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20 Apr 2009 : Column 238W—continued
Under the new vetting and barring scheme a supervisory authority such as Ofsted will be required to inform the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) if it has information that a person poses a risk of harm. In return, the ISA must inform them when it bars someone who is supervised or registered by them.
Where employers (including independent schools) in the education sector have ceased to use the services of a person because they consider that person is unsuitable to work with children, or they would have ceased to use the person's services where the person has left their employment, they are required to refer information to the Department or, from 20 January 2009, the ISA. In addition, the police also refer cautions and convictions, including for those who have been working in educational establishments in accordance with Home Office Circular 6/2006 (The Notifiable Occupations Scheme).
Identifying how many referrals and letters of notification were received from maintained schools would require detailed checks to be made of individual case records and this would incur disproportionate cost.
Education Maintenance Allowance
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what estimate he has made of the number of students eligible to receive the education maintenance allowance who have waited (a) one, (b) two, (c) three, (d) four and (e) five months or more to receive a payment since September 2008; [269650]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of students who have experienced a delay in the payment of education maintenance allowance since September 2008. [269651]
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). Geoffrey Russell the LSC’s Acting Chief Executive, will write to the hon.
Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
Education: Assessments
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of pupils who achieved level five in English, science and mathematics at Key Stage 2 in 2001 who achieved three or more A grades at A level in 2008. [260539]
Jim Knight [holding answer 3 March 2009]: The most readily available analysis is given in the following table:
Education: Ethnic Groups
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) in how many secondary schools the majority of registered students are black, Asian or other minority ethnic in (a) England, (b) Leicestershire and (c) Leicester East constituency; [262210]
(2) in how many primary schools the majority of registered students are black, Asian or other minority ethnic in (a) England, (b) Leicestershire and (c) Leicester East constituency. [262438]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information is shown in the tables:
| Maintained primary( 1) and state-funded secondary schools( 1,2) : number of schools with the majority of pupils classified as minority ethnic: As at January 2008—In England, Leicestershire, Leicester City and Rutland Local Authorities and Leicester East parliamentary constituency | ||||||
| All Schools | ||||||
| England | Leicester LA | Leicester city LA | Rutland LA | All Leicestershire | Leicester East Parliamentary constituency | |
| Schools where majority of pupils are minority ethnic( 3) | ||||||
| England( 4) | Leicestershire LA | Leicester city LA | Rutland LA | All Leicestershire | Leicester East Parliamentary constituency | |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes City Technology Colleges and Academies. (3) Where more than 50 per cent. of pupils of compulsory school age and above are classified as other than White British or Unclassified. (4) Five primary schools and one secondary school did not return ethnicity data. Source: School Census | ||||||
Education: Finance
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding has been (a) spent on and (b) allocated to (i) the Building Schools for the Future programme, (ii) the primary capital programme, (iii) the academy capital programme and (iv) other national capital programmes in each local authority area; and on what date each such allocation was made. [268478]
Jim Knight: The Department's programme capital Estimates (as approved by Parliament) for the relevant programmes along with forecast spend for 2008-09 are provided in the following table:
| Capital Budget | |||
| £ million | |||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
| Forecast spend | Estimate | Estimate | |
The Academies programme is increasingly being delivered through the Building Schools for the Future Framework, and is therefore included as one figure.
The above takes into account £800 million brought forward from 2010-11 to 2009-10 as part of the fiscal stimulus. In addition, HMT has also agreed for a further £124 million to be brought forward which will be reflected in the Estimates in due course.
In addition to the above, £3.9 billion of PFI credits are available for allocation over the CSR period. The figures also do not include any End of Year Flexibility amounts which may be approved by HMT during future years. If approved, the above Estimate figures are likely to increase accordingly.
Funding is allocated on different dates depending on the nature of each programme. An analysis of this, also a split by local authority, cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
Education: Hearing Impaired
Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will take steps to ensure that Ofsted inspections of educational provision for deaf children are carried out by inspectors who (a) have adequate levels of training and expertise in (i) education for the deaf and (ii) communication with deaf children and (b) are accompanied by a skilled interpreter. [265779]
Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to my hon. Friend and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 2 April 2009:
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
Ofsted recognises that inspecting provision and outcomes for deaf or hearing impaired pupils requires particular specialist knowledge and skills with regard to issues such as language development, communication methods, and acoustic conditions.
You asked how Ofsted ensured that its inspectors had adequate levels of training and expertise in education for the deaf and communication with deaf children. Ofsted has a small core team of four Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI) who are specialists in the inspection of sensory impairment who are routinely deployed in the inspection of schools for deaf and hearing impaired pupils. Ofsted also requires our contracted Regional Inspection Service Providers to provide inspectors who are suitable for each individual inspection. Every effort is made to inspect special schools with inspectors who have expertise in that particular field. Where there is specific provision for pupils with SEN in mainstream schools, then every effort is made to provide the inspection team with an inspector with expertise in the particular field of SEN provided by the school. Training on inspecting special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream schools, special schools and pupil referral units was provided for HMI and Additional Inspectors (AI) during 2008, and is being updated for the coming year. All inspectors have access to extensive guidance available to support this area of work.
In February 2009, Ofsted announced that it has agreed three new contracts with contractors for the provision of inspection from September 2009. These contracts will cover all the inspection remits in schools and colleges, apprenticeships, adult skills and initial teacher education. The procurement process for the new contracts has provided the opportunity for Ofsted to renew the commitment of its contractors to deploy appropriately skilled and specialist additional inspectors for each school's context, including those with deaf children.
Ofsted is also working with the Department for Children, Schools and Families to ensure the availability to inspectors of better performance data for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including children who are deaf and/or hearing impaired. In particular, we are seeking to provide performance data for individual pupils who have specific learning difficulties and/or disabilities, in order to measure more rigorously their progress and achievement.
You also asked whether inspectors are accompanied by a skilled interpreter. It is necessary for inspectors to be able to communicate effectively with deaf and hearing impaired pupils: this may require competence in British Sign Language or other methods of communication, or use of a skilled interpreter. Ofsted is reviewing these requirements for the new inspection arrangements for September, including the requirement to have an interpreter on inspection.
A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
Extracurricular Activities
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many maintained secondary schools provide after-school, small group tuition in specific subject areas. [268447]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: We do not collect information centrally on the number of secondary schools offering after-school, small group tuition in specific subject areas.
Further Education: Finance
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what change in allocations for 16 to 18 year learners there was between the provisional and final funding figures sent to schools and colleges; [269804]
(2) whether the final 16 to 18 learner funding allocations cover (a) all students enrolled in schools and sixth form colleges and (b) all students predicted to enrol for the 2009-10 academic year; [269805]
(3) when the Learning and Skills Council notified schools and colleges of their provisional 16 to 18 learner funding allocation. [269806]
Jim Knight: We are planning record investment of over £6.7 billion in education for 16 to 18-year-olds from September this year. That means there is funding for over 1.5 million young people to study, the most 16 to 18-year-olds that have ever been in education in this country.
As part of the Department’s wider discussions in the National Economic Council on what more we can do to support the economy, we are working across Government on the extra financial support we need to provide for the new learners that are coming forward.
The Learning and Skills Council’s (LSC) letter of 31 March said that we continue to consider options for further funding, including meeting emerging pressures from the impact of the recession and recruitment during the year.
The LSC will be writing again to schools and colleges by the end of April.
Mr. Gibb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for what reasons the final 16 to 18 learner funding allocation issued to schools and
colleges varied from the provisional allocation issued in early March. [269807]
Jim Knight: I refer the hon. Member to the press statement of 3 April 2009, which is available at:
GCE A-Level
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils took A levels in two or more of (a) accounting, (b) art and design, (c) business studies, (d) communication studies, (e) dance, (f) design and technology, (g) drama and theatre studies, (h) film studies, (i) health and social care, (j) home economics, (k) information and communication technology, (l) leisure studies, (m) media studies, (n) music technology, (o) performance studies, (p) performing arts, (q) photography, (r) physical education, (s) sports studies and (t) travel and tourism in (i) maintained schools and (ii) independent schools in the latest period for which figures are available. [257300]
Jim Knight [holding answer 23 February 2009]: 26,483 pupils(1) in maintained schools(2) were entered for two or more GCSE/Applied A-levels in the listed subjects in 2007/08. The equivalent number in independent schools was 3,283.
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