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15 Nov 2007 : Column 436W—continued
The main influences on the differences between authorities are relative deprivation; area costs; and the authority's historic spending above or below its assessment.
Schools: Fruit
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was spent on providing fresh fruit in schools for four to six-year-olds in each financial year since 1997-98 for which figures are available. [162243]
Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
The lottery provided £16 million towards the original pilots of the National School Fruit Scheme between 2000 and 2002. Lottery funding also provided £42
million to support scaling-up of the original pilots across five Government regions between 2002 and 2004.
The Department of Health spent £0.75 million in 2001-02 and £0.3 million in 2002-03 on administering and evaluating the National School Fruit Scheme pilots.
The national rollout of the scheme to all LEA infant, primary and special schools across England was completed at the end of 2004 and in the year 2004-05 the Department of Health spent £23.66 million on the scheme. In 2005-06 the scheme, now fully funded by the Department of Health, cost £37.41 million and in 2006-07 £36.21million.
Schools: Immigrants
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the impact of inward migration on schools in Chipping Barnet constituency over the last 10 years. [164618]
Jim Knight: Local authorities are responsible for balancing the demand and supply of school places in their area. They have a duty to ensure that there are sufficient school places, the needs of the local community are served, and good quality education is provided in a cost-effective way.
The Department collects information from each local authority on the number of school places and the number of pupils on roll via an annual survey. Local authorities also provide area-wide forecasts of pupil numbers at primary and secondary levels. The earliest data available are for 2003 and the most recent are for 2007.
The following table shows the number of school places, pupil numbers and the level of surplus places in Chipping Barnet for the past five years.
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| (1 )Capacity is the number of school places as at January (2 )NOR relates to the number of pupils on roll as at January (3) Surplus relates to the difference between the capacity of a school and the number of pupils on roll | |||||
Schools: Parents
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what estimate he has made of the average number of meetings per pupil per year that schools hold with parents or guardians to discuss children's performance; [164522]
(2) what estimate he has made of the proportion of schools using email to provide feedback to parents on pupil performance. [164523]
Jim Knight: The Education (Pupil Information) (England) Regulations 2005 specify that head teachers are responsible for ensuring they send a written report to parents on their children once during the school year, or to the pupil where they are aged 18 or over.
Many schools are already reporting on a termly basis to parents about their child's progress.
The Department has just undertaken a survey on parental involvement in children's education. Report writing and analysis are under way. I anticipate the report will be published in spring 2008, and will indicate what proportion of parents have talked about how well their child is doing with teachers at regular events such as parents' evenings, parents meetings or review days arranged by the school.
Many schools use technology such as email as part of wider school strategies for parental engagement or behaviour. The ‘Harnessing Technology in Schools Survey’ (National Centre for Social Research/Becta, July 2007) found that
“although paper messages remained the predominant mode of communication with parents...70 per cent. of primary schools and 86 per cent. of secondary schools used emails to communicate with parents”.
Schools: Sports
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his most recent estimate is of the average number of hours spent on school sports per pupil in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each year since 1996-97. [163440]
Kevin Brennan: The annual PE and School Sport Survey was introduced in 2003/04 and collects data relating to participation in PE and School Sport.
Over the last four years, the percentage of pupils who took part in at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport each week is as follows:
| Percentage | |||
| Primary | Secondary | Total | |
Prior to 2003/04, no data were collected relating to the amount of time spent on PE and school sport.
Schools: Standards
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what annual improvement targets he has set for failing schools in 2007-08, broken down by school. [164527]
Jim Knight:
The statutory duty for setting annual pupil performance targets rests with the Governing Body of every maintained school. Each school agrees their targets with the School Improvement Partner (SIP) who provides support and challenge to ensure the targets reflect the best ambition for the progress of all the pupils in the school. We expect local authorities (LAs) to review the targets for all of their schools to ensure that they are setting goals which are both
ambitious and achievable. In the case of schools judged to be in need of special measures by Ofsted, the LA and the SIP will be closely involved in the annual target setting process with the head teacher and the Governing Body to ensure that the targets will support the school’s improvement plan.
The number of schools in special measures has fallen from 515 in 1997/08 to 246 at the end of the summer term this year. As part of the comprehensive spending review we have announced new targets for schools and LAs which will place a focus on improving progression throughout the education system and further reduce failure and underperformance.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools were closed due to poor performance on instruction from Ministers in each year since 1992. [164528]
Jim Knight: The Secretary of State's power to close a school under section 68 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 (and prior to that section 19 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998) has not so far been used. It is a reserve power, applicable only to schools that Ofsted has judged to require special measures, and would only be used in exceptional circumstances.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proposals he plans to bring forward to implement the Prime Minister's announcements in relation to failing schools of 31 October; and what powers Ministers have to close failing schools. [164767]
Jim Knight: The forthcoming Children's Plan will set out the Government's ambition for school improvement and how the Department for Children Schools and Families will drive the necessary changes across the schools system.
The Secretary of State has existing powers under section 68 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 to direct a local authority to close a school which is in special measures on a date specified in the direction.
Secondary Education: Admissions
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of secondary schools were oversubscribed for admissions in 2007. [163629]
Jim Knight: The school admissions process is coordinated by local authorities in partnership with schools in their area. Information on the number of applications made for secondary school places is not collected centrally.
The annual survey of school places provides information on the number of schools that are full to capacity or over capacity. Data from the 2007 survey show there are 1,045 secondary schools with no spare capacity—31 per cent. of all secondary schools in England.
Special Educational Needs
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what the average SATs test scores by special educational needs pupils taught in mainstream schools were in each of the last 10 years; [163098]
(2) how any (a) A-level, (b) GCSE, (c) Key Stage 3 SATs and (d) Key Stage 2 SATs marks were changed as a result of being re-marked, broken down by (i) subject and (ii) examination board in each year since 2001; [163560]
(3) how many (a) A-level, (b) GCSE, (c) Key Stage 3 SATs and (d) Key Stage 2 SATs marks were appealed and re-marked in each year since 2001, broken down by (i) subject and (ii) examination board; [163559]
(4) which are the 200 lowest performing secondary schools in terms of (a) GCSE results, (b) value added and (c) the number of pupils leaving with no GCSE grade A to C passes over the last 10 years; [163201]
(5) which are the 200 lowest performing primary schools in terms of (a) SATs results and (b) value added over the last 10 years; [163200]
(6) what marks have been required in Key Stage (a) 2 and (b) 3 tests in (i) English and (ii) mathematics to achieve a level (A) 4 and (B) 5 in each year from 1997 to 2007; and if he will make a statement; [163181]
(7) what percentage score has been required for a GCSE in mathematics at grade C for each examination board in each year from 1997 to 2007; [163180]
(8) how many maintained schools have refused to have their pupils take the Key Stage 3 English tests; and if he will make a statement; [163445]
(9) what percentage of the Key Stage 3 literacy tests were marked by overseas markers in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement; [163446]
(10) what his latest estimate is of the number of (a) maintained and (b) independent schools which introduced (i) international GCSEs and (ii) the International Baccalaureate in each year from 1997 to 2007; and if he will make a statement; [163452]
(11) how many modular exams for (a) AS levels and (b) A2 levels have been re-taken at least once by students in each year from 1997 to 2007; and if he will make a statement; [163453]
(12) how many children took (a) GCSEs and (b) A-levels in Tower Hamlets local authority area in (i) 2006 and (ii) 2007; and how many of them achieved (A) five or more A* to C GCSEs and (B) better than or equal to one A grade and two B grades at A-level; and if he will make a statement; [163309]
(13) what proportion of pupils taking GCSEs secured a grade A*-C in both English and mathematics in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement; [163544]
(14) how many and what proportion of children educated in maintained schools in each inner London education authority achieved at least three A-levels at A grade in each year since 1997-98; and if he will make a statement; [163549]
(15) what proportion of year 11 pupils have taken five or more GCSE examinations in each year from 1990 to 2007; and if he will make a statement; [163547]
(16) if he will list the 20 English schools with the worst GCSE success rates in 2007 on the basis of (a) five A*-C at GCSE and (b) five A*-C at GCSE including mathematics and English; [163569]
(17) if he will list by local authority area all schools which achieved less than 30 per cent. five A*-C in GCSEs including mathematics and English in 2007; [163570]
(18) which schools in which fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils have achieved five A*-C grade GCSEs including English and mathematics in each year since 2002 have been rated as (a) excellent and (b) good by Ofsted. [164131]
Jim Knight: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The data required for PQs 163569 and 163570 are not yet published. They will be available from the Library in January 2008.
Specialised Diplomas
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his latest estimate is of the proportion of young people who are expected to start the new vocational diplomas in 2008; and if he will make a statement. [164443]
Jim Knight: Figures put forward by the successful consortia applying through the Gateway Process indicate that there will be approximately 39,000 places available for learners on the five new 14-19 diplomas that will be available from September 2008. This represents around 1.2 per cent. of the total 14-19 population in that year, and is the first step on a phased roll-out of the new diplomas that will culminate in a national entitlement from 2013.
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