| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
26 Mar 2008 : Column 320W—continued
Pupil Referral Units: General Certificate of Secondary Education
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils in pupil referral units taking GCSEs did not obtain a single GCSE at C grade or above in 2007. [196324]
Jim Knight: There were 5,543 15-year-old pupils in pupil referral units who did not gain a GCSE at grades A* to C in 2007. This is 88.3 per cent. of the total of 6,280 15-year-old pupils.
These figures include GCSEs and other equivalent qualifications approved for use pre-16.
Pupils: English Language
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effect on the school league table position of schools of a high proportion of pupils with English as second language; and if he will make a statement. [179956]
Jim Knight: The annual school Achievement and Attainment tables show actual performance of pupils, including a measure of the progress pupils have made based on their prior attainment and adjusting for other characteristics which are known to affect pupil performance. One of the factors used in this calculation of contextual value added is whether a pupil has English as an additional language. Thus this factor is already taken into account within the tables, for all pupils for whom there is a record of attainment at the previous key stage.
Pupils: Personal Records
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the relationship will be between the Unique Learner Number and the Unique Pupil Number. [193837]
Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
There is no direct interface between the Unique Learner Number and Unique Pupil Number, other than the fact that both numbers are held on the National Pupil Database.
The Unique Learner Number is designed to support better processing of data and improve services to individuals undertaking learning. The ULN will in time be used across the education sector, and will support much improved data sharing between third parties, for example school to college, school to awarding body, school to careers service, school/college to university. It will directly enable the aggregation of
qualification awards and the creation of a learner record showing participation and achievement, which the individual will control.
The Unique Learner Number is assigned to learners over the age of 14, using an on-line learner registration service, which is accessible to learners and those who are supporting them, for example, education providers and careers advisers. This service also confirms how individuals want their information shared.
The Unique Pupil Number was designed specifically for the school sector to facilitate a smoother movement of pupil information between schools, local authorities and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), and lapses when a pupil leaves the maintained school sector. When designed it was agreed with the Data Protection Registrar that the Unique Pupil Number should be held by schools on the pupil’s electronic record, and only used when required to provide information to the local authority, to the DCSF or National Assessment Agency (NAA), or to another school to which the pupil is transferring.
Schools
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Reading, East of 8 October 2007, Official Report, column 406W, on schools, how many maintained schools there were in each local education authority at the end of each year since 1997; what the capacity in terms of pupil numbers was in each case; and what the actual number of pupils was in each year. [190752]
Jim Knight: The available information on the number of schools and pupils in each local authority is derived from data collected via the School Census and is published annually by the Department. From 2005 the figures can be found in the Statistical First Release ‘DCSF; Schools and Pupils in England’, the latest of which can be accessed at: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000744/index.shtml. Figures for 2004 and earlier were published in the Statistical Volume ‘Statistics of Education, Schools in England’ which can be accessed at:
Equivalent publications are available for earlier years.
Copies of school and pupil numbers are shown in tables which will be placed in the House Library. I will write to the hon. Member, and place in the House Library, information on school capacity.
Schools: Community Relations
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools have applied for departmental funding to allow them to open their facilities to community groups. [187725]
Jim Knight: Opening school facilities to the community is one of the elements of the extended schools core offer. We are committed to all schools providing access to the core offer of extended services by 2010 with at least half of all primary and a third of secondary schools doing so by September 2008.
The Department has committed significant investment in extended schools, and will make available more than £1 billion over the next three years to support the establishment of inclusive and sustainable extended schools. This funding is passed to local authorities to distribute directly to schools to help them deliver the core offer. The Department centrally does not hold extended schools funding to which schools can apply.
Schools: Playing Fields
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many school playing fields were sold in England in each of the last five years. [196184]
Jim Knight: In each of the last five years the numbers of applications approved to sell a school playing field in England are as follows:
| Number approved | |
Secondary Education: Admissions
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many children living in the Furtherwick school catchment area of Canvey Island have not secured a place at their first option for a secondary school in 2008; [196933]
(2) how many children did not secure a place at their first option for a secondary school on Canvey Island in each of the last five years; [196934]
(3) how many children living in the Furtherwick secondary school catchment area of Canvey Island have not secured their second choice of school for September 2008; and if he will make a statement. [196962]
Jim Knight: This is the first year that local authorities have been required to provide data to the Secretary of State on secondary school offers made to parents on national offer day. These data were published on the DCSF research gateway (www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway) on 11 March 2008 at local authority, regional and national levels. Data have not been collected at constituency or school levels. Figures for Essex local authority, in which Canvey Island is situated, show that 80.8 per cent. (12,986) of children resident in that authority who are eligible to transfer to secondary school in September 2008 were offered a place at their parents’ first choice of school and a further 10 per cent. (1,601) were offered a place at their parents’ second choice of school.
Specialised Diplomas
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of (a) academies, (b) comprehensive schools and (c) independent schools he expects to be offering the new diplomas in September (i) 2008, (ii) 2009 and (iii) 2010. [188396]
Jim Knight:
From September 2008, 25 per cent. of maintained mainstream secondary schools will be offering diplomas, along with 41 per cent. of colleges, and 54 per cent. of academies. From September 2009, we anticipate that 72 per cent. of mainstreamed maintained secondary schools will be offering diplomas, along with 88 per
cent. of colleges, and 75 per cent. of academies. We do not expect any independent schools to be delivering diplomas from 2008, and expect two independent schools to be delivering diplomas from 2009. Complete figures for 2010 will not be available until the completion of the next Diploma Gateway process next spring.
| Index | Home Page |