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29 Apr 2008 : Column 407W—continued
Education Maintenance Allowance
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of those in post-16 education were in receipt of the education maintenance allowance in the latest period for which figures are available. [201685]
Jim Knight: In the academic year 2006/07, 46 per cent. of 16-19 year old learners in full time education received education maintenance allowance.
General Certificate of Secondary Education
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of eligible pupils gained no A* to C graded GCSEs in 2007, broken down by (a) multiple deprivation decile and (b) local authority area. [201669]
Jim Knight: For statistics based on school location the available information can be found in the Statistical First Release ‘GCSE and Equivalent Examination Results in England 2006/07’ available at:
Within this Statistical First Release:
(a) Table 21 shows the GCSE and equivalent achievement of pupils by the income deprivation affecting children index (IDACI) decile of the school location.
(b) Table 18 shows the GCSE and equivalent achievement of pupils by local authority area.
Information on pupils gaining no A* to C graded GCSEs can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
For statistics based on pupil residence, further information on GCSE and equivalent attainment of pupils by the IDACI decile can be found in the additional tables attached to the Statistical First Release ‘National Curriculum Assessment, GCSE and Equivalent Attainment and Post-16 Attainment by Pupil Characteristics, in England 2006/07’ available at:
General Certificate of Secondary Education: Suffolk
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of pupils in Suffolk were entered for fewer than five GCSEs in each of the last five years. [201499]
Jim Knight: The information is given in the following tables:
| Suffolk | ||
| Percentage of pupils entered for fewer than five GCSEs | Number of pupils entered for fewer than five GCSEs | |
| Percentage of pupils entered for fewer than five GCSEs (or equivalen t*) | Number of pupils entered for fewer than five GCSEs (or equivalent*) | |
| England | ||
| Percentage of pupils entered for fewer than five GCSEs | Number of pupils entered for fewer than five GCSEs (or equivalent*) | |
| Percentage of pupils entered for fewer than five GCSEs (or equivalent*) | Number of pupils entered for fewer than five GCSEs (or equivalent*) | |
| * Figures from 2003/04 onwards include equivalencies. Figures for 2002/03 relate to GCSEs and GNVQs only. Notes: 1. From 2004/05 onwards figures relate to pupils at the end of Key Stage 4. Figures in 2002/03 and 2003/04 relate to 15-year-olds pupils (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August 2002). 2. The figures relate to pupils attending all schools. | ||
Grammar Schools: Admissions
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his policy is on selection by ability in grammar schools; and if he will make a statement. [201405]
Jim Knight: We do not support selection by high academic ability and do not wish to see it extended. Legislation prevents admission authorities from introducing new selection of this type. Grammar schools already selecting in this way at the beginning of the 1997/98 academic year may continue to do so with decisions on whether individual grammar schools should continue to do so being made at a local level. Mechanisms are in place to allow parents to vote to remove selection at a grammar school.
Higher Education: Disadvantaged
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals went on to higher education upon leaving school in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [192631]
Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
This information is currently not available.
Mandate Communications
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what payments his Department made to (a) Mandate Communications and (b) AS Biss & Co in each of the last five years; on what dates; for what purpose the payment was made in each case; and what ongoing financial commitment exists. [202301]
Kevin Brennan: Our financial records show that the Department has not made any payments to the companies Mandate Communications or AS Biss in the last five years.
Midwives: Training
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what training in nutrition (a) midwives and (b) health visitors are required to undertake. [200566]
Ann Keen: I have been asked to reply.
Setting standards and curricula for health professional training is the responsibility of the statutory and professional bodies. Nutritional training is a component of the standard training for midwives and health visitors set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. This can found at
Access to training is affected by a number of factors such as the availability of funding, whether staff can be released, the availability of appropriate training interventions, mentors and assessors. It would not be practical for the centre to be prescriptive on this.
Playgrounds: Finance
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department plans to allocate to improving playgrounds in each year from 2008-09 to 2011-12; what cost/benefit analysis has been undertaken of this expenditure; and if he will make a statement. [201072]
Kevin Brennan: In response to consistent feedback received from children, young people and their families that there are not enough safe and stimulating places for them to play, we have made the biggest ever investment in play by Government. A total of £235 million over the next three years (2008-09 to 2010-11) will be made available to all local authorities to provide a range of innovative play facilities, accessible to all children. A total of 30 ‘Pathfinder’ authorities will each receive on average £2 million capital and a substantial amount of revenue funding to develop public play areas and deliver 30 adventure playgrounds by 2011. By 2010 all the remaining authorities will each receive on average £1 million capital and a contribution towards their revenue costs to deliver our aim of developing up to 3,500 public play areas by 2011. The development of all sites will be shaped by local children, parents and communities to help meet the clear demand from the public for improved play facilities that our Children's Plan consultations revealed.
To inform a full cost-benefit analysis of the impact of this expenditure, my Department is currently piloting and testing, via the Pathfinder programme, innovative approaches to promoting and supporting the play areas we are developing. Through the evaluation of this programme, we will identify the impact of our capital investment as well as identifying the most cost-effective way of implementing further national roll-outs of adventure playgrounds and play areas beyond 2010-11.
In advance of the publication of “Fair Play: A Consultation on the Play Strategy” my Department completed a provisional value for money calculation expressed as the required reduction in future obesity costs resulting from play to offset the costs of the proposed spending. Other unquantified benefits such as attainment, emotional development and reduction in antisocial behaviour would only add to the attractiveness of our capital investment programme.
Pre-School Education
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the occupancy rate of nursery places provided in children's centres in each local authority; and if he will make a statement. [202138]
Beverley Hughes: Sure Start Children's Centres serving the most disadvantaged communities in England must provide integrated early learning and full day care as part of their core services while centres serving less disadvantaged communities may provide integrated early learning and day care places where local demand is not being met by existing, good quality providers.
The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on the number of places and vacancies in full day care providers based in Sure Start Children's Centres in England. The 2006 survey estimated that there were 37,700 Ofsted registered places and 6,600 vacancies for children in these providers; therefore 82 per cent. of places were occupied.
Data are not available at a local authority level.
Pupils: Bus Services
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his policy is on arrangements for free bus transport to and from schools for pupils aged (a) under nine, (b) nine to 11 and (c) over 11 years (i) in the Isle of Wight, (ii) in Hampshire and (iii) in England. [201986]
Jim Knight: Home to School transport is not arranged around the three age groups quoted in the question. local authorities (LAs) have to make transport arrangements where they consider it ‘necessary', to secure a child's attendance at school. Where they consider transport ‘necessary', it must be free of charge. LAs have wide discretion in deciding whether transport is necessary, but they must provide free home to school transport for pupils of compulsory school age who are attending their nearest suitable school, provided that the school is beyond the statutory walking distances (two miles for pupils below the age of eight years and three miles for those aged eight years and over).
The Education and Inspections Act 2006 extended entitlement to free school travel for pupils entitled to free school meals or whose parents are in receipt of maximum working tax credit. Since September 2007, primary school pupils aged over eight have been entitled to free travel to their nearest school where this is more than two miles from their home. At secondary age (11 to 16), pupils attending one of their three nearest schools that is between two and six miles from the child's home, and those attending their nearest school preferred on grounds of religion or belief, between two and 15 miles, will be entitled to free transport from September 2008.
Pupils: Hearing Impaired
Michael Gove:
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his most recent
estimate is of the number of school pupils who are (a) hearing impaired and (b) have a special educational needs statement on grounds of hearing impairment. [202074]
Kevin Brennan: I refer the hon. Member to the following link
to Statistical First Release “Special Educational Needs in England: January 2007”. Table 9 gives the available information on type of special educational need for pupils with a Statement or at School Action Plus. Copies of this publication have been placed in the House Libraries.
School Improvement and Targets Unit
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the annual cost of the School Improvement and Targets Unit was in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [201436]
Jim Knight: The outturn running costs for School Improvement Division (formerly School Improvement and Targets Unit) for 2007-08 were £1,968,158.
During the last financial year, the principal responsibilities of staff in this division were:
the publication of national Achievement and Attainment Tables and associated data systems;
the New Relationship with Schools;
all aspects of policy relating to school attainment and progression targets;
school interventions and policies relating to schools placed in Ofsted categories of concern;
general school improvement policy and strategies; and
administrative support.
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