draft programmes of study has been changed, the extent of the subject content remains the same. These changes have been made to ensure that pupils can progress from their Key Stage 2 understanding through Key Stage 3 to a point where they can progress to Key Stage 4.
The following table covers the inclusion of the specific topics in the new Key Stage 3 programmes of study for science and geography.
Secondary Education: Curriculum
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 1 May 2007, Official Report, column 1575W, on secondary education: curriculum, (1) whether the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority prepared any (a) systematic reviews and (b) quantitative meta-analyses on the principles of effective teaching during the preparation of the secondary curriculum review; [137061]
(2) what evidence the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority used to base its decision to focus on explicit teaching of metacognitive strategies in the secondary curriculum review supporting documents; [137062]
(3) what quantitative effect size was identified for each of the principles of effective teaching by the review of research into effective teaching carried out in the preparation of the secondary curriculum review. [137063]
Jim Knight: As part of its ongoing remit to monitor the National Curriculum, QCA draws on research evidence about effective teaching from a wide range of sources. Analysis and evaluation of the principles of effective teaching developed by Ellis et al was not part of the curriculum review remit given to QCA, nor was this an explicit part of the process of developing the new curriculum.
The National Curriculum is primarily about setting out an entitlement to learning in terms of the knowledge, skills and understanding that forms the statutory part of a wider school curriculum. The National Curriculum does not prescribe specific approaches to pedagogy; it is for schools themselves to choose the teaching methodologies most appropriate for the material being taught and the needs of individual learners.
Mr. Gibb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 1 May 2007, Official Report, column 1575W, on secondary
education: curriculum, what evidence the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has found to suggest that learning how to learn can be taught independently of subject content. [137172]
Jim Knight: The ability to reflect on learning and how to improve performance is an essential skill for life and work. This is why it continues to be an important element of the National Curriculum.
Schools provide opportunities for young people to develop these skills through their approach to pedagogy and assessment, and particularly through their approach to assessment for learning. These opportunities can take place within subject contexts and beyond them.
As part of its ongoing remit to monitor the National Curriculum, QCA draws on research evidence about effective teaching from a wide range of sources. Evidence for successful approaches to assessment for learning can be found on the DFES Standards Site at:
Teachers
Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many physics teachers there are in the maintained sector; and how many (a) are under the age of (i) 40 and (ii) 30 years and (b) have (A) A-level physics and (B) a degree in physics; [136882]
(2) how many chemistry teachers there are in the maintained sector; and how many (a) are under the age of (i) 40 and (ii) 30 years and (b) have (A) A-level chemistry and (B) a degree in chemistry; [136883]
(3) how many biology teachers there are in the maintained sector; and how many (a) are under the age of (i) 40 and (ii) 30 years and (b) have (A) A-level biology, (B) a degree in biology and (C) a degree in biological sciences; [136884]
(4) how many mathematics teachers there are in the maintained sector; and how many (a) are under the age of (i) 40 and (ii) 30 years and (b) have (A) A-level mathematics and (B) a degree in mathematics. [136885]
Jim Knight: In 2005 the Department commissioned research about mathematics and science teachers from the National Foundation for Education Research. The report, entitled ‘Mathematics and Science in Secondary Schools: The Deployment of Teachers and Support Staff to Deliver the Curriculum’, can be found on the Department's website at:
The research included a survey of a representative sample of 40 per cent. of secondary schools in England. Projections were made of the total number of teachers in secondary schools in England delivering the mathematics and science curriculums. The findings also included distributions of the teachers by age and by highest qualification in the subject being taught.
The research found that there were an estimated 27,400 teachers teaching mathematics in secondary schools in England, of whom an estimated 21,100 were mathematics specialists(1) including 11,700 with a degree in mathematics. The following table shows the
distribution of mathematics teachers in terms of their mathematics qualifications. The teachers are counted once against their highest qualification in mathematics. For example, if an individual holds a degree and a PGCE in maths, they are counted in the figures for “degree in maths”; if an individual holds a PGCE in maths but a degree in another subject, they are counted against “PGCE incorporating maths”.
(1) A “specialist” is defined as holding a degree in or incorporating maths, or having studied maths at initial teacher training.
| Highest post-A-level qualification held by mathematics teachers in the sample | ||
| Highest qualification in mathematics | Teachers of mathematics | |
| Number | Percentage | |
| Due to rounding, percentages may not sum to 100 Source: NFER survey of teachers of mathematics, 2005. | ||
The following table provides a breakdown of the age profile of mathematics teachers by their highest post-A-level qualification in maths.
| Age range of mathematics teachers in the sample by their highest post-A-level qualification in maths | ||||||
| Percentage | ||||||
| Age | ||||||
| Under 25 | 25 to 29 | 30 to 39 | 40 to 49 | 50 to 59 | 60+ | |
| Notes: 1. Base: 3,036 2. Due to rounding, percentages may not sum to 100. Source: NFER survey of teachers of mathematics, 2005 | ||||||
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