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16 Oct 2007 : Column 1013W—continued
16 and 17-year-olds who are in employment, and who have not yet attained NVQ level 2 or equivalent, are entitled to reasonable paid time off during normal working hours to study or train for a qualification which will improve their future employment prospects.
The Department is also piloting Learning Agreements to help 16 and 17-year-olds in employment get back into education and training. Young people will agree personal contracts to return to education or vocational training in return for financial support.
However, we are not complacent and know that there is a lot more to do. Numbers of 16 and 17-year-olds in full-time education have increased in Warrington from 63 per cent. in 1998 to 68 per cent. in 2005, but we need to do more to increase the number of work-based learning opportunities for young people. By 2013 we will introduce an entitlement to an apprenticeship place for all school-leavers who meet the entry criteria. It will mean that every young person leaving school who wants to continue their learning in a work-based environment can do so.
Once the Diploma and apprenticeship entitlements are in place, all young people will be required to continue in education or training post-16. The bill will include provisions to raise to 18 the minimum age at which young people can leave education or training.
European Schools Programme
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make a statement on the evolution of the European Schools programme, with particular reference to its activities in England. [156946]
Jim Knight: The EU institution, European Schools, was established by an intergovernmental agreement in 1957. Its purpose is to provide an education based on mother tongue teaching for the children of officials of the EU institutions and its agencies. There are 14 schools in various countries across Europe. The Government are committed to the future of the European Schools and fulfils their obligations under the 1994 Convention Defining the Statute of the European Schools through its membership of the governing body. The United Kingdom has one school in Culham in Oxfordshire. It was established in the late 1970s to support the employees of the EFDA-JET project based at Culham Laboratories.
At its meeting in April 2007 in Lisbon, the European Schools’ Board of Governors took a decision to allow Culham School to leave the European Schools system because it no longer has enough pupils entitled to an education under the provisions of the intergovernmental agreement. The decision allows Culham to stay in the system until at least 2010, but its transition into either the state or private sector must be completed by 2017. The EFDA decision to phase out its project at Culham and move the remaining work to its other base in France has contributed to this decision.
It is too early to say exactly what the future holds for Culham School, but my officials are working in support of the parents and management of the school to ensure a smooth transition.
General Certificate of Secondary Education: Suffolk
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of pupils in Suffolk passed five GCSEs including English and mathematics at A* to C grade in each of the last five years. [156768]
Jim Knight: The information requested is given in the following table:
| Percentage of 15-year-olds( 1) gaining 5 or more GCSEs at A*-C including English and Maths | ||
| Suffolk | England( 2) | |
| (1) Aged 15 on 31 August. (2) England figure includes all schools. Source: School Achievement and Attainment Tables. | ||
GSCE and A-level: Sports
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many and what proportion of students studied GCSE sports studies in each local authority in each year since 1997; [158543]
(2) how many and what proportion of students studied (a) AS-level and (b) A-level sports studies in each local authority in each year since 1997. [158544]
Jim Knight: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However national figures for GCSE, and A-Level are readily available.
Figures on the number of 15-year-olds(1) to attempt GCSE Physical Education are provided in the following table:
| Number of 15-year-olds | Percentage of 15-year-olds | |
| (1) Aged 15 on 31 August Source: School Achievement and Attainment Tables | ||
Numbers and proportions of A-level candidates to attempt a GCE A-level in Sports/Physical Education are provided in the following table.
| Number of Sports/Ph y s ical Ed ucation candidates | Proportion of all A-level candidates | |
Primary Education: Teaching Methods
Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the criteria are for the one-to-one tuition of 300,000 primary school pupils recently announced by the Prime Minister; and whether this will be available to primary schools in Darwen, Lancashire. [158442]
Jim Knight: The Prime Minister announced that the Government would be offering one-to-one tuition for over 300,000 under-attaining pupils a year in English by 2010-11, and over 300,000 pupils a year in Maths. We are currently planning how this should be delivered and will use lessons learned from the tuition element of the “Making Good Progress” pilot, and other existing individual intervention programmes, to inform this.
Schools: Cadets
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many combined cadet force units there were in mainstream schools in each local education authority in each of the last 10 years. [151214]
Derek Twigg: I have been asked to reply.
The MOD does not hold a record of the local authority of each school with a Combined Cadet Force (CCF) contingent. Our records are based on the Army’s regional Brigade areas.
The total number of CCF contingents in the last 10 years is:
| Number | |
Schools: Extracurricular Activities
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the percentage of schools that offer after school activities until 6 pm in England, broken down by (a) region and (b) constituency. [157728]
Beverley Hughes:
We do not collect information centrally on the number of schools providing after school activities. We do, however, have information on the number and percentages of schools providing access to the full core offer of extended services in England. For primary schools this includes providing access to child care and a varied menu of activities. For secondary schools it includes providing access to a varied menu of activities. The lists which have been placed in the Library show the number and percentage
of schools in each region and constituency that are providing access to full core offer of extended services.
There are many other schools which are already providing parts of the core offer, including a varied menu of activities, and developing access to other services which are not yet included in these figures.
We want all schools to offer access to extended services by 2010, including providing access to a range of activities, with at least half of all primary and a third of secondary schools doing so by September 2008. Primary schools are expected to provide, as part of the core offer, access to affordable child care at or through their school from 8 am to 6 pm all year round, which is linked to a varied menu of activities. Secondary schools are not expected to offer formal child care but they are expected to provide access to a varied menu of activities in a safe place to be, before and after school from 8 am to 6 pm and during the school holidays in response to demand. Activities may include study support activities such as sports clubs, music tuition, dance, drama and art clubs.
We are providing over £1.1 billion for extended schools in England for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11.
Schools: Finance
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what his latest estimate is of the total cash balances held by all schools in each year between 1990-91 and 2007-08; and if he will make a statement; [156967]
(2) what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on deducting money from schools' balances; and if he will make a statement; [156968]
(3) what his most recent estimate is of the amount of schools' surplus balances which will be clawed back and redistributed in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11; and if he will make a statement; [157577]
(4) if he will publish all guidance issued to local authorities since 1 January 2007 on cash balances held by schools; and if he will make a statement; [157589]
(5) what powers he has to claw back excess cash balances held by (a) academies, (b) trust schools and (c) foundation schools; and if he will make a statement; [157590]
(6) what his most recent estimate is of the excess cash balances held by each school in England; [157591]
(7) what assessment he has made of the legality of clawing back unspent allocations of Standards Fund monies from schools; and if he will make a statement; [157592]
(8) how many schools had an excess cash balance in each reporting period from 1997-98 to 2007-08; and if he will make a statement; [157594]
(9) what his latest estimate is of the proportion of cash surpluses held by schools in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07 and (c) 2007-08 which represents committed expenditure on future projects; and if he will make a statement; [157595]
(10) what plans he has to fine schools for holding excessive balances; and if he will make a statement; [157596]
(11) whether he plans to take steps to stop schools from being required to give up a proportion of cash
surpluses held by them in 2006-07 which has subsequently been spent; and if he will make a statement; [157597]
(12) what his most recent estimate is of the total surplus cash balances held by schools in each local authority area; and if he will make a statement; [157598]
(13) when he plans to make a statement on the redistribution of a proportion of surplus cash balances held by schools on 31 March; [157599]
Jim Knight: Total net closing revenue balances for local authority maintained schools for the financial years for which data are available are set out in the following table.
| Financial year | Total revenue balance( 1,2) |
| (1) A school's total revenue balance is calculated from the combination of any unspent allocations (including unspent Standards Fund grants) and the cumulative balance of income less expenditure from revenue funding sources during the financial year and any balances carried forward from previous years. This is drawn by adding together the unspent allocations and balance carried forward columns from local authorities Section 52 Outturn Statements 1999-2000 to 2001-02 (Table 2) and Consistent Financial Reporting categories B01 and B02 from local authorities Section 52 Outturn Statements (Table B) from 2002-03 onwards. (2) Included are all local authority maintained schools correctly reported by the local authority on their Section 52 Outturn Statement. Local authority maintained nursery schools with delegated budgets have only been collected on Section 52 from 2003-04 onwards. (3) School level revenue balances are not available prior to the inception of Section 52 for the 1999-2000 financial year. (4) In 2002-03 the Section 52 outturn categories were aligned with the Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) framework following the introduction of CFR to schools. The change in sources is shown by the blank row. Some inconsistencies with the balance figures reported by local authorities' in 2002-03 were identified and consequently caution should be exercised when using the balance figures for that year. | |
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