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25 Nov 2008 : Column 1434W—continued
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what mechanisms there are by which London boroughs will receive additional capital allocations for primary schools in the next three years if new figures show an increase in demand for primary school places; and if he will make a statement. [235669]
Jim Knight: The Department relies on the accuracy of local authority forecasts when allocating basic-need capital funding for additional pupil places. Accordingly, and to ensure that local authorities can plan strategically, the £1.2 billion budget for basic-need funding was allocated to London and other authorities at the beginning of the spending review period covering the years 2008-09 to 2010-11 . This can be used, at local authorities' discretion, to expand primary or secondary schools. In addition, the Department is allocating some £1.9 billion to London and other authorities through its primary capital programme during this period, subject to local authorities agreeing their primary capital programmes for change with the Department.
The Department does not hold back funds for later distribution on the basis that primary school pupil forecasts may be inaccurate. Accordingly, where new figures show that original forecasts were too low, local authorities have the flexibility to use their modernisation allocations to fund primary school expansion. They may also have access to other local resources.
Primary Education: Standards
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what element of Ofsted’s regular inspection of primary schools covers (a) history lessons and (b) geography lessons. [234294]
Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Library.
Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 14 November 2008:
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, for a response.
Since the introduction of the current school inspection framework (section 5) in September 2005, routine school inspections have not included specific inspection of subjects. However, under this framework, a sample of lessons will be visited during each inspection and these may include history and geography.
As well as routine inspections of schools, Ofsted conducts annual surveys of each subject in the curriculum, inspecting a sample of schools to provide evidence for the survey report. This annual sample includes thirty primary schools where geography is inspected and thirty where history is inspected. Every three years Ofsted will then produce survey reports on history and geography. Most recently, “Geography in schools — changing practice” was published on 17 January 2008 and “History in the balance” was published on 20 July 2007. Both are available on the Ofsted website www.ofsted.gov.uk
A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
Pupils: Languages
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many schools in (a) Tower Hamlets, (b) Newham, (c) Westminster, (d) Brent and (e) Hounslow were attended by more than 50 per cent. of pupils with a first language other than English in the latest period for which figures are available; [236575]
(2) how many schools had more than 50 per cent. of pupils with a language other than English according to the last school census from which data are available. [236576]
Jim Knight: The requested information is shown in the table:
| Number of schools which have more than 50 per cent. of pupils whose first language is known or believed to be other than English1,2—Position as at January 2008 | ||||||
| England | Tower Hamlets | Newham | Westminster | Brent | Hounslow | |
| (1) Includes maintained nursery, maintained primary and maintained secondary, pupil referral units, city technology colleges, academies and all special schools. (2) Pupils of compulsory school age and above. Excludes dually registered pupils. Source: School Census | ||||||
Pupils: Special Educational Needs
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps the Government has taken to assist schools in identifying children with learning difficulties. [225200]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Statutory guidance is given to schools, local authorities and others on identifying and making provision for children with special educational needs (SEN) in the SEN code of practice. Recent initiatives which will help teachers and schools to identify children with SEN now and in the future include:
Dissemination of the first phase of the Inclusion Development Programme improving the skills of the early years and schools work force in identifying and meeting children’s SEN, focusing on speech, language and communication needs and dyslexia—future phases will focus on autism and behavioural, emotional and social difficulties;
£3.5 million of funding to the Training and Development Agency for Schools for the roll-out of SEN units in primary undergraduate and postgraduate certificate in education courses through eight clusters of training providers—around £8 million more will be spent over the next three years to embed SEN programmes in all teaching qualifications; and
Helping to fund the British Dyslexia Association’s dyslexia helpline for teachers and parents.
Racial Harassment
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many complaints of racial abuse relating to staff for which his Department is responsible have been (a) investigated and (b) upheld in the last 12 months. [236889]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: No complaints of racial abuse were investigated in the Department in the last 12 months. Formal complaints of racial abuse would be investigated quickly and thoroughly and, where complaints were upheld, appropriate disciplinary action would be taken. All cases are treated seriously.
The Department believes that each and every individual has the right to be treated fairly, with dignity and respect. As such, we do not tolerate unacceptable behaviour towards others. The overall aim of our harassment and bullying policy is to prevent such unacceptable behaviour occurring but, where it does occur, to ensure that appropriate and effective action is taken to deal with it and prevent it happening again. This applies to everyone in the Department. Every individual is personally responsible for their own behaviour, and every manager is responsible for enforcing the policy in accordance with the guidance and procedures set out in the Department's Staff Handbook.
Reading: Teaching Methods
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2008, Official Report, columns 434-5W, on reading: teaching methods, what kinds of follow-up interventions children receive after the conclusion of intensive reading recovery programmes; what assessment his Department has made of the merits of using reading volunteers to continue intervention following the conclusion of intensive reading recovery programmes; and if he will make a statement. [237452]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Our Every Child a Reader programme provides a ‘layered’ approach to early literacy intervention based on providing Reading Recovery teaching to the very lowest attaining children; supporting other adults to provide less intensive interventions for children whose difficulties are not so severe; and working with colleagues to support improved everyday class teaching of literacy. The less intensive interventions include Better Reading Partnership which trains, among others, volunteers to read 1-to-1 with children using techniques from Reading Recovery. These layers will apply equally to children who do not require Reading Recovery or those who have previously been through Reading Recovery and require some follow up support.
In 2007, Greg Brooks, of Sheffield university, produced an updated version “What Works for Children with Literacy Difficulties? The Effectiveness of Intervention Schemes”. The review synthesised evidence on partnership approaches to improving reading: partners included older pupils, teachers, and adult volunteers. Brooks concluded that
“where resources are limited, and partners are available and can be given appropriate training and ongoing support, reading partnership approaches deserve close consideration” (p29).
The interventions reviewed by Brooks which specifically used adult volunteers were Better Reading Partnerships, ENABLE One-To- One and Time for Reading. There was some evidence that these interventions had a positive effect on pupil outcomes, although in some cases the findings were more mixed, and it is important to remember that the interventions often involved components other than the adult volunteers, which makes it hard to identify the specific effect of the volunteers.
Separate to this Torgerson, King and Sowden (2002) conducted a systematic review of randomised controlled trials of adult volunteer reading schemes. Overall, volunteering appeared to have a small positive effect on pupil outcomes, but the evidence base was not sufficient to draw firm conclusions.
The Government are committed to ensuring every child learns to read. For most this will mean good systematic phonics through the early years and beginning of primary school. For others, extra provision will be necessary—primarily through school based interventions and our Every Child a Reader programme. We continue to fund local authorities and schools to strike the appropriate balance between specific intervention programmes with trained teachers for those children that need it; and other less expensive approaches using other members of the workforce and volunteers in other circumstances when they are known to work.
School Meals: Per Capita Costs
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was spent on average for each school meal for (a) primary school pupils, (b) secondary school pupils and (c) juvenile offenders in each year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [236542]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department does not collect this information.
However, the School Food Trust has undertaken three annual surveys, which report average costs as follows:
| £ | ||
| Primary | Secondary | |
This Department does not collect this information for juvenile offenders.
The Department is providing £240 million subsidy to local authorities between 2008 and 2011 towards the cost of producing school lunches.
Schools: Colchester
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools in Colchester constituency use temporary classrooms; and how many such classrooms are at each school. [237550]
Jim Knight: Data on school temporary buildings were supplied to the Department by local education authorities in 2001, 2003 and 2005. However, checks indicated that the completeness and quality of the data was not good enough to accurately assess which schools use temporary classrooms.
Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under £700 million in 1996-97 to £6.7 billion in 2008-9 and will rise further to £8.0 billion by 2010-11. Progress is being made year-by-year in improving the quality of the school building stock. The bulk of schools capital is now allocated by formula to authorities and schools so that they can address their local priorities, including the replacement of decayed temporary accommodation, on which we have set a high priority. Given the high levels of funding, authorities have the opportunity to replace temporary buildings where they are considered to be unsuitable.
Schools: Collective Worship
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the most recent guidance his Department has issued to state (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) further education establishments is on acts of collective worship; whether he plans to review such guidance; and if he will make a statement. [237127]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Current guidance on collective worship is contained in circular 1/94 which sets out the legal requirements for religious education and collective worship in primary and secondary maintained schools. There are no requirements for further education establishments to hold a daily act of collective worship. The Department has not issued schools with any recent guidance on collective worship. However, we have updated guidance to schools and Governors following the change in the law in 2007 to allow sixth formers to withdraw themselves from collective worship as set out in section 55 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what obligations there are to provide for a daily act of collective worship upon state (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) further education establishments. [237128]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Current policy on collective worship is set out in Circular 1/94. All maintained schools must provide a daily act of collective worship, for all registered pupils. In schools without a religious character, this must be wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian nature; while in schools with a religious character, collective worship may be in accordance with the tenets and practices of the religious designation of the school. This requirement was established in the Education Act 1944 and has been re-enacted in subsequent educational legislation. It is the duty of the head teacher to secure a daily act of collective worship. Duties are also placed on local authorities and governing bodies to exercise their functions with a view to securing the provision of collective worship.
There are no requirements for further education establishments to hold a daily act of collective worship.
Schools: Enfield
Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools have been (a) built and (b) refurbished in the London Borough of Enfield since 1997. [235415]
Jim Knight: In 2007, the Department gathered information from all authorities on the improvements to their school buildings over the previous 10 years. These data are summarised in the report ‘School Building Investment Data’, available in the parliamentary Libraries. The information supplied by Enfield indicated that it had built six new schools, four of which were additional schools, and had rebuilt over 50 per cent. of the floor area of a further three schools.
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