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9 Nov 2009 : Column 108W—continued

European Union: Primary Education

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2009, Official Report, column 232W, on the European Union: primary education, what information on the European Union his Department permits EU institutions to distribute to primary schools. [295596]

Mr. Coaker: The Department does not endorse any specific teaching resources and it is for teachers to use their professional judgment in determining which materials to use in the classroom.

In addition, European Union institutions have a policy of distributing publications only on demand. They do not send out unsolicited information.

Families: Prison

Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what programmes his Department has to support the families of those who are in prison; [298706]

(2) how many Sure Start children's centres have programmes in place to provide appropriate support for the families of those who are in prison. [298707]

Dawn Primarolo: The Department recognises that many children of offenders are vulnerable and is working closely with the Ministry of Justice and National Offender Management Service to meet their needs.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Ministry of Justice have just published (on 3 November 2009) a cross-government framework setting out recommended practice by local agencies and offender management services in identifying and supporting these families.

We have significantly expanded funding for parenting and family support and have just announced indicative local authority allocations for 2010-11 totalling £89 million. Many of the projects delivered with this funding, such as family intervention projects, work with prisons and the probation service to support this group of families. The Department also directly funds a range of organisations such as Action For Prisoners' Families to deliver projects to support the families of offenders through the our third sector grant programmes.

The Sure Start children's centres practice guidance highlights families with a parent in prison or known to be engaged in criminal activity among those vulnerable families for whom additional support should be available. It includes a separate section with good practice examples on how services can be tailored to meet the needs of partners and families of prisoners. Together for Children, the Department's delivery partner, have also produced a support product "Working Effectively with Families in Sure Start Children's Centres" which includes a checklist and links to resources to help centres working with families of prisoners and is available online at:

9 Nov 2009 : Column 109W

http://www.childrens-centres.org/Topics/AllTfCSupportProducts.aspx#WorkingwithFamilies

Information on how many Sure Start children's centres have programmes in place to provide appropriate support for families of those who are in prison is not collected centrally. Local authorities, working with their partners in children's trusts, are responsible for decisions on services to be delivered in children's centres in response to local needs and demands.

GCSE

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many pupils obtaining five GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics also received an equivalent qualification worth four GCSEs in the latest period for which figures are available; [295280]

(2) how many pupils obtaining five GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics also obtained an equivalent qualification worth two or more GCSEs in the latest period for which figures are available. [295281]

Mr. Coaker: Provisional figures for 2009 show that of the 314,158 pupils who achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics (including equivalents), 33,867 of these pupils achieved at least one individual equivalent qualification worth four GCSEs at grades A* to C. Of these, 5,351 would not have met the threshold without the equivalent qualification.

98,437 pupils who achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics (including equivalents) obtained at least one individual equivalent qualification worth two or more GCSEs at grades A* to C. Of these, 9,889 would not have met the threshold without these equivalent qualifications.

Notes:

1. Figures cover pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in all schools.

2. Qualifications counted as GCSEs for this answer include full GCSEs, short course GCSEs, GCSE double awards, GCSEs in applied subjects and GCE AS levels that have been taken early. All other accredited qualifications that are approved for pre-16 use are counted as GCSE equivalent qualifications.

GCSE: Birmingham

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many school pupils in Birmingham achieved (a) five A* to C grades at GCSE or equivalent and (b) five A* to C grades at GCSE or equivalent including English and mathematics in each year since 1998. [296278]

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Mr. Coaker: The figures requested are given in the following table.

Number of pupils in Birmingham who achieved selected grades at GCSE or equivalent in each year since 1998
	5 A*-C		5 A*-C including English and mathematics
	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage
1998	4,137	35.9	2,982	25.9
1999	4,435	38.1	3,335	28.6
2000	4,672	40.8	3,584	31.3
2001	4,879	41.2	3,683	31.1
2002	5,359	45.3	4,036	34.1
2003	5,963	49.4	4,217	35.0
2004	6,218	51.2	4,448	36.6
2005	6,797	56.6	4,678	39.0
2006	7,336	58.8	5,090	40.8
2007	7,813	61.8	5,266	41.6
2008	8,429	66.6	5,762	45.5
2009	8,885	72.0	5,829	47.2
Notes: 1. 1998 to 2004 data relate to 15-year-olds at the start of the school year. 2. 2005 to 2009 data relate to pupils at the end of key stage 4. 3. 2009 figures are provisional. Source Achievement and Attainment Tables' database.

Learning and Skills Improvement Service: Finance

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department is providing to the Learning and Skills Improvement Service in 2009-10; and what proportion this constitutes of the total budget of the Learning and Skills Improvement Service. [296879]

Mr. Coaker: In 2009-10 the Department for Business Innovation and Skills will receive funding from DCSF in respect of the Learning and Skills Improvement Service of £36.634 million, which represents 25 per cent. of the total LSIS income for that financial year.

Primary Education: Pupils

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many primary schools in each region had more than (a) 400, (b) 500, (c) 600 and (d) 700 pupils in the latest period for which figures are available. [298315]

Ms Diana R. Johnson: The information requested is shown in the table.

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Maintained primary schools: Number of schools By size( 1, 2, 3) , January 2009, England
		Of which: Number of schools with more than:
	Total number of maintained primary schools	400 pupils	500 pupils	600 pupils	700 pupils
North East	896	90	19	4	0
North West	2,498	228	45	16	4
Yorkshire and the Humber	1,843	218	49	17	4
East Midlands	1,660	141	25	10	1
West Midlands	1,805	281	80	44	14
East of England	2,022	178	41	16	1
Inner London	691	209	44	22	11
Outer London	1,113	462	113	84	29
South East	2,631	333	68	28	5
South West	1,905	140	19	9	1
England	17,064	2,280	503	250	70
(1) Based on headcount of pupils, excludes dual registrations. (2) Includes middle schools as deemed. (3) Schools are counted against each relevant column e.g. those in 'more than 500' are also in 'more than 400'. Source: School Census.

Pupil Exclusions

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many and what proportion of pupils have been given (a) fixed period and (b) permanent exclusions from schools in each decile of deprivation in the latest period for which figures are available; [296260]

(2) pursuant to the answer of 16 October 2009, Official Report, columns 1104-05W, on pupil exclusions: disadvantaged, what the rate of permanent exclusion from (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) special schools was in each income deprivation affecting children index decile of deprivation in the latest year for which figures are available. [296289]

Mr. Coaker: The available information is shown in the table.

Primary, secondary and special schools( 1, 2, 3) , number and proportion of pupil enrolments with fixed period or permanent exclusions by level of deprivation of school( 4, 5) , England, 2007/08 (estimates)( 6)
	One or more fixed period exclusions		Permanent exclusions( 6)		Rate of permanent exclusion( 6, 8)
Level of deprivation of school based on IDACI( 5)	Number of pupil enrolments( 4)	Percentage of the school population( 7)	Number of pupil enrolments( 4)	Percentage of the school population( 8)	Primary schools( 1)	Secondary schools( 1, 2)	Special schools( 3)
0-10% most deprived	21,070	2.90	900	0.12	0.04	0.29	0.23
10-20%	21,070	3.08	870	0.13	0.04	0.28	0.08
20-30%	24,980	3.24	1,110	0.14	0.03	0.28	0.16
30-40%	21,410	2.88	830	0.11	0.03	0.22	0.16
40-50%	24,760	3.06	970	0.12	0.02	0.23	0.15
50-60%	18,690	2.57	750	0.10	0.02	0.21	0.14
60-70%	21,100	2.70	700	0.09	0.02	0.16	0.22
70-80%	19,090	2.52	700	0.09	0.01	0.18	0.33
80-90%	17,080	2.28	630	0.08	0.01	0.16	0.23
90-100% least deprived	15,640	2.17	670	0.09	0.01	0.17	0.19
Total for all schools	204,890	2.74	8,130	0.11	0.02	0.21	0.19
(1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies (including all-through academies). (3) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools. (4) Pupils may be counted more than once if they were registered at more than one school or moved schools during the year. (5) 2007 Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index at Super Output Area level based on the location of the school. (6) Figures relating to permanent exclusions are estimates based on incomplete pupil-level data. (7) The number of pupil enrolments with one or more fixed period exclusions as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils (excluding dually registered pupils), in each IDACI band, in January 2008. (8) The number of pupil enrolments with a permanent exclusion as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils (excluding dually registered pupils), in each IDACI band, by school type, in January 2008. Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Census.

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