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26 Feb 2009 : Column 1088W—continued
—continuedSchools: Cornwall
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools there are in each parliamentary constituency in Cornwall where no other school for the same age range is within a four mile radius. [256453]
Jim Knight: The information requested is as follows:
Schools: Finance
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) undertaken research on the merits of introducing a pupil premium per schools' funding; and if he will make a statement. [258213]
Jim Knight: The current review of the dedicated schools grant (DSG) is investigating how best to provide funding for additional educational needs (AEN), including deprivation. As part of the research to inform the review we have commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers to investigate the different types of AEN in terms of level of incidence and severity, the best measures for identifying pupils likely to under-achieve, and the potential role of financial incentives in tackling deprivation. The outcome of the DSG review will be implemented from 2011.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department allocated to support small schools in each of the last 10 years. [258279]
Jim Knight: It is a matter for each local authority to determine the level of funding for each of their schools. However, the following table shows the amount of revenue funding allocated by local authorities in England to maintained primary and secondary school for the last nine years for which information is available:
| Total budget share plus grants allocated to local authority maintained primary and secondary schools in England from 2000-01 to 2008-09 | ||||||||
| Total budget share plus grants allocated to LA maintained primary schools | Total budget share plus grants allocated to LA maintained secondary schools | |||||||
| All LA maintained primary schools | Of which: schools with fewer than 100 pupils | All LA maintained secondary schools | Of which: schools with fewer than 600 pupils | |||||
| £ | £ per pupil | £ | £ per pupil | £ | £ per pupil | £ | £ per pupil | |
| Notes: 1. Budget share plus grants allocated to schools is the combination of the schools individual budget share plus any revenue grants allocated to the school at the start of the financial year. This does not include any capital funding allocated to schools. 2. The amount of money allocated to a school depends very much on the individual local authorities’ own policy for funding their schools. Different authorities retain varying amounts of funding centrally to spend on behalf of their schools while others chose to give schools more autonomy over how they spend their money by devolving more funding to the individual school. 3. The pupil numbers used to calculate the per pupil amounts are as reported by the local authority on their Section 52 Budget Statement (Table 2) comprising of the full-time equivalent number pupils registered at the school used for the initial determination of the school’s budget share under the local authority’s allocation formula. 4. Included are all local authority maintained primary and secondary schools who are reported by their LA as being open for the entire final year (schools that are reported as either opening or closing during the financial year have been removed). Figures for secondary schools include any LSC funding and LSC pupils for schools with 6th forms. 5. For the purposes of this PQ, a small primary school is defined as having fewer than 100 pupils and a small secondary school is defined as having fewer than 600 pupils. 6. Total budgeted share plus grants figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Per pupil figures are rounded to the nearest £10. 7. 2008-09 figures are subject to change by the local authority. 8. Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 23 February 2009. | ||||||||
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which local authorities have applied for school funding brought forward in the 2008 Pre-Budget Report. [259102]
Jim Knight: Applications from local authorities are currently being considered, and we will make an announcement shortly.
Schools: Internet
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which maintained schools in St Albans have broadband internet access. [256976]
Jim Knight: All schools in Hertfordshire local authority have broadband connections. The Department does not collect data at constituency level.
Schools: Standards
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what mechanisms are in place to ensure that the principles of validated good practice in schools and childcare settings in respect of Public Service Agreement 11 are mainstreamed. [258084]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Public service agreement 11 of October 2007 set out the Government’s commitment to narrow the gap in educational achievement between children from low income and disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers. It did not specify principles of validated good practice in schools and child care settings. The Children’s Plan set out the Government’s policies to extend and mainstream best practice across the whole child care and education system, including through the self-evaluation and Ofsted inspection frameworks. “The Children’s Plan - One Year On”, published in December 2008, reported on progress since then in enabling all children and young people to succeed, and set out priorities for 2009.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2009, Official Report, column 1967W, on schools: standards, which four local authorities are yet to have their National Challenge funding plans signed off; and if he will make a statement. [258305]
Jim Knight: Since 10 February, I have signed off Durham's National Challenge funding plans. The three remaining local authorities are Bradford, Leeds and Milton Keynes and my officials continue to work with them to develop their plans. I expect to be able to sign off plans for Bradford and Milton Keynes this week, and will be meeting with representatives from Leeds to discuss their plan shortly.
Schools: Transport
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much was spent on free transport to school for pupils in each local authority area in each year since 1997. [256342]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department does not hold the information requested.
Schools: Water Charges
Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effect on school budgets of changes to surface water charges by water companies. [258681]
Jim Knight: The Government are aware that the changes to surface water charges can lead to increased charges for some schools, depending on their site and how much they use the public drainage system for rainwater disposal. Schools and local authorities should work together if this proves to be the case and take steps to improve natural drainage at schools if necessary.
For 2007-08, the total expenditure by schools on water and sewerage was £92.1 million. This is 0.3 per cent. of the total school expenditure of £32.9 billion.
The local authority, in consultation with their schools forum, can consider whether they wish to support schools specifically for additional pressures through the local funding formula. However, this is very much a local decision.
Science: Education
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his policy on funding for the study of courses is for the International A-level in (a) physics and (b) chemistry in mainstream secondary schools. [258677]
Jim Knight: Only qualifications that have been accredited by the regulatory authorities are eligible to be considered for public funding. None of the International A-Levels offered by Cambridge International Examinations has been submitted for accreditation by Ofqual; these qualifications are therefore not eligible to be considered for public funding in England.
Science: General Certificate of Secondary Education
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to increase the number of pupils studying (a) science and additional science GCSE and (b) single science GCSEs. [259092]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: With effect from September 2007 the Education and Inspections Act 2006 introduced a statutory entitlement for all key stage 4 pupils to have access to a course of study leading to at least two science GCSEs. Schools have to offer all pupils access to either
(a) Science GCSE and additional science GCSE; or
(b) all three of Physics, Chemistry and Biology GCSEs (i.e. “triple science”).
With effect from September 2008 we introduced a non-statutory entitlement to study triple science for all pupils who achieve Level 6+ in science at key stage 3 and will benefit from studying the three separate sciences. The Learning and Skills Network developed a support programme to help all schools, plan develop and implement triple science.
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