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21 July 2008 : Column 929W—continued
In addition, there are two Performing Arts Academies and the Brit School—the only City College for the Technology of the Arts, which is dedicated to education and vocational training for the performing arts and associated technologies.
Education Maintenance Allowance
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much he expects his Department to spend on the education maintenance allowance in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [219238]
Jim Knight: The budget allocations for the education maintenance allowance for the comprehensive spending review period are 2008-09 £549 million; 2009-10 £529 million; 2010-11 £529 million.
Latest expenditure estimates are 2008-09 £531 million; 2009-10 £544 million; 2010-11 £560 million. DCSF officials are working with the Learning and Skills Council to establish whether these latest estimates are a robust and accurate basis for funding.
Forecasts of expenditure beyond this period are not available.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effects of the education maintenance allowance on (a) improving retention and (b) widening participation in education; and if he will make a statement. [219239]
Jim Knight: The education maintenance allowance (EMA) pilot evaluation evidence showed that:
(a) EMA had a positive and significant impact on post-16 retention: there was a 6.1 percentage point increase in participation in full-time education throughout the two-year period beyond compulsory schooling among eligible young people in pilots areas, compared to young people with the same characteristics in control areas without EMA.
(b) EMA led to increases in participation nationally by 3.8 percentage points for 16-year-olds and 4.1 percentage points for 17-year-olds. The evaluation showed relatively greater impact for low/middle achievers and lower socio-economic groups. These increases in participation have been sustained since the national roll-out of EMA. More recent analysis has found positive and statistically significant impacts of EMA on attainment as well as participation. These positive impacts have been particularly strong among more disadvantaged groups such as those from the most deprived neighbourhoods.
Education: Assessments
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what comparative assessment he has made of the (a) reliability and (b) accuracy of marking of key stage 2 and key stage 3 tests in (i) 2008, (ii) 2006 and (iii) 2007; and if he will make a statement. [218861]
Jim Knight: Judgments about the quality of marking are a matter for Ofqual. In a published letter to the Secretary of State on 4 July, the chair of Ofqual, Kathleen Tattersall, made it clear that from the evidence available marking quality is at least as good as in previous years and justifies releasing the key stage 2 and key stage 3 test results.
Mrs. Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in Halifax did not receive their key stage 2 and 3 results on the expected date in 2008. [219026]
Jim Knight: The National Assessment Agency (NAA) announced on 4 July that there would be a slight delay in releasing the key stage 2 (KS2) and key stage 3 (KS3) test results. The delay will affect all pupils who sat the KS2 and KS3 national curriculum tests, the majority of whom will be in years 6 and 9.
Education: Travelling People
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to improve education provision for gypsy and traveller communities. [220062]
Jim Knight: The Department for Children, Schools and Families provides funding to local authorities through the Children’s Services Grant to improve provision and outcome for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) pupils and many local authorities use this to maintain a Traveller Education Support Service which works closely with schools on issues relating to GRT pupils.
The Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Achievement Programme, part of our National Primary and Secondary Strategies, was launched in 2006 and aims to improve the quality of provision, improve rates of attendance and standards of behaviour and thus raise attainment for GRT pupils. 47 schools in 12 local authorities are currently involved in this programme and a further 40 schools in 10 new local authorities will join the programme in autumn 2008.
We have also recently published, in February 2008, “The Inclusion of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Children and Young People”. This document offers practical advice to local authorities, schools, pupils and parents on how to raise ascription and attainment among GRT pupils.
Equality
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for what reasons the Disability Discrimination (General Qualifications Bodies) (Relevant Qualifications, Reasonable Steps and Physical Features) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 have not been the subject of a disability equality impact assessment. [217495]
Jim Knight: We have consulted with the interested disability organisations about laying the draft regulations (dated 19 June 2008) without carrying out an equality impact assessment. A consortium covering Scope, the Royal National Institute for the Blind, Skill, the British Association of the Teachers of the Deaf, the British Dyslexia Association and the National Deaf Children’s Society has told us it is reluctantly prepared to accept this approach. This is in order to avoid delays which could disadvantage disabled candidates or those considering whether or not to undertake a course.
When I took the DDA General Qualifications regulations through the House last summer I made it clear that the practice of exemptions from parts of an assessment, and therefore the resulting enhancements, will continue to be lawful after September 2007. This absolutely remains the Government position.
General Certificate of Secondary Education
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils in each local authority did not gain five A* to C GCSEs including English, mathematics, science and a foreign language in 2007. [217193]
Jim Knight: This information has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many maintained schools offer a Chinese GCSE course; [217198]
(2) how many pupils in year 11 were not entered for any GCSE examinations excluding equivalents in each of the last 10 years; [217202]
(3) how many pupils did not sit five GCSE examinations, including English and mathematics but excluding equivalents, in each of the last 10 years. [217217]
Jim Knight: This information can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils gained five GCSEs at A*-C including English, mathematics, science, a modern foreign language and either history or geography in 2007. [217612]
Jim Knight: In 2007, 109,630 pupils (16.9 per cent.) at the end of Key Stage 4 achieved 5+ A*-C at GCSE and equivalent including English, mathematics, science, a modern foreign language and either history or geography GCSEs.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many maintained mainstream schools entered one or more pupils for GCSE examinations in (a) mathematics, (b) English, (c) biology, (d) chemistry, (e) physics, (f) history, (g) geography, (h) French, (i) German and (j) Chinese in 2008. [219564]
Jim Knight: Information about GCSE examinations in 2008 will not be available until October.
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many eligible pupils did not gain (1) a GCSE in mathematics in each year since 1997; [219572]
(2) a GCSE in English in each year since 1997; [219573]
(3) a GCSE in mathematics at grade C or above in each year since 1997; [219574]
(4) a GCSE in English at grade C or above in each year since 1997; [219575]
(5) at least one GCSE, excluding equivalents, in each year since 1997. [219577]
Jim Knight: The information required can be found in the following table.
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