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1 Oct 2007 : Column 2390W—continued
Education: Gambling
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will commission a study on whether teaching children bridge in school can lead to the start of a gambling addiction. [147210]
Jim Knight: The Department has no plans to commission a study on the links between teaching Bridge in school and gambling addiction.
All children and young people are given the opportunity to acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills to avoid some of the potential pitfalls of gambling through Personal, Social and Health Education in schools.
Primary Education: Class Sizes
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average primary school class size in English schools was in each year since 1990-91; and if he will make a statement. [150692]
Jim Knight: Figures can be found in the following table.
| Maintained primary schools: classes as taught( 1, 2) | |
| Average primary class size | |
| (1) One teacher classes as taught in a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January. (2) Includes middle schools as deemed. (3) Provisional. | |
Private Finance Initiative: Finance
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the value is of the unitary payments of each private finance initiative scheme overseen by his Department over the lifetime of the contract, expressed in constant 2007-08 prices; and discounted to present value. [155025]
Jim Knight: Information on all signed private finance initiative contracts, including balance sheet treatment and future unitary charges, is included in HM Treasury's PFI Signed Projects List, which is available through www.hm.treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_ private_partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats. The information covers the unitary charge payment projections up to 2033-34.
This is a working document containing information on current signed PFI projects. It is updated on a six-monthly basis to reflect the updates HM Treasury receives from Departments at Budget and pre-Budget report.
Pupils: Assessments
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what the (a) mean and (b) median total point score was in England at Key Stage (i) 2 and (ii) 3 in each year since 1997; [155425]
(2) how many and what proportion of 11-year-olds with special educational needs achieved level 4 at Key Stage 2 in (a) reading, (b) writing, (c) mathematics and (d) reading, writing and mathematics, broken down by special educational need; [155426]
(3) what proportion of (a) children in receipt of free school meals, (b) pupils with special educational needs and (c) all children aged 11 years at the end of each academic year since 1997-98 achieved level (i) 4 and (ii) 5 at Key Stage 2 in (A) reading, (B) writing, (C) mathematics and (D) reading, writing and mathematics, broken down by type of school attended; [155461]
(4) what proportion of children (a) in receipt of free school meals, (b) with special educational needs and (c) aged 14 years at the end of each academic year since 1997 achieved level (i) 5 and (ii) 6 at Key Stage 3 in (A) reading, (B) writing, (C) mathematics and (D) reading, writing and mathematics, broken down by type of school attended; [155462]
(5) how many and what proportion of pupils who attained level 4 or below in the 2007 Key Stage 3 tests in (a) English, (b) mathematics and (c) science in each year since 1997 had previously attained level 4 or above at Key Stage 2. [155463]
Jim Knight [holding answer 17 September 2007 ]: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the percentage of children who did not improve their level of attainment between the end of Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 in education authorities that are (a) non-selective and (b) wholly or partially selective. [155442]
Jim Knight [holding answer 17 September]: I have not made such an estimate. Information on the progress made by pupils between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 national tests are available at
Further breakdowns of this to local authority (LA) level by selection policy of LA are available only at disproportionate cost.
Pupils: Discipline
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of schools experienced persistent unsatisfactory behaviour in each reporting period from 1996-97 to 2007-08. [150685]
Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Library.
Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 25 July 2007:
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, for reply.
You asked what proportion of schools experienced unsatisfactory behaviour for each reporting period from 1996/97 to 2007/08.
The table enclosed gives the percentage of schools found to have unsatisfactory behaviour judgements during each academic year from 1996/97 to 2005/06 and the first two terms of 2006/07. These judgements are taken as a proportion of all inspections in that year.
You should be aware that from 1996/97 to 2004/05 the proportion includes schools judged to have unsatisfactory, poor and very poor behaviour. Categorisation changed in September 2005 with the introduction of the Section 5 school inspection framework. From 2005/06 to 2006/7 the proportion therefore contains schools judged to have inadequate behaviour.
A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
| Academic year | Percentage of schools inspected with unsatisfactory behaviour |
| (1) Autumn and spring terms only. | |
Schools: Gloucestershire
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many spare school places in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools there are within (i) Cheltenham constituency and (ii) other Gloucestershire constituencies. [155496]
Jim Knight [holding answer 17 September 2007]: At January 2006 there were:
(i) 1,252 spare primary school places and 692 spare secondary school places in the Cheltenham constituency;
(ii) 4,532 spare primary school places and 1,841 spare secondary school places in the remaining Gloucestershire constituencies.
This is the latest available data. The January 2007 surplus places data will be published early in 2008.
Schools: Playing Fields
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average area of playing fields per school in the state sector is in (a) England, (b) the North West and (c) Ribble Valley. [149063]
Jim Knight: In the last 10 years the Secretary of State has approved 187 applications that involve the sale of an area of land capable of forming a sports pitch of at least 0.2 hectares at schools in England. Of these, 89 were in respect of closed schools. The number of these at schools in the North West is 34 (16 of these at closed schools). There have not been any applications approved that involve the sale of a sports pitch at a school in Ribble Valley.
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.
Schools: Poole
Mr. Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in Poole use (a) streaming and (b) setting. [151578]
Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Library.
Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 27 July 2007:
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
You asked how many schools in Poole use a) streaming and b) setting.
In total, 19 primary schools in Poole parliamentary constituency were inspected between 1996/97 and 2005/06 (some have been inspected more than once during this period). Setting or streaming was observed in at least one lesson in 13 of these schools. In total, 2,684 lessons were observed in primary schools in Poole during this period. Of these lessons, 8% were either setted or streamed.
In total, 3 secondary schools in Poole parliamentary constituency were inspected between 1996/97 and 2005/06 (some have been inspected more than once during this period). Setting or streaming was observed in at least one lesson in all of these schools. In total, 1,015 lessons were observed in secondary schools in Poole during this period. Of these lessons 38% were either setted or streamed.
Some explanation of these figures may be helpful. Before September 2005, inspectors were usually informed about how classes were organised by means of pre-inspection documentation, discussion with headteachers or teachers' schemes of work or lesson plans. Under the inspection arrangements at that time, all full-time teachers were observed by inspectors. Since September 2005, the recording of class organisation has been based either on discussions with the headteacher or teacher by reference to the lesson plan at the time of observation. A much smaller number of lessons are observed than would have been seen under the previous inspection framework. Lessons seen may therefore not represent pupil grouping in the school as a whole.
Prior to 2003/2004 lessons were recorded as being setted, streamed, mixed ability or otherwise organised. For clarity, setting is the term used to describe the organisation of pupils in classes on the basis of their prior attainment in the particular subject being taught. The term banding, which is very similar to streaming, is used when the decision as to which pupils are included or not in a class is based on the prior attainment in a range of subjects.
From 2003/04 the distinction between streaming and setting was removed and instead data recorded on whether the class was mixed ability or setted/streamed.
A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
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