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12 Oct 2009 : Column 228W—continued
Primary Capital Programme: North Yorkshire
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in (a) the Vale of York and (b) North Yorkshire have participated in the Primary Capital Programme in 2009. [291694]
Mr. Coaker: Funding for the national roll out of the Primary Capital Programme commenced in April 2009. It follows that very few of the projects to be funded wholly or partly through the programme have actually commenced on site at this stage. I am pleased to confirm, however, that North Yorkshire's county council's Primary Strategy for Change has been approved and funding of £11.97 million to support local delivery over the two year period 2009-11 has been duly confirmed. Decisions about the prioritisation of individual projects are rightly matters for local determination. My officials have been advised following inquiries made to officers at North Yorkshire that building work is expected to commence shortly at the following schools:
Norton Community Primary School
Hinderwell Community Primary School
Barrowcliffe Community Primary School
Friarage Community Primary School
Although none of these schools are located in the Vale of York constituency, the programme aims to support local authorities in renewing around half of all primary schools by 2023. More detailed information about the work planned can be obtained from the local authority.
Primary Education: Finance
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the £200 million allocated to provide additional primary school places in areas with shortages announced on 15 July 2009 will affect funding for new primary provision in areas which have surplus places. [288867]
Mr. Coaker: On 15 July, we announced that we would make up to £200 million available for authorities which are experiencing and forecasting exceptionally high rates of growth in demand for reception places to 2011, to support the provision of permanent places where there is greatest need. Our guidance on this funding includes that authorities which do not have high growth in reception class demand overall, may still apply where they have areas within their borders where there is high growth. We would, however, expect authorities which have high levels of surplus places to justify why these cannot be used to accommodate the additional children.
Primary Education: Free School Meals
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what plans he has to extend his Department's free school meals pilot to all primary school-age children; [292378]
(2) which local authorities applied to participate in his Department's pilot scheme for free school meals. [292379]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: We have no plans to extend the free school meals pilots to all primary school-age children. Pilots in Newham and Durham started this term to test the case for extending free school meals for all primary children and we will want to learn the lessons of those pilots before making decisions on any national extension.
We invited all local authorities and primary care trusts who felt they met the criteria specified to be a pilot area to express an interest in taking part in the pilots. Expressions were received from the following authorities: Barking and Dagenham; Barnsley; Blackburn and Darwen; Bolton; Brighton and Hove; Bristol; Cornwall; Croydon; Dudley; Durham; Gateshead; Halton; Haringey; Hillingdon; Isle of Wight; Kent; Knowsley; Liverpool; Luton; Newham; North Tyneside; Oldham; Reading; Rotherham; Sandwell; Sheffield; Sunderland; Telford and Wrekin; Waltham Forest; Wakefield; West Sussex; Wigan; and Wolverhampton.
Pupil Exclusions
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what percentage of children living in a two-parent household were permanently excluded from school in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement; [290048]
(2) what percentage of children living in a single-parent household with their (a) mother and (b) father were permanently excluded from school in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [290049]
Mr. Coaker: The Department does not collect data on household background of excluded pupils. The latest available information on exclusions was recently published at:
However, we recognise the importance of parental engagement in their children's learning and that there is a range of evidence that parental relationship breakdown, leading to conflict, has a negative impact on child outcomes. Our aim is to improve outcomes for children by preventing family breakdown where possible and by minimising the negative effects of parental separation on children's well-being.
The Children's Plan: Progress Report, published in December 2008, further outlined Ministers' strategy for improving parents' engagement in children's learning and development through providing direct support for parents and mainstreaming parental engagement in all our policy interventions including children's centres, 21st century schools, National and City Challenges, the workforce strategy, and parenting support programmes.
Pupils: Drugs
Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he plans to take to (a) monitor and (b) evaluate the implementation of the revised Managing Medicines in Schools guidance. [289696]
Ms Diana R. Johnson: This Department is committed to revising its Managing Medicines in Schools guidance as announced in the Child Health Strategy. It will be for schools to develop their own implementation plans working with local delivery partners to establish how best to support the needs of pupils with a long-term medical condition and it will be for schools to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their implementation.
Pupils: Epilepsy
Mr. Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will collect information on (a) levels of epilepsy in schools and (b) educational attainment of pupils with epilepsy. [291019]
Ms Diana R. Johnson [holding answer 14 September 2009]: The School Census collects data on the numbers of children with special educational needs (SEN) and we publish data on their educational attainment. For those children at School Action Plus or with a statement, data are collected on their primary need in 12 categories. The latest figures can be found in Special Educational Needs in England: January 2009 (SFR14/2009)
There is not a specific category for children with epilepsy, although where they have a special educational need, they will be captured in the overall SEN figures.
In the joint Department for Children, Schools and Families and Department of Health publication "Healthy Lives: Brighter Futures, The strategy for children and young people's health" (February 2009),
we provided an estimate of the number of children with epilepsy in an average Primary Care Trust area:
"In an average-sized health community, with a population of around 80,000 children and young people up to the age of 18...over 300 will have epilepsy."
Pupils: Languages
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools had English as an additional language in (i) Basingstoke, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) England in each of the last 10 years. [289803]
Mr. Coaker: The information requested is shown in the table.
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