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29 Jan 2008 : Column 250W—continued
Information for 2007 will be published shortly.
Youth Volunteering
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 15 January 2008, Official Report, column 1172W, on youth volunteering, what (a) local, (b) regional and (c) national organisations v has commissioned to provide volunteering opportunities. [182847]
Phil Hope: Details of the projects funded by v can be found on their website at:
Copies of the list of funded projects has also been placed in the Library for the reference of Members.
The Office of the Third Sector have also provided funding in this financial year to the following organisations that provide or promote youth volunteering opportunities: Youthnet UK (£461,300), National Youth Agency (£307,500), Youth Action Network (£153,800) and the British Youth Council (£92,300).
Children, Schools and Families
Academies: Standards
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of school leavers from academy schools entered (a) employment and (b) other educational establishments upon leaving in the latest period for which figures are available; and what is the comparative average figure for other types of school. [181032]
Jim Knight: The Department’s estimates of the number and proportion young people in employment, education and training can be found at the following link but they cannot be disaggregated by prior institution:
However it is possible to produce estimates of the proportion of academic age(1) 16-year-olds in education and Work Based Learning by school type at age 15 using matched administrative data. This will slightly underestimate participation compared to official estimates as it does not cover all those participating on post-16 education or training. It is not possible to produce estimates of those young people in employment by prior institution in this way.
Table 1 shows the proportion of 15-year-olds in (i) academies and (ii) all other maintained schools that go on to participate in education and Work Based
Learning at age 16. The table shows that the proportion in education (81 per cent.) and in Work Based Learning (5 per cent.) in the year following the completion of compulsory education is the same for both groups of young people.
(1) Academic age is the age of the individual measured at the beginning of the academic year, 31 August. Academic age 16 is the first year after compulsory education, i.e. year 12.
| Table 1—participation of 16-year-olds in education and Work Based Learning (WBL) by school attended at age 15, England | |||
| Not in education or WBL( 1) | In education | In WBL | |
| (1) This group will include those in employer funded training that is not WBL, those attending independent colleges or training centres and some individuals in part time education. (2) Excludes those in independent schools or colleges and pupil referral units. Source: Matched administrative data, 19 in 2008 cohort | |||
Antisocial Behaviour
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what mechanisms have been established to co-ordinate policy on youth crime and antisocial behaviour with other Departments. [167118]
Beverley Hughes: Government’s response to youth crime is cross-cutting. Home Office retains the lead on crime and antisocial behaviour, and is overseeing the development of the forthcoming Youth Crime Action Plan (YCAP). The Department has lead policy responsibility for youth crime prevention, while the newly established Joint Youth Justice Unit (shared between my Department and the Ministry of Justice) is responsible for advising Ministers about the youth justice system.
Youth offending is linked to a number of other negative outcomes, including substance misuse, teenage pregnancy and truancy. That is why the Paths to Success PSA sets out our vision for a more integrated approach to supporting vulnerable young people. Progress will be overseen by the Ministerial Committee on Families, Children and Young People and monitored by a cross-cutting official-level Board led by my Department.
The Youth Taskforce has been created within my Department to help drive improvements in integrated delivery for young people across a range of outcomes, including tackling youth crime and antisocial behaviour, and will publish an action plan in the spring setting out how it will do so.
Assessments: Disadvantaged
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many and what proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals pupils did not obtain level 4 in a combination of reading, writing and mathematics key stage 2 tests in 2007; [182747]
(2) how many and what proportion of pupils who were not eligible for free school meals obtained level 4 in a combination of reading, writing and mathematics Key Stage 2 tests in 2007. [182762]
Jim Knight: The available information is in the following table. Further information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
| Percentage achieving expected level (level 4) in KS2 English | ||||||
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 (revised) | 2007 (provisional) | |
| Percentage achieving expected level (level 4) in KS2 mathematics | ||||||
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 (revised) | 2007 (provisional) | |
| Percentage achieving expected level (level 4) in KS2 science | ||||||
| 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 (revised) | 2007 (provisional) | |
Assessments: Manpower
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what support is made available from central Government funds for examination officers; at what grades they are employed by local authorities; what arrangements are in place for (a) their continuing professional development and (b) the monitoring of standards; what steps he has taken to ensure recruitment and retention to support the introduction of diplomas; and if he will make a statement. [181016]
Jim Knight: Examination officers are employed directly by schools and colleges. The grade at which they are employed is determined by their job description, which should be referenced against nationally agreed scales for salary and grading based on the specified duties and levels of responsibility.
The National Assessment Agency (NAA), a division of the qualifications and curriculum authority, is responsible for supporting the operational delivery of examinations locally, and within this remit to support examination officers. The NAA provides training courses for new examination officers, a field team which provides tailored support and advice, and online resources. A specific programme on the administration of the diploma is supporting retention through keeping examination officers fully informed about the arrangements for these new qualifications.
The monitoring of operational standards within the examinations system is undertaken by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), representing the awarding bodies which provide general qualifications.
Autism
Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he plans to take to improve the services offered by his Department for people with autism and Asperger's syndrome in the next 10 years. [181560]
Kevin Brennan: The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not offer services for people with autism and Asperger's syndrome directly. However, the Department, through the national strategies, will continue to implement its long-term special educational needs (SEN) strategy removing barriers to achievement, aimed at bringing improvements in provision for all children with SEN, including those with autistic spectrum disorders. Part of the strategy is the inclusion development programme which in its next phase will focus on autism, developing practical materials to help teachers address autistic children's needs and providing cascaded training for school staff. The Department's Autism Working Group will be involved in this initiative and will continue to play a part in the Department's support for improvements in autism provision.
The Department will continue to work with partners to improve provision for disabled children and their families. Under aiming high for disabled children over the coming three years we will be working with local authorities and others to improve information for parents, the provision of short breaks and support for young people at transition to adulthood, all extremely important areas of provision for children with autism and their families. We will also work with the voluntary, independent and statutory organisations represented by the Autism Education Trust, which we are helping to establish with set-up funding, to bring further improvements to provision for autistic children and their families.
Children: Day Care
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the total capacity of children's day care centres in (a) Romford, (b) Essex and (c) Greater London in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what steps the Government are taking to increase this figure in 2008. [181687]
Beverley Hughes: Information is available only at local authority and Government office region level.
The figures for Essex local authority and inner and outer London are shown in the table.
| Registered child care places at 31 March 2007( 1) | |||
| Essex local authority | Inner London | Outer London | |
| (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 if under 100, and to the nearest 100 if over 100. Source: Ofsted. | |||
Ofsted have produced figures on the numbers of registered child care providers and places on a quarterly basis from March 2003. Their latest figures were published in their report "Registered Childcare Providers and Places, September 2007", which is available on their website, www.Ofsted.gov.uk/
The local authorities concerned will be required from 1 April 2008 to secure sufficient child care for working parents in their area. It will be for them to decide, in the light of their assessments of the sufficiency of child care, whether additional places are needed.
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