| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
29 Apr 2008 : Column 402W—continued
Children: Daycare
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many childcare places there are in each local authority; what estimate he has made of the level of demand for places in each authority; and if he will make a statement. [202146]
Beverley Hughes: Since 2003 Ofsted has been responsible for the registration of child care providers. Quarterly reports of the numbers of registered child care providers and places available in each top tier local authority can be accessed from the Ofsted website, via the following link:
Analysis of demand for child care formed a significant element of the child care sufficiency assessments which local authorities were required to complete by 31 March 2008. Local authorities are now in a position to compare the local supply of, and demand for, childcare places, and to work to fill gaps between the two so as to satisfy their new duty to secure sufficient child care for working parents.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Laws:
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of his
Department's budget was allocated directly by his Department and not devolved to schools or local authorities in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement. [200981]
Jim Knight: The proportion of DCSF's budget allocated directly by the Department and not devolved to schools or local authorities in 2007-08 is 18 per cent.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the (a) most recent annual budget, (b) purpose and (c) staff complement is of each of his Department's (i) advisory bodies, (ii) tribunals and (iii) corporations. [201182]
Kevin Brennan: The following answer outlines the (a) most recent annual budget, (b) purpose and (c) staff complement of the each of the Department's (i) advisory bodies, (ii) corporations and (iii) tribunals.
Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy
(a) The annual net budget is £0.4 million.
(b) The Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy provides advice to Government and monitors the success of its strategy towards reducing the rate of teenage conceptions, with the specific aim of halving the rate of conceptions among under 18s by 2010, and increasing the participation of teenage parents in education, employment and training to reduce risk of their long-term social exclusion.
(c) The body does not employ any staff.
Teachers' TV board of governors
(a) Net annual budget is £0.2 million.
(b) The Board provides open accountability about the plans and performance of Teachers TV to the channel's audience, stakeholders and to the public. The Board upholds the editorial independence of Teachers TV; ensures that the channel supplier adopts the best practices of a UK public service broadcaster; incentivises the supplier to fulfil the Departments strategic aims; holds the supplier to account for the public funds it receives via an annual performance review; monitors the contractual relationship with the supplier and ensures that Teachers TV develops so that it meets the needs of its audience.
(c) The board currently employs 1.9 Staff FTE.
(a) Net annual budget is £0.1 million.
(b) There are three expert groups (ages 0-7, 8-13, and 14-19) whose remit will be to look at services and policies affecting children, young people and families and to make recommendations to the Secretary of State on how best to deliver his long-term objectives to:
Improve the health and well-being of children and young people
Safeguard the young and vulnerable
Close the gap in educational achievement between those from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers
‘Raise our game’ on raising standards
Increase post-16 participation and attainment
Increase the number of children and young people on the path to success
(c) There were five staff employed for three months of the year
(a) Net annual budget for £0.01 million.
(b) The Information Standards Board (ISB) for education, skills and children's services in England is the system-wide authority for all information and data standards. Its mission is to facilitate information sharing across the system; agree
information standards to aid front line delivery; improve efficiency, reduce costs and minimise bureaucracy. The ISB is designated as an Internal Advisory Committee, but has ministerial authority to make recommendations and approve decisions on behalf of the system.
(c) The board does not employ staff
(a) The net annual budget is £1.84 million.
(b) The Talent and Enterprise Taskforce is based in the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) but reports through to the cross-government Talent and Enterprise Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister underlining his personal commitment to the talent agenda. Central to the role of the Taskforce is promoting the imperative to unlock talent. The projects we undertake should aim to provide vehicles to communicate and bring that narrative alive. There is already a great wealth of constructive activity happening. The Taskforce aim is to recognise and build on that. Though based in Government, the Taskforce is outward facing. Our goal is to engage a wide range of influential networks, organizations and individuals across the educational, business, community and voluntary sectors and to add value.
(c) The taskforce currently employs five Staff FTE.
National Council for Educational Excellence
(a) The net annual budget is £0.03 million.
(b) The National Council for Educational Excellence (NCEE) has a remit to provide advice to the Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families about strategy and measures to achieve world-class education performance for all children and young people from birth to age 19.
The Council is focused on providing advice and mobilising all sectors to provide the support to increase standards. Council members will act as advocates and champions to transform expectations and aspirations for the education system, and to rally the teaching profession, businesses, the third sector, universities and colleges, schools, and parents to raise standards year on year.
(c) The council employs four staff.
Ministerial Taskforce for Home Access to Technology for Children
(a) The taskforce does not have a dedicated budget.
(b) In January 2007 Minister of State Jim Knight announced the setting up of a Home Access taskforce to advise Government of possible solutions for universal home access for all school age children in England. Representatives on the taskforce come from industry, the third sector and teaching profession. Working together in partnership with industry and the third sector is the only way we can hope to deliver and sustain universal access.
(c) The taskforce does not employ any staff.
General Teachers Council of England
(a) Net annual budget of £0.7 million.
(b) The General Teaching Council for England is the independent professional body for teaching in England.
It works for children, through teachers, in the interests of the public. It is committed to making sure young people have the best possible standards of learning and achievement.
It keeps a register of qualified teachers in England and sets out and enforces standards for the teaching profession in the interests of the public.
It provides advice to government and other agencies on important issues that affect the quality of teaching and learning.
It works with teachers to make sure its advice is based on practical experience and reliable research.
It brings together teachers and other partners with an interest in the education service, including parents, governors and employers.
(c) The staff complement is 206.
Currently, the Department is not responsible for any tribunals.
Departmental Public Participation
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what (a) surveys, (b) questionnaires and (c) other services were provided by polling companies for his Department in financial year 2007-08, broken down by company. [200019]
Kevin Brennan: The information requested is not held centrally. Information on individual management units conducting their own opinion polls of either the public or of staff can be provided only at disproportionate costs.
Departmental Reviews
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what (a) internal and (b) external reviews his Department is conducting; and if he will make a statement. [201069]
Kevin Brennan: The Department is collating the information requested. When I have had the opportunity to consider this information I shall write to the hon. Member and place a copy of that reply in the House Library.
Departmental Standards
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the principal objectives and targets of each directorate within his Department are; and if he will make a statement. [201057]
Kevin Brennan: There are four main directorates in my Department. Each directorate contributes to departmental strategic objectives (DSOs), to ensure cross-directorate working. Primarily, the Children and Families Directorate contributes to DSOs 1 and 2; the Schools Directorate contributes to DSOs 3 and 4; and the Young People’s Directorate contributes to DSOs 5 and 6. Full details of DSOs and their underpinning indicators, which were announced in the 2007 comprehensive spending review, are available on the DCSF website at:
Dyslexia
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what representations his Department has received on the proposal that at least one teacher in every school should have the nationally recognised specialist qualification accredited by the British Dyslexia Association for teachers to assess and support dyslexic children; [201804]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the results of the Xtraordinary People No to Failure report on the rate of dyslexia-specific learning difficulties among failing children; and if he will make a statement; [201805]
(3) what provision his Department has made for (a) training dyslexia specialists and (b) specialist dyslexia teaching support within personalised learning plans; [201806]
(4) what provision has been made for specialist dyslexia teaching within the (a) Every Child a Reader, (b) Every Child a Writer and (c) Every Child Counts programme; [201807]
(5) what assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of the reading recovery scheme for dyslexic children. [201808]
Kevin Brennan: We have received a number of representations that at least one teacher in every school should have a specialist dyslexia qualification.
All local authorities and schools must have regard to the special educational needs code of practice which provides advice on their statutory duties to identify, assess and make provision for pupils' special educational needs. Children with dyslexia should have their needs identified and support put in place.
To identify and promote best practice, we are working with dyslexia organisations on the No to Failure project, through which children in trailblazer schools are screened and specialist teaching provided to those identified at risk of dyslexia and other specific learning difficulties. We are supporting this project with just over £1 million funding over three years.
The recently published report from No to Failure says a significant proportion of participating children not achieving expected levels of attainment are at risk of dyslexia or other specific learning difficulties. However, the report does not indicate how many had already been identified with SEN, nor does it evaluate the impact of specialist teaching on children's progression. We are looking forward to seeing the final report later this year, which we understand will contain such an evaluation.
Through No to Failure, we have commissioned Dr. Chris Singleton to summarise published research on the impact of specialist dyslexia teaching. We will consider whether and how we should promote specialist dyslexia teaching as best practice in the light of evidence of its impact.
All schools receive a school development grant which they are able to use to support improvements in any aspect of teaching and learning. This can include professional development for teachers intending to be dyslexia specialists. It is however for individual teachers and their schools to determine training and development needs and how best to address them. This would also hold true for support staff. Local authorities may retain a proportion of this grant, under certain conditions, to provide specific training and development in SEN.
To help those working in schools with identifying and supporting children with dyslexia, last October we launched the Inclusion Development Programme, which is offering professional development in key areas of SEN starting with training on communication difficulties, including dyslexia. The Inclusion Development Programme materials were developed in close consultation with dyslexia organisations.
Our commitment through the Primary and Secondary national strategies is to ensure Quality First teaching for all. The Every Child a Reader and Every Child Counts initiatives are focused on providing additional intervention for the 5 per cent. of children facing the most difficulties with reading and mathematics. They
do not provide a specific focus on provision for children with dyslexia. Every Child a Reader is being rolled out to reach 30,000 children a year by 2010-11.
Every Child Counts is currently in a research phase and will be informed by the Williams review of the teaching of mathematics that is due to be published in June this year. The intention is that Every Child Counts will be aimed at children whose attainment in the early stages of mathematics shows they are not making expected progress for their age.
Every Child a Writer is a new programme announced at the end of last year. The intention—as stated in our Children's Plan—is that this will offer support later in primary school than Every Child a Reader and Every Child Counts and reach a greater number of pupils. Further announcements will be made about Every Child a Writer in due course.
Evaluations of the Every Child a Reader pilot—which provides Reading Recovery for children from among those having the most difficulties in learning to read—were published in 2006 and 2007. These are available on
The evaluation of Every Child a Reader in London in 2005-06 showed that 87 per cent. of children who had received Reading Recovery were considered to have made average to exceptional progress in reading comprehension. However, these evaluations did not include looking at the efficacy of Reading Recovery for children with dyslexia.
The SEN code of practice says that
“effective management, school ethos and the learning environment, curricular, pastoral and discipline arrangements can help prevent some special educational needs arising, and minimise others” (paragraph 5:18).
Where whole school arrangements for teaching and learning are not addressing a child's learning difficulties, schools have a statutory duty to do their best to ensure that the necessary provision is made for any pupil who has special educational needs. It follows that if a child with dyslexia is not benefiting from their participation in any or all of the three initiatives, the school must make additional or different arrangements to address the child's special educational needs.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |