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27 Jan 2009 : Column 486W—continued
GCSE: Children in Care
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of young people in year 11 who had spent at least one year in care gained five or more GCSEs graded A* to C in the most recent year for which figures are available. [251782]
Jim Knight: The information requested shows that in 2007 (the most recent year) that 12.6 per cent. of young people in year 11 who had spent at least one year in care gained five or more GCSEs graded A* to C.
This can be found in Table C in the Statistical First Release ‘Outcome Indicators for Children Looked After, Twelve months to 30 September 2007—England’ at:
General Certificate of Secondary Education: Mathematics
Michael Gove:
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many and what percentage of (a) all pupils and (b) pupils eligible for
free school meals who took GCSEs were not entered for mathematics GCSE in 2008; [251988]
(2) how many and what percentage of (a) all pupils and (b) pupils eligible for free school meals achieved a pass at mathematics GCSE in 2008, broken down by grade. [252074]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In 2008, of all pupils in maintained schools who were at the end of their key stage 4 studies, 22,123 (3.7 per cent.) had not been entered for mathematics at GCSE. For pupils eligible for free school meals, 6,324 (8.5 per cent.) had not been entered for mathematics at GCSE.
In 2008, of all pupils in maintained schools who were at the end of their key stage 4 studies, the numbers and percentages achieving a pass in GCSE mathematics by grade for all pupils, and pupils with FSM, is given in the following table:
| A* | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | U | |
| Note: Figures relate to pupils at the end of KS4 in maintained schools only. | |||||||||
Gifted Children: Primary Education
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funding his Department has provided for the Young, Gifted and Talented programme in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [247403]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: There is no separate budget for schools to spend on their gifted and talented learners but the Department identified some £1 billion, last financial year and this (i.e. 2007-09), to support personalised education for all pupils, including tailored support for gifted and talented learners.
The CfBT Education Trust is the Department's national managing contractor for the Young Gifted and Talented Learner Academy. The National Strategies also support gifted and talented education as part of their work contracts. The value of these contracts is commercial in confidence.
The Department has historically spent between £10-20 million annually on such central support for delivering gifted and talented education.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the steps taken under the Young, Gifted and Talented programme to target those schools which in 2007 did not identify any gifted or talented pupils. [247404]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The January 2008 school census shows that 94.4 per cent. of all secondary schools and 76.3 per cent. of primary schools were identifying some 780,250 gifted and talented learners. This represents annual increases of 4.1 per cent. and 15.2 per cent. respectively in the proportion of secondary and primary schools identifying learners and an overall increase of over 81,000 in the numbers of learners identified as gifted and talented. The provisional figures from the summer 2008 census show further increases in the proportion of secondary and primary schools identifying and a total figure of 802,170 of gifted and talented learners. This represents solid progress towards our target of 100 per cent. of schools and colleges identifying up to one million gifted and talented learners by 2010.
Languages: Pre-School Education
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether children are able to meet the assessment areas in the early years foundation stage in a language other than English. [251334]
Beverley Hughes: The early years foundation stage profile sums up and describes each child's development and learning achievements at the end of the early years foundation stage. It is based on ongoing observation and assessment in six areas of learning.
Personal, social and emotional development
Communications, language and literacy
Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy
Knowledge and understanding of the world
Physical development
Creative development
All of the assessment scales in each area of learning can be assessed in the home language, for those learning English as an additional language. However, scale points 4-9 of the communication, language and literacy scales should be assessed in English.
Mathematics: Teachers
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of mathematics teachers in primary schools have qualified teacher status in mathematics. [251047]
Jim Knight: The information required is not available in the format requested.
Teachers in primary schools are qualified to teach all subjects of the national curriculum including mathematics.
National Curriculum Tests: Contracts
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2009, Official Report, column 848W, on national curriculum tests: contracts, on what date each risk assessment referred to in the answer was reported to Ministers. [251050]
Jim Knight: As a matter of course, officials regularly provided Ministers with briefing and updates on test cycle progress, covering current issues, risks and remedial action taken. Officials reported their assessment of key risks to National Curriculum test delivery to Ministers in submissions on 7 February 2008, 2 April 2008 and 10 June 2008. Ministers responded to these assessments by seeking reassurance from QCA and NAA that they had suitable action in hand to secure delivery of their contractors' obligations.
Play
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent guidance his Department has issued to early years settings on children learning through free play. [250968]
Beverley Hughes: The early years foundation stage is based on facilitating development and learning through play. Alongside the “Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage” published in March 2007, we issued a package of materials comprising “Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage”. This guidance contains advice and additional information for practitioners on how to implement the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage through play. The guidance includes a CD-ROM which directs providers to a range of additional information and provides examples of effective practice.
The National Strategies have also published a range of additional guidance on the areas of learning within the EYFS which must be delivered through planned and purposeful play.
Play: Tyne and Wear
Mr. Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding the Government have released to local authorities within the Tyne and Wear area for the maintenance of existing children's play areas and the establishment of new ones in the last 12 months. [241098]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Our public consultations have shown a consistent and strong demand from children and families for better outdoor play spaces near to where they live. In the Children’s Plan we committed to invest an additional £235 million to fund up to 3,500 new and refurbished public play areas nationally, to transform local provision.
As part of this programme of investment from 2008-09 to 2010-11, all local authorities will be designated as play Pathfinders or Playbuilders. On average all play Pathfinder authorities will receive £2 million capital funding and £500,000 revenue funding over the course of the programme and Playbuilder authorities will receive around £1 million capital and £45,000 revenue funding. Play Pathfinder authorities will develop a minimum of 28 play areas and a new staffed adventure playground, while Playbuilder authorities will develop a minimum of 22 play areas by 2011. This includes both new play areas and significant refurbishment of existing play areas.
There are currently two play Pathfinder authorities (North Tyneside and Sunderland) and two Playbuilder authorities (Gateshead and Newcastle) in the Tyne and Wear area. The following tables show the capital and revenue funding allocations each of these four authorities will receive for 2008-09.
As part of the launch of the Play Strategy on 10 August we announced the next wave of our capital programme roll-out. For the Tyne and Wear area this means that from April 2009 one of the existing Playbuilders, Newcastle, will become a play Pathfinder and the fifth authority in the area not currently receiving funding, South Tyneside, will become a Playbuilder.
| Pathfinders | ||
| £ | ||
| 2008-09 | ||
| Local authority | Capital funding | Revenue funding |
| Playbuilders | ||
| £ | ||
| 2008-09 | ||
| Capital Funding | Revenue Funding | |
Pre-School Education
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of children aged (a) below one, (b) two, (c) three and (d) four were in the care of a (i) maintained nursery, (ii) Sure Start children's centre, (iii) private, voluntary or independent nursery and (iv) childminder in each of the last four quarters. [251039]
Beverley Hughes: The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on the ages of children in child care and early years providers in England in the form given in tables 1 and 2. The survey does not collect data quarterly, therefore annual figures have been provided.
| Table 1: Age breakdown for number of children attending child care and early years providers : 2007 | ||||
| Type of provider | Under 2 years | 2 years | 3 years | 4 years |
| (1 )These providers were only asked for the number of children in the age groups where figures are presented. Notes: 1. Children may attend more than one provider and therefore may be included in the figures for more than one of the provider types in the table. 2. Sessional care: defined as “facilities where children under eight attend day care for no more than five sessions a week, each session being less than a continuous period of four hours in any day. Where two sessions are offered in any one day, there is a break between sessions with no children in the care of the provider.” | ||||
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