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18 Feb 2008 : Column 209W—continued
These figures relate to 16 to 18-year-olds (age at the start of the academic year, i.e. 31 August 2006) in all maintained schools with sixth forms.
GCE A-Level: Greater London
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many pupils have re-sat (a) AS level and (b) A2 level examinations in each London borough since their introduction; [186141]
(2) how many pupils re-sat GCSEs in each London borough in the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by subject. [186142]
Jim Knight: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
GCSE and A-Level
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what estimate he has made of the proportion of maintained secondary schools which did not offer GCSE in (a) chemistry, (b) ICT, (c) physics and (d) history in (i) 2000, (ii) 2005, (iii) 2006 and (iv) 2007; [163762]
(2) what his most recent estimate is of the proportion of maintained secondary schools offering Mandarin to (a) GCSE and (b) A-level; [163763]
(3) what assessment he has made of the effects on numbers of pupils choosing subjects at (a) GCSE and (b) A-level of Government targets to improve the share of pupils achieving higher grades in these qualifications; and if he will make a statement; [163764]
(4) what proportion of pupils studying for A-levels and GCSEs have taken (a) A-level and (b) GCSE examinations in each subject in (i) 1988, (ii) 1996, (iii) 2000, (iv) 2004 and (v) 2007; and if he will make a statement; [163765]
(5) what proportion of those studying for mathematics A-level were educated in (a) maintained and (b) private schools in each year from 1988 to 2007; and if he will make a statement; [163766]
(6) what proportion of pupils in maintained schools studied mathematics at A-level or AS-level in each year from 1988 to 2007; and if he will make a statement; [163767]
(7) what proportion of pupils at the 100 (a) top and (b) bottom performing maintained secondary schools by GCSE results in 2007 were known to be eligible for free school meals; what the equivalent national percentage average was for all maintained secondary schools; and if he will make a statement. [163821]
Jim Knight: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
GCSE: Standards
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2008, Official Report, column 162W, on GCSE: standards, how many schools in each local education authority area had fewer than 25 per cent. of pupils achieve five A* to C grade passes at GCSE, including mathematics and English, in each year between 1998 and 2004; [184852]
(2) how many of the schools in each local education authority area with fewer than 25 per cent. of pupils achieving five A* to C grade passes at GCSE, including mathematics and English, in 2006-07 (a) have since been closed and (b) are planned to close. [184853]
Jim Knight: The information for 2001/02 onwards is in the Achievement and Attainment Tables in the Library. Information for the other years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Holocaust Educational Trust: Finance
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funding has been allocated to the work of the Holocaust Educational Trust to help combat anti-Semitism and racism. [183830]
Jim Knight: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given in the House on 4 February 2008, Official Report, column 646.
Holocaust: Education
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government have taken to educate school children on the Holocaust since 1997. [185667]
Jim Knight: The teaching of the Holocaust has been a statutory requirement since the inception of the National Curriculum in 1991.
Guidance to teachers was published by the QCA in 2000 when the National Curriculum was reviewed, and on 27 January 2001 the first Holocaust Memorial Day was held. Holocaust Memorial Day aims to encourage greater awareness among young people of the relevance of the Holocaust and the need for mutual respect and understanding. It is supported by a Government funded education pack.
Since 2006 the Government have been supporting the Holocaust Educational Trust’s lessons from Auschwitz project for 16 to 18-year-olds, and funding of £4.65 million over the next three years was announced on 4 February.
Home Education
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether a child aged 14 who is home educated and attends a local college on a part-time basis is entitled to support towards transport costs. [185998]
Jim Knight: Local authorities must provide transport where they consider it necessary to ensure that a child goes to school. If transport is necessary, then it must be provided free of charge.
In most cases, it is for the local authority to decide if transport is necessary, but a child will be automatically entitled to free transport if they are between five and 16 years old and attend the nearest suitable school, and the school is further away than the ‘statutory walking distance’. The statutory walking distance is three miles for those aged eight and over.
From 1 September 2008 secondary pupils (11 to 16 years old) will be entitled to free school transport if they are from a low income family, they attend any one of their three nearest suitable schools, and the schools are between two and six miles away from their home address. The extended rights to free transport are part of wider changes introduced under the Education and Inspections Act 2006.
Although the regulations and the Act refer to ‘schools’, it is the age of the child that is significant. This means that a child of compulsory school age, attending a college to study national curriculum subjects, will fall under the regulations set out above.
Lord Adonis
Mr. Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the purpose was of Lord Adonis’s visit to Liverpool on 25 January, with particular reference to his visit to Croxteth comprehensive school; who invited him to visit the school; and whom he met during that visit. [185754]
Jim Knight: My noble friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools and Learners visited Liverpool at the invitation of the leader of Liverpool city council as part of ongoing discussions about the city’s Building Schools for the Future Programme. Lord Adonis visited Croxteth comprehensive school with the leader of Liverpool city council and a number of the leader’s senior officials.
Primary Education
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many primary schools in each local authority with fewer than 100 pupils have not joined other schools in forming federations; [186222]
(2) how many primary schools in each local authority with at least 25 per cent. surplus places have not joined other schools in forming federations. [186223]
Jim Knight: The Department does not keep systematic records of the schools that are involved in federation arrangements and schools are under no obligation to inform the Department when they enter such arrangements. It would not be possible for this information to be obtained from LAs or schools without incurring disproportionate costs.
Primary Education: Academies
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to establish primary school academies; and if he will make a statement. [185334]
Jim Knight: There are currently no plans for the academies programme to extend to schools solely catering for pupils of primary age. However, the programme does extend to all-age academies and there are currently eight all-through academies (providing education for all ages from three to 19), with a further seven in the pipeline.
Sponsors may also enter an academy proposal in any of the competitions now required under the Education and Inspections Act 2006 for most new and replacement primary and secondary schools.
Primary Education: Admissions
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of maintained primary schools had (a) under 245 pupils, (b) between 246 and 345 pupils, (c) between 346 and 445 pupils, (d) between 446 and 545 pupils, (e) between 546 and 645 pupils, (f) between 646 and 745 pupils, (g) between 746 and 845 pupils, (h) between 846 and 945, (i) between 946 and 999 pupils and (j) over 1,000 pupils in the last period for which figures are available. [185074]
Jim Knight: The requested information is shown in the following table:
| Maintained primary schools( 1) : Number of schools by size( 2) , January 2007, England | |||
| All schools( 3) | Maintained primary schools | Percentage( 4) | |
| (1) Includes middle deemed schools. (2) Full-time equivalent number of pupils. Excludes dually registered pupils. (3) Includes pupils with other providers in pupil referral units. (4) Number of schools in each band expressed as a percentage of the total number of schools in each band. Source: School Census. | |||
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many local authorities (a) had over 10 per cent. surplus primary school places in each year since 1997 and (b) are estimated to have over 10 per cent. of surplus places in each year until 2015; and if he will make a statement. [185338]
Jim Knight: The Department collects information from each local authority (LA) on the number of surplus school places via an annual survey. The earliest data available is for 1998 and the most recent is for 2007. The number of surplus school places was not collected in 2002 to allow for a change in the method of assessing school capacity. Currently, the number of surplus school places is calculated using the net capacity method of assessment which was introduced in 2003. Up to 2001 the capacity of a school was calculated using the MOE (More Open Enrolment) method.
(a) The table shows the number of LAs that had over 10 per cent. surplus primary school places calculated by the MOE method between 1998 and 2001 and the net capacity method between 2003 and 2007.
(b) The Department collects forecast data from local authorities on projected pupil numbers, but not on projected school capacity. We are unable, therefore, to estimate future levels of surplus places.
| Number of LAs with 10 per cent. or more primary surplus places ( 1) | |
| (1) Number of places relate to position as at January Source: Surplus Places Survey | |
Pupil Exclusions
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what support has been given to head teachers in exercising their function of excluding pupils since June 2007. [185185]
Kevin Brennan: Head teachers must complete statutory training prior to appointment (the National Professional Qualification for Headship). The training aims to support heads in developing effective strategies to run their schools, which includes those on pupil behaviour and exclusion.
We back heads when they take the difficult decision to permanently exclude a pupil. The intention must be to intervene early to nip misbehaviour in the bud and so reduce the need for permanent exclusion. Provisions in the Education and Inspections Act 2006, which came into force on 1 September 2007, allow schools to apply for Parenting Orders earlier. Now they can be used in cases where a pupil’s serious misbehaviour would warrant exclusion, before waiting until a pupil had been excluded as had previously been the case. Schools can now apply directly to the magistrates court for Parenting Orders rather than arrange for the local authority to make the application. Also, schools can now offer voluntary parenting contracts at an earlier stage where pupils have misbehaved in school.
We issued revised guidance to local authorities and schools on exclusions, which came into force on 1 September 2007. We have also issued guidance at the
same time on the use of education-related parenting contracts, Parenting Orders and penalty notices.
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