| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
10 Feb 2009 : Column 1957W—continued
Music: General Certificate of Secondary Education
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of pupils sat GCSE examinations in music in each year since 1997; and what proportion received A* to C grades. [256017]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The available information relates to those 15-year-old pupils who attempted GCSE examinations in Music and is shown in the following table.
| Percentage of 15-year-old pupils who attempted GCSE examinations in Music and the percentage of these pupils who received A* to C grades, England—1997 to 2008 | ||
| Percentage of all 15-year-old pupils attempting subject | Percentage of 15-year-old pupils attempting subject that achieved grades A* to C | |
Music: Teachers
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many applications for funding were received from the fund established for the professional development of music teachers in each year since 2006; how many have completed programmes funded as a result of such applications; and how many participants completed their portfolios in each year. [256016]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In the pilot programme from 2007 to 2008, 733 teachers had completed some modules and 304 of these had completed portfolios by the end of 2008. Under the programme from September 2008, 930 teachers have begun work.
The aim of the Key Stage 2 Music CPD programme is to establish a growing body of music practitioners who have considered at a deep level the issues surrounding teaching and learning in the context of whole class instrumental and vocal activity. Participants complete up to 14 modules through workshops and online learning, as well as benefiting from one-to-one mentoring. As with all professional development this is an ongoing process. The completion of a portfolio indicates a key
milestone but does not indicate that a teacher's professional development is complete, or necessarily that the professional development of other teachers is somehow deficient. Teachers who have engaged with the programme have expressed high levels of satisfaction and even at this early stage we have every reason to believe that children's experience of music making is benefiting as a result. The first report on the effectiveness of the programme will be published in March.
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of primary schools have a teacher with a formal music qualification. [256018]
Jim Knight: The information is not collected centrally.
National Curriculum Tests
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on which occasions in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008 officials in his Department reported to Ministers on the administration of the key stage tests by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority; what steps Ministers took in response to each report; and if he will make a statement. [253418]
Jim Knight: Officials provide Ministers with briefing and regular updates on progress during test cycles, as appropriate, covering current issues, risks and remedial action taken. In 2008 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, as well as providing frequent updates on progress and issues throughout May and June 2008. As set out in Lord Sutherland's report (The Sutherland Inquiry: an independent inquiry into the delivery of National Curriculum tests in 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.
Pre-School Education
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many and what proportion of (a) children’s centres nurseries, (b) maintained nurseries and (c) private, voluntary and independent nurseries reported vacant places in (i) England, (ii) each region, (iii) the 10 per cent. most deprived areas and (iv) the 10 per cent. least deprived areas in each year since 1997; [252064]
(2) how many and what proportion of childminders reported vacant places in (a) England, (b) each region, (c) the 10 per cent. most deprived local authority areas and (d) the 10 per cent. least deprived local authority areas in each year since 1997. [252066]
Beverley Hughes: The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on vacant places for children at child care and early years providers. Table 1 shows the number and proportion of providers in England that reported vacancies, and the total number of providers, by type of provision. Data for previous years are not available.
| Table 1: Providers reporting vacant places for children on an average day | |||
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| n/a = Cases where data are not available, either because the question was not asked, or the provider type was not surveyed in that year. Note: Full day care in children’s centres are a sub-group of all full day care providers and are also included in the all full day care figures. | |||
Table 2 shows the total number of vacancies reported and the number of registered places, by type of provision. Data for previous years are not available.
| Table 2: Number of vacancies and registered places for children | |||
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| n/a = Cases where data are not available, either because the question was not asked, or the provider type was not surveyed in that year. Note: Full day care in children’s centres are a sub-group of all full day care providers and are also included in the all full day care figures. | |||
Table 3 shows the number and proportion of providers in each region that reported vacancies, and the total number of providers, by type of provision. Data for previous years are not available. Data for nursery schools are not available due to small sub-sample sizes for this provider type at the regional level.
| Table 3: Providers reporting vacant places for children on an average day, by region | ||||||
| Full day care | Full day care in children’s centres | Child minders | ||||
| 2006 | 2007 | 2006 | 2007 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| Note: Full day care in children’s centres are a sub-group of all full day care providers and are also included in the all full day care figures. | ||||||
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |