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19 Nov 2007 : Column 636W—continued
Pre-School Education: Fees and Charges
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the proportion of families using less than 12.5 hours a week of early years education for children who are eligible to receive it without paying but are paying a fee; and if he will make a statement. [163901]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 13 November 2007]: It is the responsibility of local authorities to ensure the early education entitlement is completely free at the point of delivery for all eligible three and four-year-olds. They should ensure that the providers to whom they make funding available make no charge for any element of the free entitlement. We expect them to take vigorous action if they identify any circumstances in which parents are charged inappropriately.
Primary Education: Music
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many primary school pupils were given the opportunity to learn a musical instrument in each year since 1997. [165096]
Jim Knight: This information is not routinely collected by the Department. However, in 1999, 2002, 2005 and 2007 the Department commissioned surveys of Local Authority Music Services, which collected data on the prevalence of music tuition. A report of the 2007 survey is due to be published on 21 November 2007. Previous survey reports are available at:
Data from these surveys on the prevalence of specialist instrumental and vocal tuition are summarised in the following table:
| percentage | ||
| Academic year | KS1 pupils reported as receiving specialist instrumental or vocal tuition | KS2 pupils reported as receiving specialist instrumental or vocal tuition |
| 1 Data not available for KS1. 2 Data to be published on 21 November 2007. Note: Data from the 1999 survey were not comparable to following surveys and cannot be reported in this table. Most Music Services reported providing tuition for between 4 per cent. and 10 per cent. of their school population in 1999, but this was not broken down by Key Stage. | ||
Specific national funding to support the widening of opportunities for primary children to access instrumental and vocal provision began in 2003. Data from the surveys on participation in this programme are reported in the following table:
| percentage | ||
| Academic year | KS1 pupils reported as being involved in wider opportunities activities | KS2 pupils reported as being involved in wider opportunities activities |
| (1) Data not available. (2) Data to be published on 21 November 2007. | ||
The above figures do not take account of music tuition provided by those operating outside of local authority arrangements.
Pupils: Absenteeism
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what the rate of (a) unauthorised and (b) authorised absence was in Year 9 in each month since 2003; [165750]
(2) what the rate of (a) unauthorised and (b) authorised absence in secondary schools was in each month since 2003; [165749]
(3) when and with what frequency pupil absence data are collected for each school year group. [165748]
Jim Knight: The first year for which information is available on absence rates by national curriculum year group is 2005/06 and relates to secondary schools only. Data are not available broken down by month of absence.
The available information is shown in the tables.
Data on pupil absence are collected via the School Census; secondary schools returned pupil absence data via this route for the first time in 2005/06 with primary schools making their first School Census return in January 2007. The School Census is collected three times per year with absence data being collected one term in arrears: the schedule of collections is:
January School Census—collects absence data for the autumn term;
May School Census—collects absence data for the spring term; and
October School Census—collects absence data for the first half of the summer term.
Special schools return absence data annually as part of the October School Census. Data are collected for all pupils of compulsory school age who are not boarding
| Maintained Secondary Schools, City Technology Colleges and Academies( 1) : Pupil Absence in National Curriculum Year 9( 2) , 2005/06, England | ||||
| Total | ||||
| Percentage of half days missed( 3) | ||||
| Number of day pupils of compulsory school age( 4) | Authorised absence | Unauthorised absence | Overall absence | |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) See Notes to Editors 10 of SFR11/2007 for further information on how absence figures by national curriculum year group have been derived. (3) The number of sessions missed due to authorised/unauthorised/overall absence expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions. (4) Pupil numbers are as at January 2006. Includes pupils aged 5 to 15 with sole and dual (main) registration. Excludes boarders. (5) Includes pupil enrolments for whom information on national curriculum year group was missing. Note: Totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. | ||||
| Maintained Secondary Schools( 1) , Pupil Absence, 2003/04 to 2004/05, England | ||||
| Percentage of half days missed by all pupils | ||||
| Number of day pupils of compulsory school age( 2) | Authorised absence | Unauthorised absence | Overall absence | |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed, excludes city technology colleges and academies. (2) Pupil numbers include pupils aged 5 to 15 with sole and dual (main) registration. Excludes boarders. Source: Survey of School Absence. | ||||
| Maintained Secondary Schools( 1) , Pupil Absence, 2005/06, England | |||||
| Percentage of half days missed by all pupils | |||||
| Number of day pupils of compulsory school age( 2) | Number of pupil enrolments( 3,4) | Authorised absence | Unauthorised absence | Overall absence | |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed, excludes city technology colleges and academies. (2) Pupil numbers include pupils aged 5 to 15 with sole and dual (main) registration. Excludes boarders. (3) Number of pupil enrolments in schools between 1 September 2005 and 27 May 2006. Includes pupils on the roll for at least one sessions who are aged between 5 and 15, excluding boarders. Some pupils may be counted more than once if they moved schools during the school year or are registered on more than one school. (4) There were some 7,240 cases from maintained secondary schools for whom absence data were missing. These cases have been excluded from the total number of pupil enrolments. | |||||
| Maintained Secondary Schools( 1) , Pupil Absence, Autumn Term 2006 and Spring Term 2007, England | ||||
| Percentage of half days missed by all pupils | ||||
| Number of pupil enrolments( 2,3) | Authorised absence | Unauthorised absence | Overall absence | |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed, excludes city technology colleges and academies. (2) Number of pupil enrolments in schools between 1 September 2005 and 27 May 2006. Includes pupils on the roll for at least one session who are aged between 5 and 15, excluding boarders. Some pupils may be counted more than once if they moved schools during the school year or are registered on more than one school. (3) There were some 7,240 cases from maintained secondary schools for whom absence data were missing. These cases have been excluded from the total number of pupil enrolments. Source: School Census. | ||||
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what guidance his Department has issued to headteachers on the collection of absence data for the period May to July; [165751]
(2) what plans he has to review the accuracy of pupil absence data collected for the period May to July. [165752]
Jim Knight: Data on pupil absence are collected via the school census. The school census is carried out three times per year with absence data being collected one term in arrears: the schedule of collections is:
January School Census—collects absence data for the autumn term
May School Census—collects absence data for the spring term.
October School Census—collects absence data for the first half of the summer term.
School census guidance notes covering all the information collected via the census are prepared and made available for schools and local authorities via the Teachernet website in advance of each census.
The pupil registration regulations 2006 require that a school records attendance and absence data for the full
academic year. However, the Department does not collect absence data for the second half of the summer term i.e. for the period from late May to July.
Pupils: Biometrics
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his latest estimate is of total spending by schools on provision of equipment for collecting fingerprints of pupils in each year between 2003-04 and 2009-10; and if he will make a statement. [163430]
Jim Knight: The Department does not collect details of schools expenditure on equipment for collecting fingerprints of pupils and has no plans to do so.
Pupils: Finance
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the real terms annual change was in the minimum funding guarantee for pupils in each year since 2000-01; what he expects it to be in each year until 2010-11; and if he will make a statement. [165070]
Jim Knight: The following table sets out the level of the minimum funding guarantee for each year from 2004-05, when it was introduced, until 2010-11.
| Percentage | ||
| Primary | Secondary | |
Pupils: Per Capita Costs
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of funding per pupil in real terms using 2005-06 prices available in each local authority area in each year since 2001-02; how much will be available in each year until 2010-11; and if he will make a statement. [165071]
Jim Knight: The available information has been placed in the House Library.
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for what reasons he has not granted operational independence to the whole of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority; and if he will make a statement. [166040]
Jim Knight: At present, there is an inherent conflict of interest between the QCA’s functions. The QCA is responsible for developing the content of public qualifications and tests and for the delivery of National Curriculum tests, as well as for regulating those qualifications and tests.
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