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21 July 2009 : Column 1430W—continued
Schools for the Future - Inspirational Design for Kitchen and Dining Spaces
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's document, Schools for the Future - Inspirational Design for Kitchen and Dining Spaces. [287235]
Mr. Coaker: I will arrange for a copy of the document to be placed in the House Libraries. The Department has also recently published "Kitchen and Dining Spaces-a Design Note" which provides a summary of key design points, mainly for school heads and governors. The booklet is available at the following address
Schools: Admissions
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many school places there are in (a) Hemel Hempstead, (b) Dacorum and (c) Hertfordshire. [285243]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: The Department collects information annually from each local authority on the number of school places at schools in their area, as part of the surplus places survey. The latest data available relate to the position as at January 2008. The following table gives a breakdown of the capacity of schools located in (a) Hemel Hempstead (b) Dacorum and (c) Hertfordshire.
| Area | Primary school capacity | Secondary school capacity |
Schools: Asbestos
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policy on the wellbeing of children of the presence of asbestos in schools; and if he would make a statement; [288695]
(2) what measures are in place to (a) identify and (b) remove asbestos in schools being refurbished under (i) Building Schools for the Future and (ii) the Primary Capital Programme. [288725]
Mr. Coaker: Asbestos in schools should be managed in accordance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006. The legal requirements and associated guidance provides a framework that enables those responsible for schools to manage the risks from asbestos within school buildings. Asbestos is identified by surveys and removed where necessary in accordance with HSE guidance. Partnerships for Schools has included requirements for asbestos surveys in its standard contract documentation for Building Schools for the Future. Work carried out under the Primary Capital programme is subject to local procurement and asbestos management procedures which must comply with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006.
It is DCSF and HSE's assessment that where asbestos is managed in accordance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations teachers and pupils are not likely to be at risk in the course of their normal activities.
Providing asbestos materials are maintained in good condition they can normally be left in situ and managed until the building reaches the end of its life when the asbestos containing materials can be removed without risk of exposing building users to risks arising from significant disturbance.
Schools: Biometrics
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) if he will make it obligatory for schools to obtain the written consent of a child's parents before assembling biometric data on a child based on fingerprint recognition; [288558]
(2) if he will make it obligatory for schools to destroy biometric data based on fingerprint recognition they hold on pupils when a child leaves their school; [288559]
(3) what steps he will take to ensure that (a) police forces and (b) other third parties have no direct or indirect access to biometric data based on fingerprint recognition held by schools in relation to their pupils. [288560]
Mr. Coaker: In July 2007 Becta issued guidance on the use of biometric technology in schools. This guidance was supported by complementary guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office. The Becta guidance made it clear that while consent is not required for all processing of personal data under the Data Protection Act, schools should normally involve pupils and parents in their decisions to use biometric technologies, as is the case with other decisions made during the school life of children.
The Becta guidance also makes it clear that schools must follow the Data Protection Act in regards to the retention and storage of personal data. In accordance
with the Act, schools must ensure all personal data are processed fairly and lawfully, for limited purposes, in line with individuals' rights and not held for longer than necessary. Additionally, schools need to issue a fair processing notice (FPN) to parents summarising the information held about their child or children, why it is held, and the third parties to whom it may be passed on.
Schools: Closures
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools have been placed in special measures more than once since 1997; and how many of those schools have been closed. [287222]
Mr. Coaker: This is a matter for Ofsted. HMCI Christine Gilbert has written to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 17 July 2009:
Parliamentary question number 287222: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, how many schools have been placed in special measures more than once since 1997 and how many of those schools have been closed.
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
Between 1 September 1997 and 3 April 2009, 72 maintained schools were placed in special measures more than once, including one school that had been placed in special measures three times. Twenty three of these schools are now closed.
Of the 72 schools that required special measures a second time, seven remained in special measures at their re-inspection without ever being removed from this category. Data for the summer term 2009 have not yet been published and are not included in these figures.
A copy of this reply has been sent to Vernon Coaker MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
Schools: Construction
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on the construction of new school buildings. [287771]
Mr. Coaker: The Department publishes a wide range of design guidance for new school buildings and remodelling existing buildings. The current list of publications available can be found on the following website at:
For Building Schools for the Future projects, Partnership for Schools publishes design specification guidance. The guidance is available on the following website at:
The Department and Partnerships for Schools also publish a range of design case studies.
Schools: Governing Bodies
Anne Main:
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the statement of 30 June 2009, Official Report, columns 165-80, on 21st century schools, how many members he
expects a slimmer school governing body to comprise; and what criteria he plans to apply to reduce the size of school governing bodies. [284070]
Mr. Coaker: Governing bodies of maintained schools in England are constituted under a stakeholder model which prescribes the percentage representation of each group on the governing body. They can vary in total size from nine to 20 members. It is not our intention to prescribe a smaller size. Each governing body will continue to be free to choose a membership of between nine and 20 which best suits their individual circumstances. We will, however, relax the percentages in the stakeholder model, while retaining safeguards to ensure that each stakeholder group is represented and that there is no reduction in the percentage of parent governors, to give further freedom to governing bodies to choose the optimal membership to meet their needs.
Schools: Hemsworth
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many full-time equivalent (a) teachers, (b) teaching assistants and (c) support staff there were in local education authority schools in (i) the Wakefield district and (ii) Hemsworth constituency in (A) 1997 and (B) at the latest date for which figures are available. [288806]
Mr. Coaker: The following table provides the full-time equivalent number of teachers, teaching assistants and support staff in service in local authority maintained schools in Wakefield local authority and Hemsworth constituency in January 1997 and 2008, the latest year for which information is available.
| Full-time equivalent teachers, teaching assistants and support staff in local authority maintained schools( 1) ; Years: January 1997 and 2008; Coverage: Wakefield local authority and Hemsworth constituency | ||||
| 1997 | 2008 | |||
| Wakefield | Hemsworth | Wakefield | Hemsworth | |
| (1) Excludes academies and city technology colleges. (2) Source: Annual survey of teachers and teacher vacancies (618g) for Wakefield, School Census for Hemsworth. (3) Source: School Census. (4) Includes teaching assistants. | ||||
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average pupil-to-teacher ratio in maintained (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Hemsworth constituency was in each year since 1996-97. [288807]
Mr. Coaker: The following table provides the pupil:teacher ratios in local authority maintained primary and secondary schools in Hemsworth constituency in January of each year, 1997 to 2008, the latest year for which information is available.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what capital funding has been allocated to schools in Hemsworth constituency in each year since 1997. [288809]
Mr. Coaker: The Department allocates much of its capital resources to local authority areas. Information by constituency is not held centrally. Support for capital investment in schools in Wakefield local authority is shown in the following table:
| Financial year | £ million |
| (1 )Includes Primary Capital Programme. | |
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