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16 July 2007 : Column 119Wcontinued
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what changes there were to the schools curriculum in each year from 1992-93 to 9 July 2007; and if he will make a statement. [149122]
Jim Knight: In 1993 Sir Ron Dearing was asked by the Government to review the National Curriculum and its assessment. As a result, a revised version of the curriculum was produced in 1995. The key changes were:
a reduction in prescribed content;
increased flexibility;
statutory testing being limited to core subjects only;
the introduction of information and communication technologyto be taught as a subject in its own right and through other subjects;
a reduction in the number of compulsory subjects at KS4; and
replacing statements of attainment for teacher assessment with eight level descriptions for each subject and end of key stage statements for art, music and P.E.
The curriculum underwent further revision in 2000. The key principles of the 2000 review included:
improving the coherence and alignment of subjectsincluding through a common format for programmes of study;
reducing duplication and prescription across subjects;
introducing citizenship as a subject at Key Stages 3 and 4;
allowing more flexibility at Key Stage 4; and
developing an overt statement of the aims and purposes of the curriculum.
In September 2004, the Key Stage 4 curriculum was amended to reduce the number of compulsory National Curriculum subjects to six: English, mathematics, science, ICT, citizenship and physical education. We also introduced entitlement areas in languages, design and technology, the arts, and humanities.
In 2006, the Education and Inspections Bill introduced a new statutory entitlement for all Key Stage 4 students to study science programmes leading to at least two GCSEs, and an entitlement to diplomas.
A review of the secondary curriculum is currently under way and will be rolled out to secondary schools from September 2008. The new secondary curriculum will:
further reduce prescription over subject content;
create flexibility for teachers to support pupils who are struggling to master the basic skills of English and maths;
free up time and space for greater personalisation of the curriculum, allowing pupils to study some areas in more depth;
highlight connections across and between the subjects; and
give a new emphasis to the development of personal and life skills.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what real terms change in schools funding he plans for each year from 2007-08 to 2015-16; and if he will make a statement. [149109]
Jim Knight: The Spending Review settlement provided for a significant increase in DfES funding over the next three years to reach £75.5 billion by 2010-11, approximately £11 billion higher than in 2007-08. DCSF is still agreeing the exact split of budgets with DIUS so it is not possible to give the real term increases in school funding from 2008-11 at this moment. We will announce the increase in school funding in the autumn. The level of school funding from 2012-16 will not be known until the DCSF receives its allocation in the next Spending Review.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what representations he has received on the health impact of interactive whiteboards. [148759]
Jim Knight: We have received a number of representations from the media, schools, the public and industry over the last few years. Our consistent view is that there are no health risks associated with the use of interactive whiteboards in schools if the boards are used in accordance with the guidelines issued by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency on behalf of the Department. These guidelines, developed in collaboration with the Health and Safety Executive and the National Radiological Protection Board, are publicly available to all schools and interested parties.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make a statement on the implementation of personalised learning in schools. [148225]
Jim Knight: The Secretary of State announced new plans on Tuesday 10 July to encourage a personalised approach to teaching and learning in schools, with a focus on ensuring that every child has the chance to make the most of their talents and fulfil their potential.
We will be providing £150 million for Assessment for Learning training over the next three years to help teachers better track their pupils' progress and personalise their learning to stretch gifted children and help underachieving children catch up. Assessment for learning plays a critical role in helping teachers monitor the progress of every pupil against their own individual expectations and triggering swift intervention for those pupils whose progress slows.
There will be a major review of maths teaching in primary schools which will seek to define the most effective methods of teaching and learning maths to develop pupils' deeper understanding; and this will inform the design of Every Child Counts, a new intervention programme for young children who are struggling with numeracy.
The Secretary of State has also announced a £265 million extended schools subsidy over the next three years to ensure that children from disadvantaged backgrounds benefit from extra out-of-hours tuition and after-school clubs in sport, music and drama.
Personalised learning means taking a highly structured approach to pupils' progress in the round, encouraging pupils to take ownership of their own learning, and engaging with their parents as partners. These new programmes build on the work already under way, such as the Making Good Progress Pilots and supporting the well-being of children and young people through the roll-out of the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the increased flexibility of the proposed Key Stage 3 programmes of study proposed in the report of the secondary curriculum review on the effectiveness of Key Stage 3 assessment. [148137]
Jim Knight: The proposed changes to Key Stage 3 programmes of study will not change the requirements for testing in the Key Stage 3 core subjects of English, maths and science. In its regulatory role, QCA is responsible for ensuring the maintenance of standards over time, taking account of any changes to the curriculum.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average size, by pupil numbers, of English secondary schools was in each year from 1990 to 2007; and if he will make a statement. [149108]
Jim Knight: The available information is given in the following table.
Secondary schools( 1) : average size of school based on full-time equivalent pupils( 2,3)( ) Position in January each year: 1997 to 2006England | |
Average size of school | |
(1 )Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Excludes dually registered pupils. (3) Part-time pupils are counted as 0.5 full-time equivalents. Note: Figures for earlier years are not readily available. Source: School Census |
Along with the average school size, it is also important to consider the spread of school sizes, information on which is given for 2006 and 2007 in the table as follows:
Maintained secondary schools: number of schools by size( 1)( ) At January each yearEngland | ||||
2006 | 2007 | |||
School size | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage |
Source: School Census |
Figures included in this response do not include Academies.
Mr. Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent discussions officials in his Department have had with Cumbria county council on secondary education provision in Carlisle; and if he will make a statement. [149624]
Jim Knight: Officials from across the DCSF have met with officers from Cumbria county council on a number of occasions to discuss the planned city-wide secondary school reorganisation in Carlisle. There have been ongoing discussions relating to the capital investment in Carlisle in response to the January 2005 floods and how it will be used to raise standards in education across the city. This includes working with the council on the academy proposal to replace St. Aidan's school and about finding sponsorship for a possible second academy in Carlisle, based on the Morton school which is currently in special measures.
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