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1 Sep 2009 : Column 1822W—continued
Advanced Skills Teachers
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many advanced skills teachers there were in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008 and (d) 2009. [288340]
Dawn Primarolo: The following table provides the headcount number of full and part-time advanced skills teachers in service in local authority maintained schools in England, January 2006 to 2009.
| Full and part-time head count number of advanced skills teachers (ASTs) in service in the local authority maintained sector( 1) -20009-09: England | |
| ASTs | |
| (1) The figures exclude academies and CTCs because they are not funded by Las and therefore not part of the 618g collection. (2 )This figure is approximately 200 too high because a small number of local authorities overstated the numbers of ASTs they employed in 2008. (3) Provisional. Source: Annual survey of teachers in service and teacher vacancies (618g). | |
Children: Disabled
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will develop a national strategy for the inclusion of children with disabilities into society, based on the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. [289213]
Dawn Primarolo: The Government have taken action to promote an inclusive society in which disabled children will play a full part. We ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons on 8 June. Further, we outlined in the Children's Plan our desire to make Britain the best place for all children and young people to realise their full potential, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.
We have legislated to ensure that disabled children and young people are not discriminated against and are actively encouraged by their school to participate in school life and in the local community. We amended the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to require public bodies (including schools and local authorities) to increase access to the curriculum and school premises over time for disabled students by making reasonable adjustments.
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 has also been amended to place a general duty on all public bodies, when carrying out their functions to have due regard to the need to: promote equality of opportunity between disabled people and other people; eliminate discrimination that is unlawful under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995; eliminate harassment of disabled people that is related to their disability; promote positive attitudes by disabled people in public life; and take steps to meet disabled people's needs, even if this requires more favourable treatment. Additionally, public bodies have a specific duty to work with disabled people to develop, implement and publish a disability equality scheme outlining how the general duty will be met.
Children: Protection
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people have been added to the barred list maintained under the Protection of Children Act 1999 by the Independent Saefguarding Authority since January 2009. [287923]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 21 July 2009, Official Report, columns 1408W and 1443W.
EU Law
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of the statutory obligations upon it provided for in legislation introduced as a consequence of obligations arising from EU legislation in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available. [283482]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department for Children, Schools and Families has not carried out an estimate of the proportion of statutory obligations deriving from EU law within its policy remit. The key policy areas within the Department's remit (education in schools, children's social care and substantive family law) fall outside Community competence.
GCSE
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils eligible to sit a (a) mathematics, (b) English and (c) science GCSE in 2007 were not entered for an examination in each subject. [286383]
Dawn Primarolo: The information is shown in the following table:
| GCSE attempts of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4: England 2006-07 | |||
| Subject | Number of pupils eligible for subject | Number of pupils entered for subject | Number of pupils not entered for subject |
| * All figures to nearest 100. | |||
These figures are derived from the Statistical First Release: GCSE and Equivalent Examination Results in England 2006-07 (Revised) at:
Glasgow
John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he plans to visit Glasgow on official business during the summer adjournment. [288927]
Dawn Primarolo: The Secretary of State currently has no plans to visit Glasgow on official business during the summer adjournment.
Head Teachers: Age
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average age of headteachers in maintained schools was at the most recent date for which figures are available. [288343]
Dawn Primarolo: In March 2008, the latest period for which information is available, the average age of full-time head teachers in service in local authority maintained schools in England was 50. This figure is from the Database of Teacher Records and is provisional.
National Curriculum Tests
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families at how many and what proportion of primary schools (a) 25 per cent. or more and (b) 50 per cent. or more of pupils did not achieve a Level 4 or above in reading, writing and mathematics in their Key Stage 2 tests in the latest period for which figures are available. [286804]
Dawn Primarolo: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Offences against Children: Internet
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what (a) funding, (b) materials and (c) other support his Department provides for children who have experienced online abuse. [288850]
Dawn Primarolo: Details on the funding, materials and support made available specifically for the victims of online child abuse are not held centrally.
However, expenditure on children's social care in England has increased from £2.218 billion in 1997-98 to £5.728 billion in 2008-09. This is a real terms increase of over 90 per cent., which equates to an average real terms increase of 6.1 per cent. per annum. In addition, the Government are investing £130 million in social work reform over the full spending review period including
£109 million in the next two years of which £57.8 million is additional new investment as part of the Government's detailed response to Lord Laming's Report.
The Department of Health also makes available to local authorities £100.045 million in 2009-10 for child and adolescent mental health services through the local authority area based grant. It is for local authorities to determine how to use those resources in order to deliver local and national priorities in their areas. These grants account for less than 20 per cent. of spend on CAMHS and the actual reported spend on CAMHS increased by 62 per cent. between 2003-04 and 2006-07 to £523 million (latest available figure) when NHS spending is considered also.
Statutory guidance contained in 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' explains the procedures to be followed if somebody has concerns about the welfare of a child and in particular has concerns that a child may be suffering, or may be at risk of suffering, significant harm. Chapter 5 sets out the principles that underpin work to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Where online abuse is concerned children and or parents can seek support from children's social care.
In addition, the Government have committed £30 million to the NSPCC's Childline services which offers trusted 1:1 counselling to children. The money will allow the NSPCC to expand their services significantly and improve them so that more children can be given the advice and help that can be so important.
Pupil Exclusions: Hampshire
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many exclusions from schools there have been in each year group in (a) Test Valley Borough and (b) Southampton in each of the last three years; and how many of those pupils who were excluded were also (i) cautioned for and (ii) charged with criminal offences. [287767]
Dawn Primarolo: The available information on the number of exclusions (not the number of students) is shown in the table.
Data on permanent exclusions are available for the full period requested. Data on fixed period exclusions were collected for the first time in 2003-04 via the Termly Exclusions Survey. Since 2005-06 collection has been via the School Census, but in that first year was for secondary schools only, therefore, comparable information for fixed period exclusions in 2005-06 is not available. In 2006-07, collection was extended to primary and special schools.
Information for Test Valley Borough could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Statistics are not collected by the Department on the numbers of pupils that have been cautioned or charged for criminal activity.
| Primary, secondary and special schools( 1, 2, 3) : Number of exclusions by age, Southampton LA: 2004-05 to 2007-08 | |||||||
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | ||||
| Number of exclusions | Permanent exclusions( 4) | Fixed period exclusions | Permanent exclusions( 4) | Permanent exclusions( 4) | Fixed period exclusions | Permanent exclusions( 4) | Fixed period exclusions |
| (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes both CTCs and academies (including all-through academies). Information is as reported by schools. (3) Includes maintained special schools. Non-maintained special schools are included from 2006-07. (4) Figures relating to permanent exclusions are estimates based on incomplete pupil-level data. (5) Age as at 31 August. Notes: 1. x less than 5. 2. Totals may not appear to equal the sum of component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. | |||||||
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