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20 May 2009 : Column 1452W—continued
These programmes include Youth Inclusion and Support Panels, Youth Inclusion Programmes, Safer Schools Partnerships, Splash Cymru, work to prevent antisocial behaviour (including Individual Support Order interventions) and parenting provision.
The figures do not include funding for the Youth Justice Board programmes for reducing reoffending such as the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance programme and Intensive Fostering.
Children, Schools and Families
Children: Databases
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the data fields on the ContactPoint database are; and if he will make a statement. [268459]
Beverley Hughes: The data fields in ContactPoint contain information supplied by each data source. The data sources are listed in schedules 4 and 5 of the ContactPoint regulations and section 12(9) of the Children Act 2004. Some fields can hold multiple entries; for example where two addresses are known. Every ContactPoint record is made up of the information from each supplying source. The data fields listed here are collected from these data sources.
Child Name/Gender/Date of birth/Address
Parent/Carer name and contact details
Contact details for General Practitioner/school or other educational setting/midwife (if any)/health visitor (if any)/school nurse (if any)
Additional (Targeted / Specialist) services
Name and contact details
Contact details for the lead professional (if any)
Contact details of the practitioner who has completed the most recent assessment under the Common Assessment Framework (if any).
Citizenship: Education
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of training for teachers on the teaching of citizenship in the last three years; [275907]
(2) whether any recent assessment has been made of the consistency of the standard of citizenship education in schools; [275912]
(3) what steps have been taken to improve the teaching of citizenship in secondary schools following the finding by Ofsted in September 2006 that one in four secondary schools failed to offer pupils adequate citizenship teaching; [275913]
(4) what recent assessment he has made of the quality of teaching of citizenship in schools; and what steps he is taking to improve the standard of such teaching; [275925]
(5) what steps his Department has taken in response to the finding in the February 2005 Ofsted Report, Citizenship in Secondary Schools: Evidence from Ofsted Inspections that the provision of citizenship education was unsatisfactory in one in four schools. [276495]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government are committed to providing high quality training for teachers of citizenship.
In 2006, we introduced a nationally funded programme of continuing professional development for teachers, including a ‘Certificate in the Teaching of Citizenship’, which is available to all citizenship teachers.
The certificate is designed to help serving teachers improve their knowledge, skills and understanding of the citizenship curriculum Ofsted has recently evaluated the national CPD programme. Its report, published in February 2009 commented on the high quality of the training, but noted a shortfall in recruitment. We have appointed the university of Plymouth, a specialist provider of Citizenship education, to develop and promote improved take up of the programme better to meet the needs of teachers and schools.
Ofsted’s next report on Citizenship as a subject is due to be published in the autumn.
A three-year package of support for the effective implementation of the new secondary curriculum, including Citizenship, has been made available to all secondary schools from September 2008.
The Training and Development Agency TDA has designed a Self-Evaluation for providers of initial teacher training (ITT) courses. Information from providers’
self-evaluation, including those offering the Citizenship postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE), is used to inform Ofsted inspections.
13 Higher Education Institutions provide secondary Citizenship ITT. 11 of these have been categorised as good or very good by Ofsted.
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what training is available for (a) primary and (b) secondary school teachers on the teaching of citizenship; [275908]
(2) what plans he has to encourage the recruitment of specialist trained citizenship teachers by secondary schools; [275926]
(3) what guidance his Department gives to local authorities on (a) the recruitment of specialist trained citizenship teachers by secondary schools and (b) specialist training for secondary school teachers in the teaching of citizenship. [275927]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Since the introduction of citizenship education in 2002, over 800 teachers have completed initial teacher training courses to become specialist citizenship teachers. We have maintained the number of places available for citizenship secondary initial teacher training, for 2009/10 academic year, despite the decline in the number of pupils in schools. In primary initial teacher training, Citizenship is addressed as part of the full spectrum of the primary curriculum. The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) also supports the quality of Citizenship ITT by providing access to specialist subject knowledge for ITT tutors, mentors and trainees.
The Department has funded, since 2006, the national Citizenship continuing professional development (CPD) programme designed to help teachers deepen and broaden their knowledge and confidence in delivering the citizenship curriculum effectively.
The TDA is also supporting the continuing professional development of citizenship teachers by enabling them to identify appropriate training and development. They are currently piloting a CPD database—designed to be a first port of call for anyone looking for CPD opportunities, from teachers and support staff to those who search for CPD on their behalf, such as CPD leaders and local authority coordinators.
The Department does not provide guidance on the recruitment or training of Citizenship teachers.
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps have been taken to ensure effective teaching of the Identity and Diversity: Living Together in the UK strand of citizenship education in all secondary schools. [275911]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: We have strengthened citizenship education to ensure that young people explore their own identity and issues around diversity. Schools are encouraged to embed citizenship across the school and to integrate themes such as cultural diversity in all subjects. A three-year package of support for the effective implementation of the new secondary curriculum, including the new Identity and Diversity strand of the Citizenship curriculum, has been made available to all secondary schools from September 2008.
Last year, the Department supported a project to develop identity and diversity resources for schools to help them to develop this aspect of the curriculum by taking part in “Who Do We Think We Are” week. The week, which took place in June 2008, encouraged schools to help their pupils to explore shared values and what it means for different religions, cultures and ethnicities to live together in an inclusive British society. Around 500 schools across the country took part in the project and we are encouraging all schools, to participate in the “Who Do We Think We Are” week in June 2009.
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what guidance his Department provides to maintained faith schools on the teaching of citizenship; [275914]
(2) what proportion of maintained faith schools teach citizenship. [275915]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Citizenship is part of the statutory national curriculum for secondary schools. All maintained secondary schools, including maintained faith schools, are required to teach the issues set out in the key stage 3 and 4 programmes of study.
The Department does not provide guidance on teaching Citizenship, but the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) provides a range of guidance on all curriculum subjects, including Citizenship, to support schools.
Departmental Publications
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many written pieces of guidance to schools were issued by his Department in each of the last nine years. [276510]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested by the hon. Member was provided on 28 April 2008, Official Report, column 181W, and remains unchanged.
Departmental Reviews
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) review and (b) taskforce projects his Department has commissioned in each of the last five years; what the purpose of each such project is; when each such project (i) began and (ii) was completed; what the cost of each such project was; and if he will make a statement. [275976]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested details of review and taskforce projects commissioned by the Department and its predecessor cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
Departmental Stationery
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessors spent on the purchase of (a) recycled office supplies in the last 12 months and (b) printer ink cartridges in each of the last five years. [274207]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry:
The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) was created as a result of the Machinery of Government changes in June 2007. Prior to June 2007, it was Department for Education and Skills (DFES). The spend figures are from office
supplies purchased via the Department's contract with Banner Business Services (BBS) in the last five years was as follows:
| £ | ||
| Recycled office supplies | Printer Ink Cartridges | |
| (1 )Only available at disproportionate costs | ||
The figures for 2004-05 and 2005-06 have been archived by the contractor and can only be obtained at disproportionate costs.
The figures since June 2007 also includes a portion of spend for Department for Universities and Skills DIUS (former DFES staff only). To separate this data would involve disproportionate cost.
The figures for printer ink cartridges also include remanufactured products.
Industrial Health and Safety
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessors spent on compliance with requirements of health and safety at work legislation in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [274548]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: It is not possible to separately identify what the Department spends on health and safety compliance. The management of health and safety in the Department involves a number of differing elements, each of which forms part of a wider service function.
Primary Education: St Albans
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential to increase the number of primary school places in central St Albans; and if he will make a statement. [276363]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department has not made any assessment of the potential to increase the number of primary school places in central St. Albans. That is the local authority’s role. Hertfordshire local authority is responsible for planning school places in St. Albans. It is under a duty to ensure sufficient school places are available to meet local needs.
Pupils: Nationality
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what information his Department collects on the nationality of pupils in schools. [276436]
Jim Knight: The Department does not collect information on the nationality of pupils in schools.
Young People: Voluntary Work
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2009, Official Report, columns 598-9W, on young people: voluntary work, what criteria will apply in the selection of local authorities to pilot options to increase the proportion of young people participating in community service. [276180]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: We envisage running the pilots with local authorities (LAs) in partnership with their secondary schools, the voluntary and community sector in their areas and with relevant agencies. Criteria for selection will include evidence that schools are keen to take part, evidence of the existing level of community service among 14 to 16-year-olds and the prospects for building on that to create a universal expectation and credible plans for involving young people in designing the local arrangements for community service.
Schools: Bullying
Keith Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many students were
suspended from schools following racist incidents in (a) Leicester City local education authority and (b) England in each of the last five years. [273582]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The available information on the number of fixed period exclusions (not the number of students) where the reason for exclusion is “racist abuse” is shown in the following tables. This is the only reason for exclusion that relates specifically to racism; however, racist incidents could be included in other categories, such as “physical assault against a pupil”. A pupil can be excluded more than once and these can be for different reasons.
Reasons for exclusions were recorded for the first time in 2003/04, and the most recent year available is 2006/07; information for 2007/08 is scheduled to be published in the summer. Data collected in 2003/04 and 2004/05 via the Termly Exclusions Survey did not include non-maintained special schools; data collected in 2006/07 via the School Census included both maintained and non-maintained special schools. This difference in scope and the change in collection mechanism mean that caution is needed when comparing results from the two sources. In 2005/06, data on fixed period exclusions were collected from secondary schools only.
| Primary, secondary and special schools1 number and proportion of fixed period exclusions for racist abuse 2003/04 to 2006/07, England and Leicester City LA | ||||||
| 2003/04( 2) | 2004/05( 2) | |||||
| Primary( 1) | Secondary( 1,4) | Special( 5) | Primary( 1) | Secondary( 1,4) | Special( 5) | |
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