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19 Feb 2008 : Column 511W—continued
Health Education: Sex
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the impact of sex education on the attitudes and lifestyle choices of young people; and what guidance he has issued to schools on the recommended content of sex education materials. [184960]
Jim Knight: The Department issued its “Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) Guidance (DfES 0116/2000)” to all maintained schools in July 2000. This outlines the responsibility of schools in this area and provides information on the issues to be covered at each of the four key stages, taking account of the age and the physical and emotional maturity of the young people receiving this education.
The Department has not commissioned research on the impact of SRE on the attitudes and lifestyle choices of young people. However, as part of the Children’s Plan we have given a commitment to review best practice in effective SRE and how it is delivered in schools. We have listened to young people and recognise that many feel that they do not currently have the knowledge they need to make safe and responsible choices about relationships and sexual health. We will involve young people fully in the review to make sure that future SRE better meets their needs.
Home Education
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children were home educated in each local education authority in the latest year for which information is available. [185956]
Jim Knight: The requested information is not collected centrally.
Home Education: Females
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many girls aged 14 years and over (a) were home schooled and (b) had been removed from school and have not resumed in each of the last five years. [184762]
Jim Knight: The requested information is not collected centrally.
Languages: Education
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps the Government has taken to improve the quality of teaching foreign languages in schools. [184117]
Jim Knight [holding answer 4 February 2008]: My hon. Friend will be aware from my answer of 13 December that the Children’s Plan, published that month, has announced a review of the primary curriculum that will examine how best to introduce languages as a compulsory subject in primary schools.
We are taking a number of steps to build up the capacity of the primary school system to deliver this, including a teacher training programme in a primary languages specialism. This has so far trained nearly 3,000 teachers, with thousands more to be trained over the next few years. A report by Ofsted, published on 29 January, showed that trainees on the course are being well prepared as future teachers of languages. Increased funding for local authorities to support the delivery of primary languages—£32.5 million in 2008-09, up from £27.5 million in 2007-08 will help schools to buy in specialist advice or resources. Teachers can also make use of sources of support in the classroom, such as schemes of work in French, German and Spanish and materials on the Primary Languages Training Zone, the online training resource for teaching and learning languages at Key Stage 2.
My answer of 13 December set out what we are doing to raise standards of teaching and learning at Key Stage 3. In addition, to ensure that gains made at primary level are not lost, CILT, the National Centre for Languages, is working with groups of primary and secondary schools in a variety of contexts to develop solutions to transition, and will be publishing draft guidelines later this term. There is already guidance for schools in the Key Stage 2 Framework for Languages and as part of the National Strategies and CILT Key Stage 3 programme to ensure that teaching of languages in secondary school builds on progress made earlier.
Languages: Qualifications
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools offered (a) GCSE and (b) A-Level Mandarin in the most recent period for which figures are available. [184195]
Jim Knight: The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not hold information on the subjects each school offers at GCSE.
Leisure: Finance
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what central Government funding for leisure facilities for persons aged between 16 and 21 years was (a) in total and (b) per capita in (i) Cornwall, (ii) each parliamentary constituency in Cornwall and (iii) England in each year since 1979. [166709]
Beverley Hughes: The Government do not collect specific information on local funding for leisure facilities as responsibility rests with local authorities.
However, Government are committed to investing in facilities “Aiming high for young people; a ten year strategy for positive activities”, which was published in July 2006, announced the launch of a new programme of capital investment based on the reinvestment of unclaimed assets from dormant bank accounts and £60 million of new DCSF funding. Our ambition is that this will lead to new and improved youth facilities in every constituency over the next 10 years.
The “Children’s Plan” subsequently announced a further £160 million of DCSF investment over the next two years to support this ambition.
We expect local authorities and the third and private sector to forge genuine partnership to deliver world class facilities driven by the active participation of young people.
Literacy: Enfield
Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in (a) Enfield and (b) Enfield, North of school leaving age were functionally illiterate in each of the last 10 years. [177027]
Jim Knight: Improving standards of literacy and numeracy at all stages of education has been one of the Government's top priorities. There is no nationally expected level of achievement for 16-year-olds (pupils at the end of key stage 4). The Government's current public service agreement target is for 60 per cent. of 16-year-olds to achieve 5 good GCSE grades (A*-C) or equivalent by 2008. Figures for 2007 published on 9 January show that this target has been met. But we are raising the bar and in future the target for the end of key stage 4 will be measured against the proportion of pupils achieving 5 grades A*-C or equivalent, including GCSE English and mathematics. The 2007 figure for England achieving this standard was 46.7 per cent. compared with 37.0 per cent. in 1998.
The following table shows the proportion of pupils in Enfield and Enfield, North achieving 5 or more grades A*-C or equivalent, including GCSE English and mathematics for each year since 1998:
| Percentage | ||
| Enfield | Enfield, North | |
In 2007 60 per cent. of pupils in England achieved at least Grade C in GCSE English compared with 53.2 per cent. in 1998. We do not publish disaggregated figures for GCSE subjects at local authority level.
Literacy: Greater London
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2008, Official Report, columns 267-71W, on literacy: Greater London, what the number of children in each borough is from which the percentages for 2007 in table 3 are derived. [185763]
Jim Knight: The following table shows, for each London borough, the number of children included in the calculation of those achieving five or more A*-C GCSE (and equivalent) including GCSE English and mathematics.
| 2007 : numbers and percentages of 15-year-olds attaining five or more GCSEs, including English and mathematics, at grades C and above for each London authority. | ||
| Local authority name | Number of 15-year-old pupils | Percentage 5 +A*-C including English and mathematics |
| Note: The number of 15-year-olds relates to those on roll at the start of the academic year. | ||
London Academy Edgware
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of students at the London Academy (a) are entitled to free school meals, (b) are in receipt of
education maintenance allowance, (c) have a special educational need and (d) have a mother tongue other than English. [177679]
Jim Knight: The following table provides data on the number and percentage of students at the London Academy who:
(a) are eligible for free school meals (FSM);
(c) have a special educational need (SEN);
(d) have English as an additional language.
| Results for the London Academy | ||
| Number | Percentage | |
| (1) Based on all pupils of compulsory school age. (2) Based on all pupils. Source: PLASC 20O7 | ||
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