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22 Nov 2007 : Column 1138W—continued
“services in SSLPs, and centres based on SSLPs, and cannot be used for new children's centres”.
I discussed funding levels for SSLPs with Kent county council and the hon. Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey in July in advance of these allocations being made.
The Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant also includes separate funding for existing and new children's centres to be developed by 2010. Kent county council is responsible, like all local authorities, for allocating resources to those children's centres not based on SSLPs to enable them to deliver mainstream children's services to meet local needs. We issued guidance earlier this month to support local authorities in allocating resources effectively “Sure Start Children's Centres : Planning and Delivering Phase 3” which is available on the Sure Start website
Departmental Stationary
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much letterheaded notepaper his Department has bought which is headed with both the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and Department for Children, Schools and Families headers; and at what cost. [166909]
Kevin Brennan: The number of letter headed note paper purchased for both Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Children, Schools and Families was 62 sheets and the total spend was £32 for the period 28 June 2007 to 20 November 2007.
Dyslexia
Mrs. Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of schools in identifying dyslexia. [163006]
Jim Knight: All local authorities, schools, and early years settings must have regard to the special educational needs code of practice which provides advice on carrying out statutory duties to identify, assess and make provision for pupils’ special educational needs. Children with dyslexia should therefore have their needs identified and support put in place to meet those needs in the same way as children with any other type of special educational need (SEN).
To help those working in schools to develop confidence in identifying and supporting children with dyslexia, we announced on 17 October the launch of the Inclusion Development Programme, which will offer professional development in key areas of SEN starting with training on communication difficulties, including dyslexia. The Inclusion Development Programme materials are being developed in close consultation with dyslexia organisations.
To identify and disseminate best practice in improving outcomes for children with dyslexia, we are working with the British Dyslexia Association, Dyslexia Action, Xtraordinary People and the Professional Association of Teachers of Students with Specific Learning Difficulties on the No to Failure Project. This project is supporting schools in three local authority areas to become project trailblazers, where children are being screened for dyslexia and individual specialist tuition is then provided to those who are identified as having dyslexia. The impact of this approach on outcomes is being evaluated. The project is also evaluating the impact of providing specialist dyslexia training for teachers, developing examples of good practice which can be extended nationally, and raising awareness of dyslexia as a learning difficulty. We are providing up to £900,000 funding over three years to support this project.
Early Years Framework
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what discussions he has had with the Steiner Foundation on the Early Years Framework. [167405]
Beverley Hughes:
The Steiner Waldorf Schools Association responded to our formal consultation on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) last year. Since then officials have had extensive discussions with representatives from the Steiner Waldorf Schools Association on how the EYFS can support Steiner early childhood best practice. They have also held a conference attended by representatives of most of the Steiner kindergartens at which they explained the Early Years Foundation Stage, listened to the concerns of
those present and discussed how the aims of EYFS sit alongside those of the Steiner educational philosophy. The EYFS is a broad framework which does not prescribe any particular teaching approach and as such it has the flexibility to accommodate a wide range of philosophies and practices.
Foster Care
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what work Ofsted has undertaken in relation to the effectiveness of the collection by local authorities of information on private fostering in the last two years; and if he will make a statement. [162961]
Kevin Brennan [holding answer 12 November 2007]: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 19 November 2007:
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, for a response.
In April 2006 the Commission for Social Care Inspection started a three-year programme of inspections of the way in which local authorities discharge their duties and functions in relation to private fostering. The new Ofsted assumed responsibility for this programme in April 2007 and is continuing to carry out these inspections.
CSCI collated the findings of the 50 inspections of private fostering arrangements which took place in the first year of inspection, from April 2006-March 2007. Ofsted will continue to produce collated findings, with the next review to be published after March 2008.
All councils have strategies in place to identify and meet the needs of privately fostered children. However, they are very variable in quality and councils are at very different stages in their implementation. Although the size and demography of councils will determine the likely incidence of private fostering, the figures set out below highlight the range of performance at the time of the inspections. The Office for National Statistics figures show that at 31 March 2007 there were 1,250 privately fostered children. British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) have estimated that there could be between 7,000 and 10,000 privately fostered children in England. All councils still face a significant challenge in implementing these arrangements.
i. 5 councils (10%) had comprehensive strategies and arrangements to identify and meet the needs of privately fostered children. They knew of over twenty privately fostered children in their areas and had taken appropriate action in relation to them. They recognised that there were other privately fostered children that they had yet to identify.
ii. 7 councils (14%) had made significant progress in implementing their strategies, and this has had some impact on notifications. All these councils knew of at least ten privately fostered children.
iii. In 27 councils (54%), there had not been a significant increase in notifications, with between 2 and 9 privately fostered children known in each of these areas. These councils will need to give priority to private fostering if they are to implement their plans effectively over the next year.
iv. 6 councils (12%) did not know of any privately fostered children in their areas and 5 councils (10%) knew of only 1. These councils need to give high priority to private fostering.
The best councils have improved the effectiveness of their private fostering arrangements by:
developing comprehensive strategies for identifying and meeting the needs of privately fostered children
involving all agencies through the children’s trust arrangements and the Local Safeguarding Children Board, particularly universal services
identifying a senior officer to be responsible for this area of work
establishing and publicised clear notification, assessment and approval processes designed to assess private foster carers’ suitability to meet children’s needs
developing publicity and information to inform families, children and the public at large about private fostering
All Local Safeguarding Children Boards are responsible for monitoring arrangements for ensuring the safety of privately fostered children. Joint Area Reviews, a cross-inspectorate programme to review children’s services in an area, always consider safeguarding as a core investigation. As part of this they report on how well private foster carers are identified, monitored and supported in developing and maintaining positive relationships with their children. This allows inspectors to examine whether or not procedures are in place, and how effective they are in identifying privately fostered children in an area. The findings from Joint Area Reviews mirror the findings outlined above. Most councils have developed procedures and have produced information to raise awareness in partner agencies
and the public at large. However the impact of this in identifying privately fostered children has been slow.
Inspections therefore have shown that local councils have been slow to implement private fostering arrangements. Greater progress is needed in ensuring that private fostering arrangements have been effectively implemented and safeguards for these potentially vulnerable children have been improved.
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.
Free School Meals
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many maintained secondary schools did not have specialist status as at 1 October 2007; what the average level of free school meal eligibility of those schools was; and if he will make a statement. [166688]
Jim Knight: The available information is given in the table and represents the situation as at January 2007.
GCE A-level
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils in each school in Southend took A-levels in each of the last two years for which information is available, broken down by subject. [167390]
Jim Knight: The information required is listed in the following tables.
The data for 2006/07 are not published and so figures for 2004/05 and 2005/06 have been provided. The data for 2006/07 will be published in mid January 2008 once schools have had the opportunity to amend their results as part of the data checking process.
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