| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
9 Feb 2009 : Column 1712W—continued
Functional Skills Qualifications
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the outcomes of the first 1,000 pilots of the Functional Skills qualifications. [247240]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Functional Skills pilot is being managed by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and will last for three years. It started in September 2007 and ends in 2010. QCA are evaluating the pilot throughout that period and will be publishing summaries of the evaluation reports.
GCE A Level
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of students received lower A level grades than predicted in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [244445]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department does not hold this information as we do not collect information on predicted A level grades.
General Certificate of Secondary Education
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many students in (a) independent and (b) maintained schools took English literature GCSE in (a) 1997, (b) 2003 and (c) the latest year for which figures are available. [252601]
Jim Knight: The numbers of pupils attempting English literature GCSE in maintained and independent schools in 1997, 2003 and 2008 are given as follows:
| Maintained schools | Independent schools | |
| Notes: 1. Figures for 2007/08 relate to pupils at the end of Key Stage 4, for 1996/97 and 2002/03 the figures relate to 15-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August). 2. Figures include attempts by these pupils in previous academic years. Only one attempt is counted per pupil. 3. The figures are derived from the Achievement and Attainment Tables data. | ||
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many students took both mathematics and physics GCSE in (a) independent and (b) maintained schools in the last five years for which figures are available. [252604]
Jim Knight [holding answer 29 January 2009]: The numbers of pupils attempting both mathematics and physics GCSE in maintained and independent schools for the last five years are given as follows:
| Maintained schools | Independent schools | |
| Notes: 1. Figures relate to pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 except in 2003/04 for which the figures relate to 15-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August). 2. Figures include attempts by these pupils in previous academic years. Only one attempt is counted per pupil. 3. The figures are derived from the Achievement and Attainment Tables data. | ||
Literacy: Advisory Services
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many literacy advisers are employed by the National Strategies for early years, primary and secondary teachers, practitioners and managers. [254728]
Jim Knight: There are 46 English/literacy advisers employed by the National Strategies across the early years, primary and secondary sectors. Their principle role is to provide support to local authorities, schools and early years settings, including training and professional development materials which are provided free.
Music Standards Fund
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department has provided to the Music Standards Fund as by (a) baseline funding and (b) the Music Standards Fund grant in each of the last five years. [254360]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The following table shows how much funding has been allocated through the Music Standards Fund in each of the last five years. In addition to the baseline amount of £297.5 million a further £52 million has been allocated to local authorities to encourage the development of programmes designed to increase the number of pupils at KS2 able to learn a musical instrument.
| £ million (rounded) | |||
| Baseline | Additional for KS2 | Total | |
Music: Education
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been (a) allocated and (b) spent on musical instrument tuition for young people in schools since December 2007. [252924]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department allocated £82,567,000 to local authorities in both 2007-08 and 2008-09 through the Music Standards Fund. We have asked local authorities to prioritise the provision of instrumental and vocal tuition at Key Stage 2 with this funding but we neither specify nor collect information on the actual amount that is spent on instrumental tuition. We are also investing £10 million per year to 2011 for the purchase of musical instruments.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to encourage an increase in uptake of music (a) GCSE and (b) A level courses. [253497]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry:
The Department allocated £82,567,000 to local authorities in both 2007-08 and 2008-09 through the Music Standards Fund. We have asked local authorities to prioritise the provision of instrumental and vocal tuition at Key Stage 2 with this funding. We are also investing £10 million per year to 2011 on Sing Up, the National Singing Programme spearheaded by Howard Goodall. With this early introduction to quality music experiences we believe that children will come to see themselves as musicians and will have a real and long-lasting enjoyment of music which will encourage them to continue their learning as they move into secondary school. The compulsory Music Curriculum at Key Stage 3 is now much more focussed on performance and hands-on music making. The curriculum builds on students’ own interests and skills and should, therefore, engage them
more fully which in turn will encourage them to continue with their studies in music through to GCSE and A Level.
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils were learning a musical instrument in each year since 2000. [254579]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: While this information is not collected centrally, I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 15 July 2008 Official Report, column 384W. That reply states the percentage of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils reported as receiving specialist instrumental or vocal tuition in the surveys conducted by the Institute of Education, University of London in 2002, 2005 and 2007.
Data on secondary school pupils was not collected from Music Services in 2007. The 2005 Survey of Local Authority Music Services reported that overall, 8.4 per cent. of pupils Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 4 were learning to play an instrument, a small increase on the figures for 2002. The 2005 report also pointed out that one of the obstacles to increasing the number of pupils playing was the legislation preventing charging for groups larger than four pupils. That legislation has since been amended.
The survey reports are available at
Music: Teachers
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent from the public purse on the fund established for the professional development of music teachers in each year since it was established. [255922]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Since September 2006, when the contract was let, £3.3 million has been spent to develop and deliver a programme of professional development for those working with children at Key Stage 2 in music. This breaks down as follows: £1.1 million in 2006-07, £1.3 million in 2007-08 and £0.9 million to date in 2008-09.
Physical Education: Finance
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding has been (a) allocated and (b) spent as part of the PE and Sport Strategy. [253302]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Since 2003, investment in the PE, School Sport and Club Links (PESSCL) Strategy and the PE and Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP) has totalled over £2.2 billion. This has been allocated and spent, as follows:
| £ | ||
| Allocated | Spend | |
| (1) Forecast spend as at 31 March 2009. | ||
Playgrounds
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many local authorities have obtained capital funding to support the delivery of stimulating local places to play since the publication of the children's plan; [247195]
(2) how many of the proposed new adventure playgrounds referred to on page 101 of his Department's Annual Report have been built; [247194]
(3) when the (a) play strategy and (b) outcomes of the consultation on the strategy was published. [246997]
Beverley Hughes: In April 2008 a first wave of 63 (20 Pathfinder and 43 Playbuilder) local authorities started receiving their play capital and revenue funding. By April 2009, all local authorities will have been offered funding of at least £1 million.
On average over the course of the programme, each play Pathfinder authority will receive around £2 million capital funding and £500,000 revenue funding, and each Playbuilder authority will receive around £1 million capital and £45,000 revenue funding.
Each play Pathfinder authority will deliver a staffed adventure playground to support local children most in need of improved play opportunities. Wave 1 Pathfinders are scheduled to complete 20 adventure play grounds in total by April 2010, and are on track to do so. The wave 2 Pathfinders starting in April 2009 have until 2011 to deliver 10 adventure playgrounds in total.
The Play Strategy was on launched Wednesday 10 December 2008, by a written ministerial statement, Official Report, column 51WS—and a launch event at the White Horse Adventure Playground, Tower Hamlets, attended by my noble Friend Baroness Morgan of Drefelin, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children.
The Play Strategy directly responds to a huge consultation response, including over 9,400 responses from children and young people themselves. 12 per cent. of responses came from disabled children. Key findings from the consultation response are highlighted throughout the Play Strategy document. Children, young people and families were clear that they want improved local play opportunities that are safe and exciting, and communities that are more child-friendly.
Pre-School Education: Manpower
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of staff in the childcare sector were qualified to at least level three in each of the last 30 years. [252070]
Beverley Hughes: The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on the proportion of staff in the child care sector qualified to at least level three. The following table shows the proportion of staff in the child care sector qualified to at least level three for 2003, 2006 and 2007 by different type of child care provider. The proportion of staff qualified to at least level 3 rose in all types of child care setting from 2003 to 2007. Data for earlier years are not available.
| Percentage of paid child care staff with at least a level three qualification | |||
| 2003 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| Notes: 1. Data include all paid child care staff from Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey. 2. Data are not available for all types of providers for 2003. | |||
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |