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4 Mar 2009 : Column 1678W—continued
Ear to Listen
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what response he has made to the recommendation of the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council that his Department give the findings of the Ear to Listen education advocacy project run by Save the Children UK serious consideration. [245087]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department has studied the “Ear to Listen” report, and feels there is merit in a number of the recommendations.
The Department will be undertaking a consultation on giving pupils under 18 a right of appeal following their permanent exclusion from school, and as part of this will consult on a child’s right of appeal in other related policy areas, including admissions and special education needs (SEN). The consultation will consider the type of support that pupils, particularly those with communication difficulties, might need in taking forward
their right of appeal. In addition, following a recent consultation on handling parents’ and young people’s complaints about individual school issues, we will consider the place of mediation as part of the complaints handling process and how it could be used to best effect.
On the recommendation related to providing children with a suitable education, since September 2007 schools have been required to arrange a suitable full-time education for all pupils excluded from the sixth day of any period of fixed period exclusion of six days or longer. Local authorities are likewise required to arrange suitable full-time education from the sixth day of permanent exclusion. The term “suitable” education is not defined by law but should be suitable in relation to the individual pupil’s needs and take account of any special educational needs. Parents should be notified of their child’s continuing educational entitlement in the letter that notifies them of the exclusion and either that letter or a subsequent letter should provide them with detail about the provision, its address and start times.
On the recommendation related to further investigating the reasons behind exclusions of children with SEN, as committed in the “Children’s Plan”, we are already working to identify good practice in this area, and are about to begin a fact-finding study to determine further the factors which lead to high numbers of exclusions of children with SEN.
Education Maintenance Allowance: Wiltshire
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many students aged 16 to 18 years in receipt of an education maintenance allowance there are at each educational institution in North Wiltshire constituency. [259503]
Jim Knight:
This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Mark Haysom
the LSC’s chief executive, will write to the hon. Member for North Wiltshire with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries.
Empty Property
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the estimated cost in empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by his Department is in 2008-09. [258530]
Jim Knight: The cost of empty property business rates to the Department for Children Schools and Families for 2008-09 was £50,038.
GCSE
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils did not obtain five GCSEs at any grade excluding equivalents in 2008. [244293]
Jim Knight: The number of pupils that did not obtain five GCSEs at grades A*-G (excluding all equivalents) in 2008 was 88,430.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils eligible to receive free school meals attained a GCSE in (a) German, (b) French and (c) Spanish at grade A* in 2008. [246083]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The table shows the number and percentage of pupils achieving grade A* in French, German and Spanish by eligibility of free school meals in 2008 as a proportion of pupils at the end of KS4.
| Non-FSM | FSM | Total | ||||
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
The number and percentage of pupils achieving grade A* as a proportion of the total number of entries
| Non-FSM | FSM | Total | ||||
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| Source: National Pupil Database | ||||||
Please note that the data are provisional and subject to change. The data also relates to pupils at the end of KS4 in maintained schools only.
Mr. Gibb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2009, Official Report, column 845W, on general certificate of secondary education, how many and what percentage of pupils in the maintained
mainstream sector achieved a GCSE in (a) physics, (b) chemistry and (c) biology at grade (i) A* and (ii) A in 2008, broken down by index of multiple deprivation decile. [254487]
Jim Knight: The information is provided in the following table.
| Results of pupils at the end of key stage 4 in maintained mainstream schools achieving a GCSE in Physics, Chemistry or Biology at grade A* or A by IDACI deprivation decile( 1) of known pupil residence in England, 2007/08( 2) | ||||||||||||
| IDACI decile1 | (a) Physics | (b) Chemistry | (c) Biology | |||||||||
| (i) Grade A* | (ii) Grade A | (i) Grade A* | (ii) Grade A | (i) Grade A* | (ii) Grade A | |||||||
| No.( 3) | %( 4) | No.( 3) | %( 4) | No.( 3) | %( 4) | No.( 3) | %( 4) | No.( 3) | %( 4) | No.( 3) | %( 4) | |
| (1) 2007 Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index at Super Output Area level based on the residence of the pupil. (2) Provisional. Includes attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (3) Number of pupils entered for the subject who achieved the grade. (4) Percentage of all entries for the subject. Source: National Pupil Database | ||||||||||||
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