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Children: Safety

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what progress has been made in implementing the child road safety strategy produced in 2007. [247381]

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.

Progress in implementing the child road safety strategy includes disseminating the Kerbcraft child pedestrian training scheme and the rolling out of the Bikeability cycle training scheme and of the School Travel Plan target. A new long-term child advertising campaign—Tales of the Road—has been launched and in order to develop a strategic framework for road safety education, the Department for Transport has commissioned a project, which is now well advanced, to review existing materials and then produce a comprehensive set of road safety educational material.

This and other work to improve the road safety of children and young people is being carried forward under the umbrella of DCSF’s PSA target to improve children’s and young peoples’ safety. The Department for Transport is working closely with DCSF on this.

Children's Centres: Pre-school Education

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he expects all Sure Start children’s centres with early years provision to be led by someone with Early Years Professional Status. [247289]

Beverley Hughes: Currently we expect all Sure Start Children’s Centres offering early years provision to employ a qualified teacher upon designation. It is our aim that all Sure Start Children’s Centres offering early years provision also employ someone with Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) to plan and lead delivery of the integrated child care and early learning provision by 2010, taking advantage, therefore, of the expertise of both types of graduates. These requirements are set out in the “Sure Start Children’s Centre Planning and Performance Management Guidance”, published in November 2006. It is up to children’s centres how they meet this aim.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England who were entitled to education maintenance allowance did not receive any payments in each year since its inception; and if he will make a statement. [247137]

Jim Knight: Eligibility for the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is based on household income. The Department for Children, Schools and Families does not hold information on household income for every eligible 16to 18-year-old who participates in a course that meets the EMA valid provision criteria. Therefore it is not possible to calculate the number of students who were entitled to EMA but did not receive any payments or did not take up their entitlement.

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what percentage of young people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England received education maintenance allowance in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08 and (iii) 2008-09 to date; [247138]

(2) how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England have received (i) £10, (ii) £20 and (iii) £30 in education maintenance allowance in (A) 2006-07, (B) 2007-08 and (C) 2008-09 to date. [247139]

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for
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Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Mark Haysom the LSC’s Chief Executive, will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of young people in (a) North Wiltshire constituency, (b) Wiltshire, (c) Swindon and (d) England have received (i) £10, (ii) £20 and (iii) £30 education maintenance allowance in each year since the scheme began. [247224]

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Mark Haysom the LSC’s Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member for North Wiltshire with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the planned extension of the education maintenance allowance to include young people taking entry to employment courses have commenced. [247252]

Jim Knight: From July 2008 all Entry to Employment (E2E) learners have received the maximum education maintenance allowance (EMA) regardless of their household income. Once a young person has completed their E2E programme and is ready to progress onto other post-16 provision they will be expected to apply again for EMA and will be subject to an income assessment the same as other EMA applicants.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many young people entitled to the education maintenance allowance received no payments between 1 September 2008 and 31 December 2008; and if he will make a statement. [248021]

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). The helpline, assessment and payment function for EMA has transferred to Capita as from 28 November 2008. Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member for Yeovil with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many education maintenance allowance claims have yet to be processed; and if he will make a statement; [248022]

(2) how many education maintenance allowance claims have been lost since (a) 1 September 2008 and (b) 1 December 2008; and if he will make a statement. [248023]

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). The helpline, assessment and payment function for EMA transferred to Capita as from 28 November 2008. Mark Haysom, the LSC’s chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for Yeovil with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.


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Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many overdue education maintenance allowance payments there were at the latest date for which figures are available; and when he expects all overdue payments to have been made. [248197]

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). The helpline, assessment and payment function for EMA has transferred to Capita as from 28 November 2008. Mark Haysom, the LSC's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member for Stroud with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Disqualification

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many young people have had their education maintenance allowance withdrawn as a result of (a) disruptive behaviour in school or college and (b) poor attendance in each year since the scheme began. [247223]

Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Mark Haysom, the LSC’s chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for North Wiltshire with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Education: Chorley

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he will next visit educational establishments in Chorley constituency. [248346]

Ed Balls: I regularly visit schools in the North West and I look forward to visiting a school in Chorley with my hon. Friend when I am next in the region.

Head Teachers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the outcomes of the local area pilots to improve head teacher succession planning within and across schools; and if he will make a statement. [247459]

Jim Knight: In 2006, we asked the National College for School Leadership (NCSL) to develop and lead a succession planning strategy. As part of this, NCSL has rolled out the local solutions approach nationally. 148(1) local authorities have signed partnership agreements with NCSL to continue to address the succession challenge, which includes a particular focus on leadership diversification and the challenges faced by small primaries and faith schools. The local solutions programme is being evaluated externally by Warwick university and is due to report in early 2010. Evidence so far shows that 91 per cent. of LAs are better prepared to tackle succession planning than when they first engaged with the programme
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in 2007, and that LAs are making progress in supporting schools to better develop and mentor leaders and establish effective leadership cultures. NCSL’s internal evaluation indicates that LAs are making good progress in assessing their data and developing, implementing and monitoring their local strategies. The succession planning programme met its 2008-09 targets to stabilise headship vacancies and temporary filled posts.

Headteachers: Disciplinary Proceedings

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many headteachers have been suspended for (a) three to six months, (b) six to nine months and (c) more than a year in the latest period for which figures are available; [248156]

(2) what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on the suspension of (a) headteachers and (b) other teaching staff; and what grounds he has to intervene when such guidance has not been followed; [248157]

(3) what duty local authorities have to report the suspensions of headteachers to his Department; [248166]

(4) what powers his Department has to investigate the suspension of headteachers or other senior staff; and on what occasions such powers have been exercised in the last three years. [248167]

Jim Knight: The operation of disciplinary procedures, including those that result in suspension, is a matter for local determination. To support schools in this area there are a variety of sources of advice available to help governing bodies with their responsibilities. The DCSF's ‘A Guide to the Law for School Governors and Staffing’ guidance set out the statutory responsibilities falling to schools and local authorities as employers. This guidance is available through www.governornet.co.uk and www.teachernet.co.uk. These sources also provide access to an extensive range of additional guidance material including materials from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.

Schools and local authorities are therefore able to draw from a wide variety of guidance when devising their policies and handling disciplinary cases, including suspension.

In respect of both head teachers and other teaching staff our guidance makes it clear that suspension is a neutral act allowing time to assess the situation before a final decision is taken. It does not imply guilt but provides an opportunity for matters to be investigated; nor does it go into detail about issues such as the length of any suspension. Decisions of this nature are best left to schools to determine, drawing on the guidance that is available and where appropriate on advice and support from local authorities. The only circumstances where the Secretary of State may become involved would be when an individual seeks intervention on the basis that the suspension is taking an unreasonably long time or the governing body appear not to be taking any further action.


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There is no duty on local authorities to report suspensions of headteachers to the Department. Other than the circumstances described above the Secretary of State would not ordinarily become involved in suspensions of head teachers or other senior staff and there are no centrally held records setting out when and to what extent the Secretary of State has been involved. Accordingly the information requested is not collected centrally.

Mathematics: Teachers

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much the teacher training bursary for mathematics teachers was in academic year 2008-09. [247398]

Jim Knight: £9,000 teacher training bursaries are payable in England to eligible trainees training to teach mathematics starting postgraduate courses leading to Qualified Teacher Status in 2008/09.

National Academy of Parenting Practitioners

Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the National Academy of Parenting Practitioners provides support and training directly to parents to train them to deliver parenting classes to other parents. [249532]

Beverley Hughes: The National Academy for Parenting Practitioners (NAPP) training offer is for parenting practitioners working in services such as Sure Start Children’s Centres, schools, Youth Offending Teams, voluntary and community groups and other locally identified priority services; and those practitioners in priority roles who are working with families at risk with high levels of need (eg practitioners in Family Intervention Projects and the Parenting Early Intervention project).

The academy have asked parenting commissioners within local authorities to coordinate local responses to its training offer so that each authority’s bid reflects locally identified needs and services. Some of the parenting programmes used by the Academy (including Families and Schools Together (FAST) and Strengthening Families, Strengthening Communities) use trained practitioners to work with parents in the delivery of training to parents.

National Curriculum Tests

Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of children attained the national standard in all of their Key Stage 1 assessments in the areas between (a) 0 and 10 per cent., (b) 10 and 30 per cent., (c) 30 and 50 per cent., (d) 50 and 70 per cent., (e) 70 and 90 per cent. and (f) 90 and 100 per cent. on the index of deprivation in each year since 1997. [249526]

Jim Knight: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost. The latest published Key Stage 1 results at local authority level (provisional) can be found in Statistical Release 21/2008:


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New National Challenge Programme

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has for the launch of the New National Challenge Programme; and if he will make a statement. [247477]

Jim Knight: The National Challenge Programme was launched on 10 June 2008. It will continue to sustain schools in need of additional support to ensure no school has fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils securing five higher level GCSEs including English and mathematics by 2011.

Schools: Accountancy

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of the 2006-07 Consistent Financial Reporting Framework to support improved financial reporting and benchmarking by schools; [247202]

(2) whether the functionality to allow schools to be identified by name on the school financial benchmarking website has been implemented. [247452]

Jim Knight: Consistent financial reporting provides a detailed breakdown of the income and expenditure of each maintained school in England. It was introduced in 2002-03 and has subsequently undergone only minor revisions.

The data underpin the schools’ financial benchmarking website. The site provides schools with the tools to compare their expenditure with that of similar schools. They can then tailor their spending and re-allocate resources to ensure that education spending reflects local educational policy and priorities and is effective in delivering them. During the 2007/08 academic year the site was accessed by over 10,000 schools and it is also used by local authorities.

There may be occasions where a school might want to contact another about its data, clarify their expenditure and discuss ways to address particular problems. In order to facilitate this, charts are now labelled with school names and their unique seven digit local authority and establishment number. Where names and number labels do not appear, the data have been suppressed in line with data protection rules to ensure that salary information for individuals cannot be identified. School names are only made available for registered users of the website, specifically schools and local authorities. Other users may access benchmarking information under ‘guest user’ terms but named data will not be visible to further protect the anonymity of individuals and schools.

In October and November 2008 the Department's efficiency and value for money team included CFR and benchmarking presentations in six regional conferences. These conferences were aimed at local authority education finance staff and auditors. Overall, participants were very positive about the effectiveness of the benchmarking website and CFR. They particularly welcomed the ease with which they were able to access information to allow comparison and to identify and flag up important resource trends.


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