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8 Jun 2009 : Column 730W—continued
Children, Schools and Families
Children: Databases
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether users of the ContactPoint database will be able to gain access to the database via wireless connections. [276853]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry [holding answer 1 June 2009]: Organisations, who implement a wireless network in accordance with the relevant HMG security policy, may allow users to access ContactPoint via that method. Technical security measures prevent access to ContactPoint from anything other than an approved network and it is not possible to gain access to ContactPoint from unsecured wireless broadband or public locations such as internet cafes and wireless “hotspots”.
Departmental Manpower
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many officials work in his Department’s Young People Directorate; and how many officials in that Directorate work for the (a) Young People’s Participation and Attainment, (b) Young People: Qualification Strategy and Reform Group (c) Apprenticeships division. [277989]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: As of 31 May 2009, 327 officials work in the Department’s Young People Directorate (YPD):
That figure includes staff working for the following Groups:
Young People’s Participation and Attainment Group: 71
Young People: Qualification Strategy and Reform Group: 90
Apprenticeships Group: 15
These figures include 23 officials in the Joint Youth Justice Unit, which reports jointly to Young People Directorate in the Department for Children, Schools and Families, and Criminal Justice Group in the Ministry of Justice. The figure for Apprenticeships Group includes 13 officials working in the Joint Apprenticeship Unit, which reports to both DCSF and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS).
GCSE: Mathematics
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) 16 to 19 year olds, (b) 19 to 25 year olds and (c) over 25 year olds have been entered for a mathematics GCSE examination in each of the last 10 years. [275809]
Mr. Simon: I have been asked to reply.
The following table shows the number of achievements by learners in LSC-funded further education provision of GCSE Mathematics in each academic year since 2003-04, the earliest year for which we have comparable information.
| Achievements by learners in LSC-funded further education provision of GCSE Mathematics, 2003/04 to 2007/08 in England | |||||
| Age | 2003/04 | 2004/05 | 2005/06 | 2006/07 | 2007/08 |
| Notes: 1. Age is based on age as at 31 August (academic age). 2. This information does not include learners studying GCSE Mathematics in Schools, higher education institutions or privately funded learners. 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 4. ‘—’ indicates less than 50. 5. Figures include achievements at any grade. Source: FE ILF | |||||
Awarding body data on GCSE examination entries is analysed by the Department for Children, Schools and Families as part of the Secondary School Achievement and Attainment Tables publication. However, this work only covers young people at the end of key stage 4. Therefore, we do not have information readily available on all learners being entered for GCSE Mathematics examinations.
Due to the increased number of pupils taking and successfully passing a Maths GCSE at school, we would expect the volume of learners studying this qualification at a further education college to fall. In 1997, there were 534.7 thousand 15-year-olds (academic age) attempting GCSE Mathematics and 250.3 thousand achieving a C grade or higher (around 50 per cent. of those attempting the subject). In 2004, 606.0 thousand pupils attempted GCSE Mathematics at the end of key stage 4 with 318.9 thousand achieving a grade A*-C (around 53 per cent. of those attempting the subject). In 2008, 609.7 thousand pupils attempted GCSE Mathematics at the end of key stage 4, with 361.1 thousand achieving a grade A*-C (59 per cent. of those attempting the subject).
A GCSE may not necessarily be the most appropriate learning outcome for many learners and colleges have been encouraged to advise learners to study the most relevant qualification to them. Many learners who may previously have undertaken a GCSE in Mathematics now have their numeracy needs picked up through embedded learning in other courses.
Over the past few years the Government have prioritised investment in adult skills towards those courses that best provide individuals with the skills to enter into sustained employment and progress into further learning. In 2007/08 464,000 learners achieved a Numeracy Skills for Life qualification.
Pre-school education
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many state-funded nursery places there are in each local authority area; how many of these are occupied; and if he will make a statement. [277981]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information on the number of state-funded nursery places in each local authority area is not collected centrally.
The Department publishes information on the part-time equivalent number of free early education places filled by three and four year olds. This is derived by counting children taking up 12 and a half hours per week as one place, 10 hours per week as 0.8 places, seven and a half hours per week as 0.6 places, five hours per week as 0.4 places and two and a half hours per week as 0.2 places.
The latest information on the number of free early education places filled by three and four year olds can be found in Table 5 of the Statistical First Release (SFR) 12/2008 “Provision for children under five years of age in England, January 2008” which is available on the Department’s website at:
Racial Harassment: Barnsley
Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children were (a) excluded from school and (b) otherwise disciplined in Barnsley for a racist attack on a teacher in the academic year (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09. [276418]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information is not collected in the form requested.
Information on the reason for exclusion from school is broken down into a number of categories. While there are categories for ‘racist abuse’ and ‘physical assault against an adult’ the categories are not broken down to specifically cover racist attacks on teachers.
Exclusions statistics for 2006/07, including breakdown by reason for exclusion, were published in SFR 14/2008 ‘Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools in England 2006/07’ which is available at:
Exclusions statistics for 2007/08 are scheduled to be published in the summer; information for 2008/09 is expected to be published in summer 2010.
Statistics are not collected by the Department on the numbers of pupils disciplined for particular kinds of behaviour.
Truancy: Greater Manchester
Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many parents have been fined as a result of their children not attending school in each borough in Greater Manchester in each of the last five years. [277529]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Ministry of Justice collects data for England and Wales on prosecutions brought against parents under the Education Act 1996 for the offence under s444(1) of failing to secure their child’s regular attendance at school; and for prosecutions under s444(1A), the aggravated offence of knowing that their child is failing to attend school regularly. It is possible, because of the way courts record data that some data is collected under the more general heading of various offences under the Education Act 1996.
The information on the number of parents sentenced and given fines in the Greater Manchester area is detailed in the table. The data for 2008 will be published this autumn. The Ministry of Justice only collects information on sentencing based on police force regions.
The Department also collects and publishes data on penalty notices (fines) issued by local authorities in England to parents for not securing their child’s regular attendance at school. The figures for the last four years for each local authority in the Greater Manchester region are detailed in the following table.
| Penalty notices issued by local authorities to parents for their children’s non school attendance in the Greater Manchester area | ||||||||||
| Number of PNs for unauthorised absence over: | Bolton | Bury | Manchester | Oldham | Rochdale | Salford | Stockport | Tameside | Trafford | Wigan |
| Source: Department for Children, Schools and Families data March 2009 | ||||||||||
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