Previous Section Index Home Page

29 Jan 2008 : Column 280W—continued

Science: General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of (a) mainstream maintained, (b) specialist science and (c) independent schools entered students into separate GCSEs for physics, biology and chemistry in 2007. [182172]

Jim Knight: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost, however, the number of pupils entered into separate GCSEs for physics, biology and chemistry by type of school have been given as follows.

Number and percentage of 15-years-olds taking biology, chemistry and physics by school type in 2006/07
Mainstream maintained schools Independent schools Specialist science schools All schools
Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage

Biology

38,759

6.50

15,797

32.50

9,673

13.00

54,711

8.30

Chemistry

36,866

6.20

14,648

30.10

9,575

12.90

51,522

7.80

Physics

36,728

6.20

14,474

29.80

9,544

12.90

51,210

7.80

All three separate sciences

36,076

6.10

12,535

25.80

9,524

12.80

48,613

7.40

Total number of 15-year-olds

594,849

48,648

74,205

657,582


Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many and what proportion of pupils in (a) maintained and (b) independent schools took all three separate science GCSEs in 2007; [182279]

(2) how many pupils sat all three separate science GCSEs in 2007. [182291]

Jim Knight: The information is in the following table.

Number and percentage of 15-years-olds taking biology, chemistry and p hysics by school type in 2006-07
Maintained Schools Independent Schools All Schools
Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage

Biology

38,768

6.40

15,797

32.50

54,711

8.30

Chemistry

36,869

6.10

14,648

30.10

51,522

7.80

Physics

36,730

6.10

14,474

29.80

51,210

7.80

All three separate sciences

36,078

6.00

12,535

25.80

48,613

7.40

Total number of 15-year-olds

604,898

48,648

657,582


29 Jan 2008 : Column 281W

Special Educational Needs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many pupils with statements of special educational need are recorded as attending (a) maintained special schools, (b) maintained mainstream schools and (c) other educational settings broken down by category of special educational need; [178585]

(2) how many pupils in (a) maintained and (b) independent schools have a diagnosis of autism; [178672]

(3) how many pupils with autism attend (a) maintained special schools, (b) maintained mainstream schools and (c) other educational settings, broken down by category of special need; [178673]

(4) how many statements of special educational need were issued in respect of children (a) with autism and (b) recorded as deaf and having impaired hearing in each year for which figures are available; [178675]

(5) how many and what proportion of deaf and hearing-impaired pupils are recorded as having (a) special educational needs with a statement, (b) special educational needs without a statement and (c) no special educational needs. [183286]

Kevin Brennan: Type of special education need is only collected for pupils with statements of SEN and at School Action Plus within maintained mainstream and special schools and non-maintained special schools. This information is not collected for pupils in independent schools or pupils at School Action.

The available information has been placed in the Library and can be found in table 9 of SFR Special Educational Needs in England: January 2007, which is available on the Department's website here:

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of children in (a) England and (b) each local authority were (i) statemented and (ii) on School Action Plus in each year since 1997. [181801]

Kevin Brennan: The available information on statemented pupils and those on School Action Plus is shown in the tables that have been placed in the Library. School Action Plus data are only available from 2002.

The information is collected for the Statistical First Release ‘Special Educational Needs in England: January 2007’ which is published annually and can be accessed at:

Special Educational Needs: Lancashire

Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was spent on children with (a) special educational needs, (b) dyslexia and (c) dyspraxia in (i) Ribble Valley constituency and (ii) Lancashire county council area in each of the last 10 years. [181726]


29 Jan 2008 : Column 282W

Kevin Brennan: The information requested is as follows.

(a) The information requested is submitted to the Department according to local authority areas, rather than districts within an area. Ribble Valley is a district of Lancashire local authority. The information for Lancashire LA about the amount spent on children with special educational needs is as follows:

Budgeted net expenditure on the provision of education for children with special educational needs by Lancashire local authority: 2000-01 to 2007-08
Budgeted net expenditure on the education of children with special educational needs( 1,2) by Lancashire LA (£)( 3)

2000-01

79,766,000

2001-02

82,826,000

2002-03

86,666,000

2003-04

99,347,000

2004-05

106,320,000

2005-06

109,113,000

2006-07

118,120,000

2007-08(4)

128,721,000

(1) Includes planned expenditure on the provision for pupils with statements and the provision for non-statemented pupils with SEN, support for inclusion, inter authority recoupment, fees for pupils at independent special schools and abroad, educational psychology service, local authority functions in relation to child protection, therapies and other health related services, parent partnership, guidance and information, the monitoring of SEN provision and inclusion administration, assessment and co-ordination. Also included is the funding delegated to nursery, primary and secondary schools identified as “notional SEN” and the individual schools budget (ISB) for special schools.
(2) The ISB for special schools will include some general education costs for pupils with SEN in addition to those costs specifically for SEN while the figures recorded against “notional SEN” are only indicative of the amount that might by spent by schools on SEN. In 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 Lancashire LA also budgeted £13.2 million, £8.8 million and £14.5 million respectively for SEN transport expenditure but this is not included in the table as figures are not available prior to 2005-06.
(3) Figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and may not sum due to rounding.
(4) 2007-08 data is subject to change by the local authority.
Notes:
1. Cash terms figures as reported by Lancashire local authority as at 22 January 2008.
2. The data are drawn from Lancashire local authority’s Section 52 Budget Statements (Tables 1 and 2) submitted to the DCSF (formally the DfES).

(b) and (c) The Department does not collect separate figures on how much was spent on dyslexia or dyspraxia.

Specialised Diplomas: Rural Areas

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether secondary schools in rural areas will be required to provide access to all 17 diploma lines; and if he will make a statement. [181792]

Jim Knight: Diplomas will be taught by consortia of schools, colleges, and work-based learning providers, working in partnership with the local authority and employers. As such, not every secondary school will be providing each diploma itself, but young people from those schools will be able to access diplomas in other consortium institutions, including in rural areas.


29 Jan 2008 : Column 283W

Sure Start Programme: Females

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what services are provided by the Sure Start programme to prevent or respond to violence against women. [182735]

Beverley Hughes: Information on services provided by Sure Start Children’s Centres to prevent or respond to violence against women is not available centrally. All Sure Start Children’s Centres offer as a minimum outreach services to families at risk of social exclusion; health and family support services, help with employment and training, advice and information for parents, and centre based activities for children and families. Family support services will be tailored to respond to needs in the local area and we encourage children's centres to ensure that parents or other family members experiencing domestic violence have access to appropriate support. Other family support services, such as structured parenting programmes, may contribute to prevention of domestic abuse. A focussed study ‘Sure Start Local Programmes and Domestic Abuse’ carried out as part of the National Evaluation of Sure Start, published in July 2007, found that Sure Start Local Programmes had developed a good awareness of issues of domestic violence and use their responsibility to address the needs of children at risk to develop innovative and effective methods of informing and supporting their communities around the dangers of domestic abuse. A summary and the full report is available on the Sure Start website at:

Sure Start Programme: Manpower

Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what was the average staff complement of a Sure Start centre in each of the last five years; what proportion of Sure Start centre staff had qualifications accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority at (a) level 6, (b) level 3 and (c) level 1 or 2 only over the period; and if he will make a statement. [182268]

Beverley Hughes [holding answer 25 January 2008]: Information on the workforce in Sure Start local programmes (SSLPs) and Sure Start children's centres over the last five years is not available. However the 2006 Childcare and Early Years Provider Survey estimated that there were approximately 10,500 staff working in full day care provision in children's centres, of which 9,370 were paid staff and 1,150 were unpaid staff. The average number of paid staff per setting was 14. 9 per cent. of paid staff working in full day care provision in children's centres held a level 6 qualification as their highest level qualification, 62 per cent. held a level 3 qualification and 12 per cent. held a level 1 or level 2 qualification.

Sure Start children's centres, and before them SSLPs, were set up to offer a range of integrated services for young children and families, delivered by statutory, private and voluntary and independent sector agencies working together. SSLPs had flexibility to decide, following consultation with local families, which activities to provide around a core of health, family
29 Jan 2008 : Column 284W
support, play and learning, and outreach and home visiting services to meet local priorities and needs. Staffing levels therefore varied considerably. Sure Start children's centres offer a minimum level of service including outreach services to families at risk of social exclusion; health and family support services, help with employment and training, advice and information for parents, and some centre based activities for children and families. Centres serving the most disadvantaged communities provide more intensive support and must additionally provide integrated early learning and full day care for children under five. Any centre offering integrated early education and full day care must employ a graduate with qualified teacher status. Over the longer term we expect all centre managers will follow the National Professional Qualification for Integrated Centre Leadership, all staff working through children's centres will be qualified to level 2, level 3 if they are working directly with children and that volunteers will be trained or mentored by qualified staff.


Next Section Index Home Page