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Specialised Diplomas: Suffolk

Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils attending schools in Suffolk have been entered for diploma qualifications to date. [256960]

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The number of pupils starting the diploma this September 2008 in the Suffolk local authority is shown in the following table. There is only one consortium in Suffolk (North Suffolk Partnership) which is only offering the engineering diploma.

Sir John Leman High School, Leiston Community High School and Bungay High School are the three schools teaching the engineering diploma.

LA Line Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

Suffolk

Eng

16

15

9


Teachers: Pay

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the cost projections for the introduction of bonuses for teachers in deprived areas; [249119]

(2) what estimate he has made of his Department's expenditure on bonuses for teachers in deprived schools in each of the next five years; [249120]

(3) in what year the first bonus for teachers in deprived areas will be paid; [249122]

(4) from which funding stream golden handcuffs for teachers in deprived areas will be drawn; [249124]

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The cost of the ‘golden handcuff’ element of the incentive package announced in the “New Opportunities” White Paper on 13 January will depend entirely on the decisions made by individual schools. Some may choose not to take part in the initiative and those that do will be able to select which new teachers they want to offer the incentives to.

Head teachers will be able to offer the ‘golden handcuff’ to teachers taking up new posts in around 540 eligible schools from September 2009.

We are currently considering the precise structure of the incentive payment, so detailed costing are not yet available. However, the overall cost of a scheme as set out in the White Paper, “New Opportunities”, will be affordable within the overall schools budget in 2010/11. Future years fall outside the current spending review period, so it is not possible to identify allocations beyond 2010/11.

Teachers: Pensions

Dr. Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps will be taken to ensure that recipients of teaching pensions who have been overpaid receive clear information explaining (a) the reasons for the past miscalculation and (b) the new pension payment figures. [255759]

Jim Knight: In December 2008 we arranged for Capita Teachers’ Pensions (TP), our pensions administrator, to write to all those pensioners who were known to be
23 Feb 2009 : Column 476W
affected by this issue. The content of the letter was agreed across the public service pension schemes and provided a detailed explanation of how the calculation of an element of their pension, known as the guaranteed minimum pension, caused the overpayment. This was supported with a dedicated telephone helpline, which has received approximately 1,000 calls to date. TP will be writing again to those pensioners before the end of February to advise them of the impact on their pensions. At that time they will be provided with further information on how their revised pension amount has been calculated. A dedicated telephone service will continue to be provided to further assist those pensioners to understand their pension calculation.

Truancy: Disadvantaged

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of children in each decile of (a) area deprivation by pupil residence and (b) area deprivation by school residence have been recorded as having at least one unauthorised absence in the last year for which data are available. [257023]

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested is shown in the following table:

Percentage of children in schools( 1,2) recording an unauthorised absence( 3) by IDACI decile( 4) of pupil residence and school location, 2006/07
IDACI decile( 4) Percentage of pupils with at least one recorded unauthorised absence( 3)

 By pupil residency By school location

0-10% most deprived areas

38.5

35.7

10-20%

35.2

32.7

20-30%

31.6

29.7

30-40%

28.0

28.5

40-50%

24.8

25.1

50-60%

22.2

24.1

60-70%

19.9

21.6

70-80%

18.2

21.7

80-90%

16.8

21.1

90-100% least deprived areas

15.4

20.3

Total

25.9

25.9

(1) Includes middle schools as deemed.
(2) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools.
(3) Pupil must have recorded at least one session missed due to unauthorised absence where a session is a half day.
(4) 2004 Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index at Super Output Area level.
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