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12 Nov 2007 : Column 71W—continued
Building Schools for the Future Programme
Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the accounting arrangements are for the Building Schools for the Future budgets allocated to local authorities. [162494]
Jim Knight: Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is funded through a combination of capital grant, the private finance initiative, and also in the case of wave 1 to 3 projects, supported borrowing allocations. Allocations are currently made by my Department on the advice of Partnerships for Schools, our delivery agent for the BSF programme. All allocations are made to the lead local authority for each project, who are signatories to the contracts for the BSF projects, and who have responsibility for ensuring the funds are properly invested. All schools capital allocations made through capital grant and supported borrowing are included in the Department’s accounts.
Children: Day Care
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effect of the transformation fund on levels of qualifications held by the childcare and early years workforce. [163355]
Beverley Hughes:
Local authorities have estimated that during the period 2006-07 to 2007-08, over 4,300 settings would be supported through the Transformation Fund to take up the Quality Premium or Recruitment Incentive, and over 42,000 employees would be supported through the Fund to gain a full Level 3, 4 or 5 qualification. Levels of qualification in the work force are monitored through the annual Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey, which will next report in autumn 2008. In 2006, the survey showed that 73 per cent. of staff in full day care
settings held a Level 3 qualification and that 3 per cent. of staff in full day care settings held a graduate level qualification.
Languages: Curriculum
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government have taken since 1997 to encourage more students to learn foreign languages at school. [162779]
Jim Knight: In 2002 the Government's National Languages Strategy was published, with the overarching objective of improving the teaching and learning of languages across all phases of education, including delivering an entitlement that by 2010 all Key Stage 2 pupils (ages 7-11) will be able to learn a language at least in part in class time. Research commissioned by the Department shows that 70 per cent. of primary schools are already teaching foreign languages in class time.
In light of the continued decline in take-up of languages at GCSE following the decision in 2004 to lift the requirement on young people to be taught a language at Key Stage 4 (ages 14-16), we commissioned the Languages Review, chaired by Lord Dearing. This reported in March 2007 and made a number of recommendations that we are now taking forward. These include: making languages a compulsory part of the primary curriculum when it is next reviewed, backed by a teacher training programme in a primary languages specialism, increased funding for local authorities to support primary languages, and access to sources of support for classroom teaching; promoting a broader range of languages at Key Stage 3 (ages 11-14) by relaxing the requirement that schools first teach a working language of the European Union so that they can offer any major world or European language; and encouraging take-up of languages at GCSE level by including two new performance indicators in the Achievement and Attainment Tables to measure attainment and participation in languages and providing challenge and support to schools from School Improvement Partners and Ofsted.
Pre-School Education: Teachers
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the likely demand for specialist qualified early years teachers for early years settings in each of the next three years. [162786]
Beverley Hughes: We are currently carrying out a modelling exercise to determine the demand for teachers, including those with experience and knowledge of the early years, for the period from 2008 to 2011. The results of this will be available at the end of 2007.
School Improvement Partners
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been paid to Capita for that firm's work in assessing and selecting school improvement partners since the inception of the programme. [162110]
Jim Knight: To date £4.7 million has been paid to the Department's National Strategies contractor, Capita SCS, for assessing education professionals for accreditation to become School Improvement Partners (SIPs). Of this figure, £4.4 million was paid to the National College of School Leadership (NCSL) who are contracted by Capita SCS to run the SIP accreditation and induction programme. To date, 3,661 SIPs have been accredited across the primary and secondary phases.
Schools: Milton Keynes
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the impact of the reduction of the basic need allocation for Milton Keynes on the future school building programme for the city. [162848]
Jim Knight: I had a discussion on this issue with the hon. Member and with my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes, South-West (Dr. Starkey) on Wednesday 7 November. I said that I would ask my officials, working with Milton Keynes’ officials, to review the position of that authority and to report back to me.
Supply Teachers: Expenditure
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the amount paid by schools in England to teacher supply agencies in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [162111]
Jim Knight: The information requested is contained within the following table:
| Expenditure on agency supply teachers( 1) by local authority maintained schools( 2) in England: 2002-03 to 2006-07( 2,3) | |
| £ | |
| Agency supply teaching staff( 1,4) (E26) | |
| (1) Expenditure on agency supply teaching staff covers the cost paid to an agency for teaching staff that have been brought in to cover teacher absence. Includes cover of any period and for all reasons, including illness, absence for training, and any leave. This does not include expenditure on supply teachers who are employed directly by a school (and hence not employed via an agency). (2) Figures for 2002-03 exclude any expenditure by local authority maintained nursery schools as that was not collected in 2002-03. Expenditure local authority maintained nursery schools on agency supply teaching staff make up £0.5 million, £1.7 million, £2.2 million and £2.5 million of the respective totals for 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07. (3) Figures for 2006-07 is subject to change by the local authority. (4) Figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Notes: 1. Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 7 November 2007. 2. Figures are drawn from local authorities Section 52 Outturn Statement (Table A line 28) submitted to the DCSF (formally DfES). | |
Teaching Aids: Climate Change
Mr. Tyrie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when the guidance referred to in
the answer of 24 October 2007, Official Report, column 425W, on teaching aids: climate change, will be sent to secondary schools; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [162654]
Jim Knight: We hope to send the guidance to schools by the end of November but it is already available online on the Sustainable Schools area of the Teachernet website:
Prime Minister
Departmental Official Hospitality
Norman Lamb: To ask the Prime Minister who he has officially entertained at Chequers since 28 June. [163154]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 10 October 2007, Official Report, column 680W.
Departmental Public Appointments
Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister whether Sir Alistair Graham indicated his willingness to serve a second term as Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. [162493]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the evidence given by Sir Alistair Graham to the Public Administration Select Committee on 15 May 2007.
Ministerial Policy Advisors
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Prime Minister if he will provide a list of Government special advisers since 27 June 2007 with pay bands and costs, including support costs, on a comparable basis to the information provided in the written statement of 26 July 2006, Official Report, columns 86-91WS, on special advisers. [162685]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 October 2007, Official Report, column 624W.
Ministers: Codes of Practice
Mr. Burns: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the (a) content and (b) application of the rules in the Ministerial Code of Conduct relating to the requirement for (i) Ministers and (ii) parliamentary private secretaries to notify hon. Members when visiting their constituencies to take part in party political activities. [162129]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my predecessor (right hon. Tony Blair) on 27 November 2006, Official Report, column 330W.
Public Relations: Prime Minister
Mr. Harper: To ask the Prime Minister (1) what arrangements are in place for (a) giving notice and (b) seeking leave by the Director General of the Security Service (DGSS) in relation to the making of speeches on matters within his responsibilities, with particular reference to the DGSS's speech to the Society of Editors on 5 November 2007; [162123]
(2) when he was first informed of the (a) delivery date and (b) content of the speech made by the Director General of the Security Service on 5 November 2007. [162128]
The Prime Minister: I have regular meetings and discussions with ministerial colleagues and others on a wide range of subjects.
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