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15 Mar 2010 : Column 700W—continued
Further information by constituency is available on the Department's "In Your Area" website:
The information available at constituency level includes the number of specialist schools, number of operational academies, number of teaching assistants and other support staff, number of teachers and pupil:teacher ratios. Where information is not available at constituency level it has been provided at local authority level including the number of free early education places taken up by three and four-year-olds, number of full-time and part-time entrants to higher education institutions aged 18 to 20, the average A level point score per candidate and per entry together with the percentage of people of working age qualified to at least level 2 and percentage of people of working age qualified to level 4 and above.
Additional information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Teachers: Standards
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what his most recent assessment is of the operation of the system of continuous professional development of teachers; [322301]
(2) what his policy is for the future of the system of continuous professional development of teachers. [322302]
Mr. Coaker: It is clear that initial teacher education programmes, schools and the quality of teaching and learning have all improved in recent years. However, we recognise that there is still more to do to ensure that every child experiences high-quality teaching in every lesson, and that teachers are equipped to deal with the challenges posed by the 21st century schools system.
Good CPD has a positive impact on teachers' practice and leads to improvements in pupil attainment and other outcomes and the Department is working with the Training and Development Agency (TDA) and other partners to take significant action to improve the quality and take up of CPD provision.
In November 2009 TDA published a new professional development strategy (PDS) which includes plans to strengthen CPD leadership, impact evaluation and training for support staff, and is underpinned by three key priorities of embedding a learning culture within schools, increasing coherence and collaboration and improving quality and capacity. The PDS can be found on TDA's website:
Teachers in the north-west and challenging schools are now eligible for enrolment for the new Masters in Teaching and Learning (MTL). The MTL builds on Initial Teacher Training (ITT) and induction and will have immediate relevance to teaching and learning in the classroom, focusing on developing and honing teachers' practice through inquiry and use of evidence. The MTL will also help schools to develop an increasingly collaborative culture of professional development.
Additionally, the new Licence to Practise alongside a CPD entitlement will ensure that all teachers have access to the CPD they need to guarantee they continue to be effective in the classroom.
Ofsted's 2006 report on CPD, 'The Logical Chain' found that the most effective CPD takes place in schools. With this in mind our White Paper 'Your Child, Your School, Our Future: Building a 21st century schools system' gave TDA and the National College a joint remit to provide advice on how a nationwide network of quality assured CPD can be delivered through school clusters, utilising existing provision such as Training Schools, Teaching Schools and Leadership Development Schools. Ministers have welcomed preliminary advice on how this can be achieved and further advice is expected in spring 2010.The ministerial advice can be found on TDA's website:
http://www.tda.gov.uk/upload/resources/pdf/t/training_ schools_ministerial_letter221209.pdf
To help ensure that schools and teachers become more informed consumers in identifying effective and quality assured professional development TDA has now also rolled out a new national database with an associated code of practice. There are currently over 4,000 opportunities for professional development listed on this database:
http://www.tda.gov.uk/partners/cpd/cpdzone.aspx? keywords=CPD+database
We are confident that our policies will ensure that schools and the school work force are equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st Century School and, thus, improve outcomes for children and young people.
UK Youth Parliament
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will publish his response to the document Preventing Terrorism and Violent Extremism produced by the UK Youth Parliament and commissioned jointly by his Department and the Home Office. [319791]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 3 March 2010]: Officials in the Department are working with the UK Youth Parliament to discuss the recommendations made in the report and decide on the next steps to take in response to the document.
Vocational Education
Alan Keen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what mechanisms are in place for the benchmarking of teaching practice in vocational courses in schools. [313298]
Mr. Coaker: Ofsted assesses the quality of teaching and learning during its regular inspections of schools and uses a consistent approach across all subjects. However, it does not routinely report on teaching of individual subjects. Ofsted can, through its survey programme, undertake more detailed studies of specific areas.
Youth Justice: Finance
Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for which parts of the youth justice budget he plans to protect funding in each of the next three years. [321630]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 11 March 2010]: As per the letter of 15 February 2010 sent to the hon. Gentleman jointly by my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Garston (Maria Eagle) and myself, I can confirm that funding allocated to the Youth Justice Board for front-line services aimed at tackling youth crime will be protected at 2009/10 levels in 2010/11.
Funding for financial years 2011/12 and 2012/13 will be subject to future spending review decisions.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Adult Education: Finance
Mr. Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate has been made of the number of learners with a learning difficulty and/or a learning disability whose education provision will be funded by the Skills Funding Agency in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11; and if he will make a statement. [322361]
Kevin Brennan: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills routes funding through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) for the provision of Further Education (FE) and training for adult learners aged 19 and over.
For the 2009/10 academic year this included funding for all learners aged 19 and above with a learning difficulty or disability (LDD). For the 2010/11 academic year responsibility for funding learners with LDD aged between 19 and 25 with high level needs will pass to the Young People's Learning Agency and local authorities. Funding for all other learners aged 19 or over will be the responsibility of the Skills Funding Agency.
Investing in FE and skills training for these learners remains a priority and we remain committed to maintaining future opportunities for them. This means making available the right level of support so that FE colleges and training organisations are able to meet their needs.
The number of learners aged 19 and over learning in mainstream provision with a self declared LDD varies from year to year depending on demand, but has been around 200,000 each year from 2006/07 to 2008/09 academic year (the latest whole year for which data is available).
The LSC Statement of Priorities 2009-10 (November, 2008) and the Skills Investment Strategy 2010-11 (November 2009) confirmed our commitment to at least maintain these volumes for the 2009/10 and 2010/11 academic year. The actual numbers supported will depend on demand.
Apprentices: Standards
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have attended on apprenticeship targets. [321675]
Kevin Brennan: Ministers in both DCSF and BIS have responsibilities for apprenticeships. Targets are set through an annual planning cycle which involves officials and Ministers to determine the programme budget and numbers of apprenticeships to be delivered. These have been published in the BIS Skills Investment Strategy 2010-11 and the DCSF 16-19 Statement of Priorities and Investment Strategy 2010-11. The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) has responsibility for delivery of apprenticeship targets and Ministers from both Departments meet monthly with the NAS and officials to discuss performance and progress.
The apprenticeships programme also contributes to the 14-19 Reform programme in DCSF and the Skills programme in BIS. There are regular meetings to manage these programmes at both official level and between Ministers, the NAS and officials, at which progress against targets is discussed.
Departmental Freedom of Information
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many freedom of information requests his Department, its predecessors and its executive agencies replied to in each of the last five years. [321687]
Mr. McFadden: BIS and its predecessors has replied to the following number of freedom of information requests in each of the last five years:
| Number | |
I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office and the Intellectual Property Office and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 12 March 2010:
I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 8 March 2010, UIN 321687 to the Minister of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Companies House received the following number of Freedom of Information requests in each of the last five calendar years:
| Number | |
Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 11 March 2010:
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question-"how many freedom of information requests his Department, its predecessors and its executive agencies replied to in each of the last five years".
The Insolvency Service is a public authority for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act. There are no requirements under the Act for a public authority to record or catalogue requests that are received, irrespective of whether the request refers to the Act or must be dealt with under the provisions of the Act. From January 2009 Cabinet Office instructions were incorporated within The Service's Security Policy Framework Document to fulfil HMG requirements for the central recording and reporting of Freedom of Information requests.
Any logging or recording of requests for information prior to January 2009 was done for administrative purposes, to meet the stated policy of the public authority and any existing requirements imposed by Central Government.
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