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30 Jun 2008 : Column 634W—continued
Child Care
17. Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will review the level of charges for the inspection of child care facilities. [214268]Beverley Hughes: We have listened carefully to the views of all those who responded to the fees and subsidies consultation and have published our response on Thursday 19 June 2008. In our response, we have made it clear that the fee levels will be held to modest increments over the coming years and a fairer system of fee banding introduced from September 2008. We intend to review the fee levels for 2011 and beyond in 2009-10.
GCSE
18. Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the socio-economic characteristics of the catchment areas of schools achieving 30 per cent. or fewer GCSEs at grades A* to C. [214269]
Jim Knight: Most National Challenge schools serve areas where pupils are more likely than average to come from deprived backgrounds—for example as shown by eligibility for free school meals. Nonetheless, since there are many schools in similarly adverse socio-economic conditions where more than 30 per cent. of students gain five or more higher level GCSEs including English and mathematics, local deprivation should not be seen as an excuse for low achievement, but important content in assessing the level of support needed to improve academic standards.
NEETs
20. Phil Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people under 18 years old were not in education, employment or training on the latest date for which figures are available. [214271]
Ed Balls: The latest figures show that 97,000 young people aged 16 and 17 were not in education, employment or training at the end of 2007. This represents a reduction of 12,600 young people from the end of 2006.
Pupil Funding
21. Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funding was provided per pupil for schools in the most recent period for which figures are available; and how much will be provided in 2008-09. [214272]
Jim Knight: Per pupil revenue funding for schools in 2007-08 was £4,730, or £5,520 when capital funding is included. The planned spend for 2008-09 is £5,150, or £6,030 with capital funding included. Figures are in cash terms.
Literacy
22. Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what representations he has received on the literacy goals for the early years foundation stage. [214273]
Beverley Hughes: I have had many discussions, and received a range of representations on, the early learning goals in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The early learning goals are developmental milestones for children at the end of the EYFS, most of whom are aged five and over. The very strong consensus is that the majority of the goals are pitched appropriately, but some representations have questioned two specific goals on aspects of early literacy.
The fact is that around a third of children already achieve those two goals, and evidence shows that children who develop well in the Foundation Stage go on to do well in primary school. I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement tabled today by the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, which announces that Sir Jim Rose has agreed to consider these two goals and in particular how we can make sure that the early learning goals for literacy set the right foundation for transition into the new primary school arrangements.
Free School Meals
Mrs. Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the report produced by Hull university on free school meals. [214256]
Kevin Brennan:
My right hon. Friend, Alan Johnson, and I, met recently with the researchers who evaluated the Hull Eat Well Do Well initiative to discuss their findings on school meals and the other aspects of their pilot which involved a range of approaches to improving
how children ate, at home as well as in school. We have followed the pilot closely, and found it extremely interesting to discuss the details.
Child Development Grant
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the cost of piloting the Child Development Grant of £200 for parents in 10 local authorities. [215011]
Kevin Brennan: The estimated overall cost of piloting the Child Development Grant is £12.75 million over three years.
Children: Day Care
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what information his Department collects on the adequacy of childcare provision; if his Department will publish that information; and if he will make a statement; [214333]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of childcare provision in each local authority area in each year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [214334]
Beverley Hughes: In May 2008 the Department published the “2007 Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents” available online via the following link:
which offers a view of the extent of child care provision and parental demand nationally.
The sufficiency of child care provision can, however, only be assessed effectively on a local basis. As required by the Childcare Act 2006, all 150 top tier local authorities have recently completed and published their own child care sufficiency assessments analysing the extent of the provision of, and demand for, child care within their area, and any resultant sufficiency gaps.
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the maximum number of children is that can be looked after by a qualified childminder in a single setting; how many qualified childminders are permitted to work in the same setting; what procedures exist to ensure that the size of a building is suitable for the number of children being looked after; what other factors are taken into account when assessing the suitability of a childminder setting; and if he will make a statement. [214335]
Beverley Hughes:
The current requirements for Ofsted registered child minders are set out in the “National standards for under eights day care and childminding”. These provide that, depending on the space available and the suitability of premises, each child minder may care for a maximum of six children under the age of eight, of whom no more than three children may be under the age of five. There is no limit to how many child minders can work in one setting. However, child minders are required to follow specific space requirements for the age and number of children being looked after and ensure that their premises are suitable for their
purpose. From this September similar requirements will be carried forward in the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework for the 0 to five age range. However, where more than three child minders (including assistants) work together in a single setting they must be registered with Ofsted as “other child care” and will be required to follow the same requirements as nurseries.
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what his most recent estimate is of the number of nursery places for (a) one year olds, (b) two year olds and (c) three to five year olds in (i) the maintained and (ii) the independent sector; and if he will make a statement; [214364]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of surplus nursery places for (a) under three olds and (b) three to five year olds; and if he will make a statement. [214365]
Beverley Hughes: The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on the number of child care and early years places. However, respondents are not asked what places they have available for children of specific ages. Table 1 shows the estimated number of child care places by ownership of the provision in 2006.
| Table 1: Number of registered places, by ownership, 2006 | |||||||||
| Full day care | (Full day care in children's centres) | Sessional | After school clubs | Holiday clubs | Child minders | Nursery schools | Primary schools with nursery and reception classes | Primary schools with reception but no nursery classes | |
| Notes: 1. Places in full day care in children's centres are a subgroup of places in full day care; these places are also included in the 'Full day care' column of the table. 2. Places in early years provision in maintained schools are all run by local authorities. | |||||||||
The estimated number of vacancies in child care and early years providers in 2006 are shown in Table 2.
| Table 2: Number of vacancies for children, 2006 | |
| Number | |
| Note: 1. Places in full day care in children's centres are a subgroup of places in full day care; these places are also included in the ‘Full day care' column of the table. | |
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the average cost to local authorities of funding a childminding network in the latest period for which figures are available. [214814]
Beverley Hughes: The information requested is not held centrally.
The Department encourages the establishment of childminding networks but it is for local authorities to decide whether or not to fund them, and to what extent, based upon prevailing priorities for securing sufficient child care as informed by their child care sufficiency assessments.
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