Written Answers to Questions
Friday 24 April 2009
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Public Holidays
Bob Russell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether he has any plans to introduce an additional bank holiday; and if he will make a statement. [271056]
Mr. McFadden: The pattern of bank holidays is well established and accepted but we keep suggestions of additional holidays under consideration.
Children, Schools and Families
Children: Abuse
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what (a) statutory and (b) other obligations there are upon him to investigate allegations of child abuse in children's homes. [271031]
Beverley Hughes: Although Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families has a general duty to promote the well-being of children, there is no statutory duty on him to investigate allegations of abuse in children's homes. However any allegations of abuse brought to the Department's attention would immediately be passed to the LA or the police to investigate, depending on the information provided.
All children's homes must have child protection policies in place which mean that allegations of abuse are notified to the local authority and the police who have a duty to investigate.
Children: Databases
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many parents have refused to allow the details of their children to be kept on the ContactPoint database. [268423]
Beverley Hughes: The inclusion on to ContactPoint of all children and young people in England is a requirement of the Children Act 2004 Information Database (England) Regulations 2007, which define and limit strictly what information can be held on ContactPoint. Consequently, there is no option for parents to refuse to have their children's details put on ContactPoint.
Parents may make requests to the relevant local authority for their child's record to be shielded if they consider there are circumstances that would put the child or their parent or carer at increased risk of harm, if their whereabouts became known. The process of shielding hides from view all details that could reveal their
whereabouts. Decisions as to whether or not shielding is appropriate will be taken by the local authority, on a case-by-case basis, informed by the level of threat posed.
Departmental ICT
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department has taken to address the effect on levels of carbon dioxide emissions from his Department of its ICT purchases since the publication of the Greening Government ICT Strategy; and if he will make a statement. [269572]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department for Children, Schools and Families is working towards meeting the Greening Government ICT Strategy objectives and is taking a wider range of actions, which can be found on the Department's Sustainable Development webpages at:
Sustainable use and especially lowering the levels of carbon dioxide emissions are key drivers for the procurement, deployment and upgrading of ICT. This includes asking ICT suppliers to evidence their compliance with current or impending standards to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions such as the Government's Buy Sustainable-Quick Win standard and the European Union Energy Star Standard.
The Department has a well-advanced programme of replacing stand-alone printers, photocopiers, scanners and fax machines with multi-function devices to reduce energy consumption and consumables. On completion there are potential electricity cost savings of over £7,000 and a potential reduction of around 18,000 kilograms of carbon emissions in a full year across the Department's London and Sheffield sites.
Other actions include a range of active device power management solutions that are either in place or being put in place; and using more videoconferencing and remote working technologies to reduce travel related carbon emissions.
The Department is currently developing plans for rationalising and making more efficient use of its data centres and other infrastructure with the potential for significant reductions in energy consumption and carbon emissions.
Gifted Children: Suffolk
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of gifted and talented pupils attending schools in Suffolk did not obtain five GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and mathematics in the most recent year for which figures are available. [256961]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In 2008, 103 (12 per cent.) of gifted and talented pupils attending maintained schools in Suffolk did not obtain five GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics. Pupils identified as gifted and talented are defined as
“Children and young people with one or more abilities developed to a level significantly ahead of their year group (or with the potential to develop those abilities)”.
This includes students identified for their talent in, for example, creative arts or sports rather than their ability to excel academically.
Offences Against Children: Haringey
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects the executive summary of the second Serious Case Review of the death of Baby P to be published. [271030]
Beverley Hughes: Haringey Local Safeguarding Children Board will publish the executive summary of the second Baby P serious case review as soon as possible.
Pupils: Disadvantaged
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer of 24 February 2004, what percentage of children were entitled to free school meals in each school in each principal seaside town on the latest date for which figures are available, listed in descending order; and if he will make a statement. [263126]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information has been placed in the House Libraries.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the proportion of children who attained five or more GCSEs at A* to C grade at schools where (a) more than 50 per cent., (b) between 35 and 50 per cent., (c) between 21 and 35 per cent., (d) between 13 and 21 per cent., (e) between nine and 13 per cent., (f) between five and nine per cent. and (g) fewer than five per cent. of children were receiving free school meals in each year since 1996; and if he will make a statement. [263689]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Special Educational Needs
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many and what percentage of independent special schools judged as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) adequate and (d) inadequate at their last Ofsted inspection are in each decile of area deprivation; [269795]
(2) how many and what percentage of maintained and non-maintained special schools judged as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) adequate and (d) inadequate at their last Ofsted inspection are in each decile of area deprivation; [269796]
(3) how many and what percentage of special schools assessed as inadequate by Ofsted at their most recent inspection are in each decile of area deprivation; [269667]
(4) how many and what percentage of independent special schools in the ( a) top and (b) bottom decile of area deprivation as determined by the income deprivation affecting children index were judged to be (i) outstanding, (ii) good, (iii) adequate and (iv) inadequate in their most recent Ofsted inspection. [269668]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: These are matters for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and copies of her replies have been placed in the House Libraries.
Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 16 April 2009:
Parliamentary Question Number 269667: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many and what percentage of special schools assessed as inadequate by Ofsted at their most recent inspection are in each decile of area deprivation.
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
Inspections of maintained and non-maintained special schools are carried out under the inspection framework defined by section 5 of the Education Act 2005, and include a judgement on overall effectiveness. Inspections of non-association independent special schools are carried out under the inspection framework defined by section 162a of the Education Act 2002, as amended by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005. Under this framework, there is no summary judgement for overall effectiveness and these schools are not categorised as outstanding, good, satisfactory or inadequate. Consequently, Ofsted does not hold the information on these schools that you requested.
Table A shows the numbers and percentages of maintained special schools and non-maintained special schools found to be inadequate at their most recent Ofsted inspection. These have been allocated to ten bands according to the income deprivation affecting children index (IDACI) 2007 produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government, where 1 indicates the most deprived 10%, and 10 indicates the least deprived 10%.
As of 2 March 2009, 984 maintained special schools and 73 non-maintained schools were open in England. 958 of the maintained special schools and 70 of the non-maintained special schools have been inspected by Ofsted up to 31 December 2008, the latest inspection data available. Of these, 14 maintained special schools and 2 non-maintained special schools were found to be inadequate at their most recent inspection. The IDACI was then used to allocate these schools into ten bands, based on their postcodes.
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.
Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 16 April 2009:
Parliamentary Question Number 269668: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many and what percentage of independent special schools in the (a) top and (b) bottom decile of area deprivation as determined by the income deprivation affecting children index were judged to be (i) outstanding, (ii) good, (iii) adequate and (iv) inadequate in their most recent Ofsted inspection.
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
Inspections of non-association independent schools are carried out under the inspection framework known as Section 162a. Under this framework, there is no summary judgement for overall effectiveness, and independent schools, including special schools, are not categorised as outstanding, good, satisfactory or inadequate. Consequently, Ofsted does not hold the information for which you asked. It should also be noted that many of the pupils in independent special schools do not live in the area in which the school is situated and may well come from a wide area. This would affect any association with local area deprivation.
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.
Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 16 April 2009:
Parliamentary Question Number 269795: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many and what percentage of independent special schools judged as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) adequate and (d) inadequate at their last Ofsted inspection are in each decile of area deprivation.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |