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Figures relate to 16 to 18-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August 2007) in maintained schools only who were eligible for free school meals.

Percentages are of all pupils with appropriate free school meal eligibility in the relevant institution type who were entered for at least one GCE/Applied GCE A level/Double Award in 2008.

Information on free school meal eligibility is not available for Independent schools. The figures also do
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not include entries of students in further education sector colleges previously eligible for free school meals.

Figures for comprehensive schools are also included within the figures for maintained schools.

National Safeguarding Delivery Unit

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2009, Official Report, columns 1069-70W, on the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit, if he will place in the Library copies of the two progress reports submitted to the DA(FCY) ministerial sub-group in July and December 2009. [308986]

Dawn Primarolo: Consistent with long-standing practice, proceedings of Cabinet and Cabinet committees are generally not disclosed as to do so puts at risk the public interest in both collective responsibility and the full and frank discussion of policy by Ministers.

Primary Schools: Finance

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) Essex and (ii) Castle Point constituency have had revenue balances in excess of those predicted in each year since 1997. [321437]

Mr. Coaker: Revenue balances for individual maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools in England are publicly available on the Department's website at:

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/strategy/financeandfunding/informationforlocalauthorities/section52/schoolbalances/s52sb/

The Department collects data on the balances held by schools via the Section 52 Outturn statements (soon to be Section 251 Outturn statements). We have collected information on balances since 1999-2000. The Section 52 Outturn statements are completed by all local authorities in England and we request only the final figures for the schools in their area. We do not collect predicted figures.

The Department considers excess balances as over 5 per cent. of budget share for secondary schools, and over 8 per cent. for all other schools. The following table provides the figures for the number of schools (primary and secondary) with balances exceeding 8 per cent. and 5 per cent. of total income in Essex from 1999-2000 to 2008-09. The Department does not hold figures by constituency.

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The Education (Outturn Statements) (England) Regulations-school level excess revenue balances( 1,)( )( 2,)( )( 3,)( )( 4,)( )( 5) figures for local authority maintained primary and secondary schools in Essex local authority: 1999-2000 to 2008-09
Cash terms figures as reported by local authorities as at 8 December 2009
	Primary					Secondary
		Schools with excess surpluses (exceeding 8 per cent. of total income for primary schools)					Schools with excess surpluses (exceeding 5 per cent. of total income for secondary schools)
	Total number of primary schools	Total number of schools with excess surpluses	Percentage of schools with excess surpluses	Total value of surpluses over excess cut-off point (£)	Average value of surpluses over excess cut-off point (£ per school)	Total number of secondary schools	Total number of schools with excess surpluses	Percentage of schools with excess surpluses	Total value of surpluses over excess cut-off point (£)	Average value of surpluses over excess cut-off point (£ per school)
1999-2000	490	257	52.4	5,159,931	20,078	80	32	40.0	3,415,615	106,738
2000-01	496	324	65.3	8,771,932	27,074	79	34	43.0	4,381,826	128,877
2001-02	484	331	68.4	10,819,083	32,686	80	27	33.8	3,372,231	124,897
2002-03	481	251	52.2	6,811,333	27,137	80	15	18.8	2,081,341	138,756
2003-04	480	219	45.6	6,422,508	29,327	81	17	21.0	1,570,367	92,375
2004-05	477	247	51.8	7,515,365	30,427	80	23	28.8	2,445,881	106,343
2005-06	475	221	46.5	7,503,789	33,954	80	23	28.8	2,512,459	109,237
2006-07	475	222	46.7	7,958,128	35,847	80	34	42.5	4,095,696	120,462
2007-08	476	244	51.3	8,696,301	35,641	80	29	36.3	5,476,888	188,858
2008-09	473	207	43.8	7,312,888	35,328	80	30	37.5	6,737,165	224,572
(1) A school's total revenue balance is calculated from the combination of any unspent allocations (including unspent Standards Fund grants) and the cumulative balance of income less expenditure from revenue funding sources during the financial year and any balances carried forward from previous years. This is drawn by adding together the unspent allocations and balance carried forward columns from local authorities Section 52 Outturn Statements 2001-02 (Table 2), Consistent Financial Reporting categories B01 and B02 from local authorities Section 52 Outturn Statements (Table B) 2002-03 to 2005-06 and Consistent Financial Reporting categories B01, B02 and B06 from local authorities Section 52 Outturn Statements (Table B) 2006-07 onwards. (2) Included are all local authority maintained primary and secondary schools correctly reported by the local authority on their Section 52 Outturn Statement. (3) In 2002-03 the Section 52 outturn categories were aligned with the Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) framework following the introduction of CFR to schools. Some inconsistencies with the balance figures reported by local authorities' in 2002-03 were identified and consequently caution should be exercised when using the balance figures for that year. (4) School level revenue balances are not available prior to the inception of Section 52 for the 1999-2000 financial year. (5) A schools total revenue income for the year includes all revenue funding available to the year as well as any additional income generated by the school. This does not include any revenue balances carried forward from previous years.

Schools: Consultants

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will bring forward proposals for a register of consultants and investigators seeking work from schools and local authorities. [324737]

Mr. Coaker: There are no plans for the introduction of a register of consultants and investigators who may be seeking work from schools and local authorities. The operation of disciplinary procedures, including those that result in suspension and possible dismissal is entirely a matter for local determination and schools and local authorities themselves will decide who to engage to provide any additional advice and support they feel they may need.

Schools: Internet

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent representations he has received from (a) schools and (b) representative groups in Gloucestershire on the effects of internet charges on schools in that area; what plans he has for the future funding of the Harnessing Technology Grant; and if he will make a statement. [324768]

Mr. Coaker [holding answer 29 March 2010]: The Secretary of State has received a representation from the head teacher at St. Thomas More Catholic primary school in Cheltenham and others in connection with broadband internet costs and the Harnessing Technology Grant. Inquiries have also been made by schools and other representative groups to Becta, the Government's educational technology agency which covers these areas.

Becta have replied to correspondents on these issues, on behalf of my Department, both in Gloucestershire and in relation to other counties affected by high internet charges. We sympathise with this situation, particularly with small schools that have faced increased costs. The Harnessing Technology Grant is a capital grant and can therefore only be used for capital expenditure. Broadband connectivity costs are a revenue cost, therefore the Harnessing Technology Grant cannot be used for this purpose. This has always been the case since the Harnessing Technology Grant was introduced and no changes to rules around the capital of the grant have been made. Unfortunately it is not possible to reclassify this capital funding as revenue, as some schools have requested. Broadband costs should be taken from the revenue funding that is provided for ICT in schools, but we do appreciate that there can be pressures on these budgets.

Becta continues to offer advice to all local authorities in the regions on these issues, and have specifically said that their regional delivery team colleague would be happy to meet representatives of schools in Gloucestershire, together with local authority officers to explore ways of addressing the issues.

The Harnessing Technology Grant itself is based on a funding formula which includes a built-in sparsity element, which helps schools in rural areas in acquiring technology, but as described above this is a capital grant and should not be used for revenue costs. £603 million has been made available through the Harnessing Technology Grant in each of the three years of the current spending review period. £201 million will be available in the 2010-11 financial year. Provision after that will be subject to the usual discussion around the next comprehensive spending review period.

Science: GCE A-level

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils eligible for free school meals passed three A levels including (a) chemistry, biology or chemistry and
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biology and (b) a science or mathematics subject in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available. [311213]

Mr. Coaker [holding answer 18 January 2010]: The information available is given in the following table:

Pupils eligible for free school meals who passed three A-levels including selected subjects in 2008
Subject	Number
Chemistry	519
Biology	622
Chemistry and Biology	388
A science or mathematics	1,161
Source: National Pupil Database (NPD)

Pupil level data relating to eligibility for free school meals were not collected in 1997.

These figures relate to 16 to 18-year-olds (age at start of academic year, ie 31 August 2007) in maintained schools only and do not include the achievement of students in further education sector colleges previously eligible for free school meals.

Science: GCSE

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals attended schools which did not enter at least one pupil in at least one science subject at GCSE in (a) 1997 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available. [311212]

Mr. Coaker [holding answer 18 January 2010]: Of all pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 that are eligible for free school meals in maintained schools, 1,172 pupils (1.6 per cent.) were on roll at schools, in January 2009, that entered no pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in at least one science subject in 2009.

Data for 1997 can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils eligible for free school meals were entered for a GCSE in biology in (a) 1997 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available. [317221]

Mr. Coaker: Of pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2009, in maintained schools, eligible for free school meals, 3,525 were entered for biology GCSE.

Comparable figures for 1997 can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Of pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2005, in maintained schools, eligible for free school meals, 1,674 were entered for biology GCSE.

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