| Police staff strength as at 31 March, by police force area. England and Wales | ||||||||||||||
| Traffic wardens | ||||||||||||||
| Police force | 1 9 96-9 7 | 1997 - 98 | 1998 - 99 | 1999 -20 00 | 2000 - 01 | 20 01- 02 | 2002- 03 | 20 03- 04 | 200 4- 05 | 20 05- 06 | 2006- 07 | 2 00- 08 | 2008- 09 | 200 9- 10 |
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| Note: This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding there may be an apparent discrepancy between the totals and the sums of the constituent items. | ||||||||||||||
Education
Capita
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many contracts his Department has with Capita; and how much it has paid to Capita under such contracts in 2010-11 to date. [18631]
Tim Loughton: The main contracts held with Capita are for: the delivery of the National Strategies Programme, the project management of the Academies Programme, the managed delivery of the Teachers Pension Scheme, the Criminal Records Bureau checking service and the Managed Service for the Provision of Interim Personnel. The total value of payments to the Capita Group made as at 22 March 2011 were £118 million which includes managed service costs and payments for other parties.
Child Development
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into development in childhood and well-being. [48300]
Sarah Teather: There is no one study explicitly looking into the relationship between development in childhood and well-being. However, there are studies which the Department has commissioned or is aware of which look at child development or the well-being of children:
Funding support was previously provided for the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) study “Understanding Society”. The purpose of this longitudinal study is to understand social and economic change in Britain at the household and individual levels. Wave 3 of their survey due to be collected in 2011/12 will contain a module on child development which will cover questions on cognitive development and emotional adjustment; a child’s experience of school; a child’s activities at home; and parental interactions with the child. The report is available at:
http://research.understandingsociety.org.uk/findings/early-findings
The Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), commissioned by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is a longitudinal study following the lives of around 19,000 children born in the UK in 2000/01. The MCS covers topics such as parenting, child care, school choice, child behaviour and cognitive development, child and parental health, parents’ employment and education, income and poverty, housing, neighbourhood and residential mobility, and social capital and ethnicity. Funding support for the study is provided across Government including the Department for Education. “Children of the 21st century; the first five years” which documents the first five years of life of the millennium cohort children was published in February 2010, available at:
http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/publications.asp?section=00010001000600070003
The Effective Pre-school and Primary Education Study (EPPE) funded by the Department, is a longitudinal study of a national sample of young children’s development between the ages of three and seven years. The study looks at the impact on children’s intellectual and social/behavioural development of background characteristics related to parents, the child’s home learning environment and the pre-school settings that children attend. The final report from EPPE is available at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/RSG/publicationDetail/Page1/SSU/FR/2004/01
The Departmental funded National Evaluation of Sure Start (NESS) is a long term wide-ranging evaluation of Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs). The aim of SSLPs was to enhance the life chances for young children growing up in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, to enhance health and well-being during the early years, to increase the chances that children would enter school ready to learn, be academically successful in school, socially successful in their communities and occupationally successful when adult. The impact of Sure Start Local Programmes on five-year-olds and their families’ was published in November 2010 and is available at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationdetail/page1/dfe-rr067
In 2009, the Department commissioned the Tellus4 National Survey. The Tellus survey was designed to gather information from children and young people about their behaviour and to seek their views on aspects of their lives, schools and local areas. The survey included questions about the children’s physical and emotional well-being. The report was published in March 2010 and is available at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DCSF-RR218.pdf
The Children’s Society’s “2009 National Survey of Young People’s Well-being” was the first comprehensive, UK-wide investigation of childhood well-being—or happiness—from a young person’s point of view. Children were also asked questions exploring the impact of family structure on well-being, such as living in a lone or step-parent family. The initial report provides a short introduction to some of the main topics covered by the survey and is available at:
http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/tcs/research_docs/Wellbeing%20report%20summary_0.pdf
The World Health Organisation’s “Young people's health in Great Britain and Ireland” published findings from the “health behaviour of school aged children survey 2006”. The overall aim of the study was to gain new insights and increase understanding of adolescent health behaviours, health and well-being, with an emphasis on the social determinants of adolescent health, particularly the social contexts of young people’s lives. The report is available at:
http://www.hbsc.org/downloads/YoungPeoplesHealth_GB&Ireland.pdf
Children: Friendship
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated research on childhood friendship bonds. [48308]
Sarah Teather: The Department has either commissioned or evaluated the following research into childhood friendship bonds:
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Funding support has been provided for the Economic and Social Research Council's (ESRC) study, ‘Understanding Society’. The study includes a question on friendship—the adult responsible for children aged 0-16 in the household is asked whether (all) child(ren) have children around for tea or a snack once a fortnight. The study finds that, if a young person's ability to have friends around is reduced due to material deprivation, their life satisfaction is negatively affected. The report is available at:
http://research.understandingsociety.org.uk/findings/early-findings
In 2009 the Department commissioned the Tellus 4 National Survey. Findings related to friendship include that the majority of children and young people (92%) say that they have one or more good friends and 66% said when they are worried about something they can talk to their friends. Girls are more likely to talk to their friends when worried than boys. Overall, 31% of children said they worried about their friends. Friends were a source of help for planning their future for around three out of five of children surveyed. The report is available at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/DCSF-RR218.pdf
The Children's Society has developed their Good Childhood Index, made up of 10 indicators designed to measure children's sense of well-being about different aspects of their life and includes the question ‘how happy are you with your friends?’ The report is available at:
http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/research/initiatives/well-being/background-programme-0
‘The World Health Organisation: young people's health in Great Britain and Ireland’ published findings from the Health Behaviour of School Age Children Survey 2006. The proportion of children having three or more close friends of the same gender decreases between age 11 and 15, and boys are more likely than girls to report having three or more close friends. At age 11, across all participating countries, England scores the highest for girls reporting having three or more close friends (91%). Rates of time spent out in the evenings with friends increase significantly between ages 11 and 15 years in the majority of countries for both boys and girls. Again, there is a significant increase in prevalence of daily electronic communication between ages 11 and 15. The report is available at:
http://www.hbsc.org/publications/reports.html
Children: Day Care
Mr Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many and what proportion of (a)
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maintained and
(b)
private, voluntary and independent full day childcare settings in the west midlands were deemed (i) outstanding, (ii) good, (iii) satisfactory and (iv) inadequate by Ofsted in each of the last three years. [47880]
Sarah Teather [holding answer 22 March 2011]: These data are held by Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Libraries.
Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 17 March 2011:
Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
Ofsted publishes quarterly official statistics on early years registered inspection outcomes, at local authority, government office region and national level, with the annual position summarised in the Annual Report of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills. The figures given in this response are consistent with published statistics.
Tables A, B and C show the inspection outcomes of childcare providers on the Early Years Register in the West Midlands which were active at the end of each period, since September 2008. Please note that we do not classify early years registered providers as ‘maintained’. In addition, because there is no requirement for Ofsted to capture the funding streams of providers as part of the regulation and inspection of early years registered providers, we do not hold data on whether such providers are private, voluntary or independent.
The figures provided relate only to the inspection of those providers on the Early Years Register against the Early Years Foundation Stage framework and do not include a minority of providers inspected before September 2008, under the previous inspection framework. This is because there is no direct comparison between the two frameworks. Childcare providers offering care for children from birth to the 31 August following the child's fifth birthday are required to register on the Early Years Register. The arrangements of the Early Years Foundation Stage came into effect in September 2008, marking the beginning of a 47 month cycle of inspection, during which Ofsted aims to inspect all providers on the Early Years Register at least once.
A copy of this reply has been sent to Sarah Teather MP, Minister of State for Children and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
| Table A: Inspection outcomes for early years registered providers in the west midlands inspected between 1 September 2008 and 31 August 2009 | |||||
|
|
Outstanding | Good | Satisfactory | Inadequate | Total number |
| Notes: 1. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. 2. Data relate to the most recent inspection during the period of providers who were active at 31 August 2009. 3. Data only relate to inspections where children were being cared for at time of inspection. | |||||
| Table B: Inspection outcomes for early years registered providers in the west midlands inspected between 1 September 2009 and 31 August 2010 | |||||
|
|
Outstanding | Good | Satisfactory | Inadequate | Total number |
| Notes: 1. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. 2. Data relate to the most recent Inspection during the period of providers who were active at 31 August 2010. 3. Data only relate to inspections where children were being cared for at time of inspection. | |||||
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| Table C: Inspection outcomes for early years registered providers in the west midlands inspected between 1 September 2010 and 31 December 2010 | |||||
|
|
Outstanding | Good | Satisfactory | Inadequate | Total number |
| Notes: 1. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. 2. Data relate to the most recent inspection during the period of providers who were active at 31 December 2010. 3. Data only relate to inspections where children were being cared for at time of inspection. | |||||
Children: Obesity
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance his Department (a) has issued to schools since October 2010 and (b) plans to issue to schools in the next six months on reducing obesity among persons under the age of 16; and if he will make a statement. [45594]
Sarah Teather: The Department for Education has not issued any specific guidance to schools on reducing obesity since October 2010 and has no plans to issue further guidance in the next six months. However, this Government recognise that through physical education, competitive school sport and healthy eating, schools can help address the problem of childhood obesity. In the past, the Department has made available guidance and resources to help schools provide a healthy environment by providing nutritious school lunches, improving participation in high quality PE and sport opportunities, helping children learn about health through Personal, Social, Health and Economic education and practical activities such as cooking. Guidance from DFE and the Department of Health has also been issued to schools on how they can support the National Child Measurement Programme, which collects essential height and weight data on primary school pupils in Reception and Year 6.
Children: Well-being
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the relative position of the UK in international comparator tables on the well-being of children. [44601]
Tim Loughton: The most recent and authoritative international report on the well-being of children is UNICEF’s Report Card 9, “The children left behind: a league table of inequality in child well-being in the world’s rich countries”, published on 3 December 2010. The report assesses inequalities in child well-being for 24 of the world’s richest countries, regarding material well-being, educational well-being and health well-being.
‘Material inequality’ measures household income, access to basic educational resources and household living space. ‘Educational inequality’ measures reading, maths and science literacy using the 2006 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). ‘Health inequality’ measures self-reported health, healthy eating and vigorous physical activity, using the 2005/06 “Health Behaviour of School-aged Children” (HBSC) study.
For material inequality, the UK showed higher levels of inequality than the OECD average, in particular for access to basic educational resources at home such as a calculator, dictionary, desk, etc. This measure of material inequality was the main driver for the UK’s poor rank against other countries for this dimension of inequality (the UK was ranked 19(th) out of 24 countries).
The UK ranked 13(th) out of 24 countries for educational well-being. There was below average inequality for maths literacy, but above average inequality in science literacy.
The UK had lower than average inequality for each measure of health well-being (the UK was 11(th) out of the 24 countries). We performed particularly well in comparison to other countries in the self-reported health complaints measure.
The UK’s overall ranking was in the bottom two-fifths of countries, alongside Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Slovakia and Spain.
The OECD report “Doing Better for Children” (2009) presents a similarly mixed picture for national average levels of child well-being in rich countries (as distinct from the UNICEF report, which addresses inequalities). There is a strong positive in respect of the quality of school life, where we are among the OECD’s best-performing countries. The strongest negative is on risky behaviours (smoking, drinking, teenage pregnancy) where we are among the worst. For the remaining dimensions—material well-being, educational well-being, housing/environment, and health/safety—the UK’s performance is broadly similar to the OECD average.
UNICEF’s analysis brings out the relationship between lower inequality and higher median scores. UNICEF has found that those countries with lower ‘bottom-end’ inequality are also those countries with higher median scores, particularly for education and health well-being. This suggests that it is possible to reduce inequality and have high performance in a country. Similarly, the 2010 Schools White Paper “The Importance of Teaching” highlights the importance of reducing attainment gaps between the rich and poor while maintaining high standards.
The Government remain committed to the goal of eradicating child poverty by 2020. The Child Poverty Act 2010 requires the Government to publish a child poverty strategy by spring 2011. To inform this process the Government conducted an eight week period of consultation with prominent members of the child poverty lobby and other interested parties. The consultation ran for eight weeks from 21 December 2010 to 15 February 2011.
The Government continue to believe that work provides parents and their children with the most sustainable route out of poverty. The Government want parents to take advantage of the employment opportunities currently available. As a consequence the UK welfare system is being reformed to allow individuals and parents keep
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more of their earnings and progress in work. This will enable parents to give their children the best possible start in life providing stable financial support for families in the crucial early years of a child’s life. A strong foundation in the early years increases the probability of positive outcomes across the child’s life; a weak foundation significantly increases the risk of later difficulties.
Drugs: Young People
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate has been made of the proportion of children under 15 in each region who have (a) used cannabis and (b) been sexually active in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [48244]
Sarah Teather: Information on cannabis use among young people aged 11-15 was provided in the report Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People, published by the NHS Information Centre in 2009. A regional breakdown, with data averaged over three years due to the survey size, is provided in the following table.
| Proportion of young people aged 11-15 who took cannabis in the last year (average for 2006-08) | |
| Region | Percentage |
The Government do not routinely collect data on sexual activity by age. It is also the case that the surveys that have been carried out on this issue, typically report on sexual activity below age 16, rather than under 15, given that the age of consent is 16. The most authoritative and relevant of the surveys in this area is the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (NATSAL), which is conducted every 10 years. NATSAL 2000 identified that among the 16 to 19-year-olds interviewed, 30% of young men and 26% of young women reported that their first sexual experience occurred before they reached age 16. This was consistent with the findings for young men and women in the survey who were aged 25-29, indicating that there had been no change in the proportion of young people having sex before age 16 over the preceding decade. The median age of first sex among 16 to 19-year-olds in the survey in 2000, was age 16.
Fieldwork for NATSAL 2010 has been completed, but the findings have not yet been published. However, a range of separate smaller scale surveys that have been undertaken since 2000 have consistently shown between a quarter and a third of young people reporting that they had their first sexual experience before age 16. A tracking survey that was used to assess young people’s reactions to the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy’s media campaign showed that in 2007, the mean age for first sex among young men was 16.48 years and for young women was 16.53 years. These results were the same as the results from the same survey carried out in 2004.
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Education Maintenance Allowance: Birmingham
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students in (a) Birmingham, Ladywood constituency and (b) Birmingham in receipt of education maintenance allowance (EMA) will have their EMA terminated before their programme of study is complete. [43118]
Mr Gibb: This is a matter for the Young People’s Learning Agency (YPLA) who operate the education maintenance allowance for the Department for Education and manage the Capita contract. Peter Lauener, the YPLA’s chief executive, has written to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood with the information requested and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Libraries.
Letter from Peter Lauener, dated 22 March 2011:
I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question PQ43118 that asked:
“How many students in (a) Birmingham, Ladywood constituency and (b) Birmingham in receipt of education maintenance allowance (EMA) will cease to receive EMA before their course is complete”.
The application form for Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) does not require either the name of the course or its end date. Therefore we do not hold information on the number of students in receipt of EMA who are on programmes of study which are due to continue after EMA terminates on 31 August 2011.
Educational Psychology
Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assistance his Department provides to educational psychologists. [32345]
Sarah Teather: The Department does not provide assistance to educational psychologists (EPs) who are in post—it is for employers to provide the necessary support to their work force. The Department’s support for EPs is provided through the Children’s Workforce Development Council’s (CWDC) administration of a scheme for collecting voluntary subscriptions from local authorities (LAs) to support EPs’ initial training. Since LA financial contributions have been steadily decreasing, this has involved CWDC meeting the shortfall in funding.
However, the current funding scheme is not sustainable. We have announced that the Department will meet the costs of completing the cohorts of educational psychologists currently in training, and for one further cohort due to begin training in September 2011. We are taking advantage of the opportunity presented by the consultation on the Green Paper “Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability” to consider options for placing the training of educational psychologists on a more secure footing.
Family Breakdown
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the issue of conflicts in the family. [48506]
Sarah Teather: The Department has commissioned and is evaluating the following pieces of research which cover the issue of conflicts in the family:
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In 2009, the Department commissioned research on the separating parents child poverty pilots. The separating parents child poverty pilots are testing how to better co-ordinate support and services for parents who are separating or have recently separated. The evaluation study looking at the effectiveness of these pilots will complete in spring 2011.
In 2010, the Department commissioned the evaluation of the Parenting Information Programme (PIP). The PIP is a contact activity supporting parents to focus on the needs of their child following their separation, to improve their relations and help them reach an amicable agreement on contact arrangements. The evaluation will provide evidence on the effectiveness of the PIP ordered by courts to support contact agreements, along with the sustainability and quality of these arrangements. This research is due to end in March 2011.
In 2006, the then Department for Children, Schools and Families commissioned the National Centre for Social Research to conduct a programme of research to monitor and evaluate family intervention projects (FIPS) as they were then known. Family intervention services work with the most challenging families and tackle issues such as antisocial behaviour, youth crime, unmet health issues, family functioning and domestic violence concerns, issues at school (such as truancy/exclusion), poor housing and unemployment in families. This programme of work is currently ongoing and the data it generates are used to inform official statistical releases which provide a range of information about family interventions. The most recent official statistical release can be found at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d000956/osr09-2010.pdf
In addition, data from the monitoring of FIPS have been used to develop further commentary and analysis of the families receiving the intervention services. This additional information was published by the Department for Education in November 2010 in the report “Monitoring and Evaluation of Family Interventions”. This report can be found at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/publications//eOrderingDownload/DFE-RR044.pdf
Free Schools: Ilford
Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Transport the traffic implications associated with the establishment of a free school at the Downshall Centre in Ilford; [48367]
(2) what discussions Partnership for Schools has had with representatives of Redbridge Council on the future of the Downshall Centre in Ilford; [48371]
(3) when his Department was notified of the proposal to use the Downshall Centre in Ilford as a location for a free school; [48379]
(4) what discussions his Department had with representatives of (a) Redbridge Council and (b) Partnership for Schools prior to the decision on the location of a free school in Ilford; [48380]
(5) what consultation (a) his Department and (b) Partnership for Schools conducted on the location of a free school in Ilford; [48381]
(6) if he will meet representatives of Redbridge Council to discuss the potential effects on local community groups of the establishment of a free school at the Downshall Centre in Ilford; [48382]
(7) when his Department was first informed that E-Act wished to purchase the Downshall Centre in Ilford. [48383]
Mr Gibb
[holding answer 22 March 2011]: The application form for the proposed free school in Ilford was received by the Department on 5 November 2010.
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It set out several site options, including the Downshall Centre. Since November 2010, Partnerships for Schools, the proposers (E-ACT), officials from the Department and representatives of Redbridge council have had discussions about the site of the proposed free school, including the potential use of the Downshall Centre. These discussions have included the need for the council to relocate some community facilities if the Downshall Centre is used.
The project is currently at the business case and plan stage. The business case and plan is being developed and will include the case for the use of a chosen site by the proposed school. No final decision to open the school will be made until a full assessment of the business case and plan has been completed and the Secretary of State has decided whether to sign the funding agreement with the proposers. As part of this process, the proposers (E-ACT) will be consulting on their plans to open a free school in Ilford. If the project proceeds, then transport issues will be fully considered and other agencies will be involved as necessary before the school opens.
Higher Education: Sports
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans (a) he and (b) each Minister in his Department has to visit specialist sports colleges in the next three months. [36827]
Tim Loughton: Subject to diary pressures and any urgent parliamentary business, the Secretary of State and other Ministers at the Department for Education plan to visit a number of educational institutions over the next three months including those with a specialism in sport.
Literacy
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the adult literacy rate was for each (a) region, (b) local authority area and (c) parliamentary constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. [48190]
Mr Hayes: The most recent data available on adult literacy rates in England are those published in the 2003 Skills for Life survey.(1) This survey was based on fieldwork conducted between May 2002 and June 2003 with adults aged between 16 and 65 (inclusive). Literacy levels for the nine major administrative regions in England reported by the survey are included in table 1.
(1) Williams, J., S. Clemens, K. Oleinikoya and K. Tarvin (2003) “The Skills for Life Survey: a national needs and impact survey of literacy, numeracy and ICT skills”, Department for Education and Skills: Research Report 490, available online at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/RB490.pdf
accessed 18 March 2011.
| Table 1: Literacy by region (percentage of population) | |
| Region/literacy level | Level 1 (1) and above |
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| (1) Equivalent to a low-level GCSE (D-G)) or above. Calculated as 100—(percentage at Entry Level 3 or below). Base: All respondents with literacy scores (7873) Source: Skills for Life survey, 2003: p.42 | |
Modelled estimates of literacy levels for approximately 350 local education authorities (LEA) in England were calculated using the survey data. The best way to access information on individual LEAs is via the Skills for Life survey web-tool available at:
www.bis.gov.uk/skillsforlifesurvey
Literacy levels for each LEA can be located by accessing the website and clicking on the relevant Government Office region hyperlink (e.g. ‘East Midlands’) and then on the relevant Learning and Skills Council area (e.g. ‘Derbyshire’). This then provides a list of LEAs in the given area. The LEA level results can be accessed by clicking on the hyperlink to results by LEA next to the table icon (e.g. Derbyshire results by LEA).
The survey did not provide literacy results by parliamentary constituency.
The Skills for Life survey was repeated in 2010. Fieldwork is now complete, and results of the survey are due to be made public later this year.
Pre-school Education: Research
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what research into early years education his Department is providing funding. [48313]
Sarah Teather: Research into early years education for which the Department is providing funding is as follows:
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Private Education
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many independent schools applied to become (a) academies and (b) free schools in the last year for which figures are available. [43559]
Mr Gibb: Independent schools that wish to become academies follow the free school application process and are considered alongside applications for new schools. To date, 105 independent schools have applied to become free schools.
Schools: Transport
Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2011, Official Report, column 867W, on the North East, what method of transport he used to travel to the three schools and colleges; and what the cost of the transport was. [48011]
Tim Loughton: The Secretary of State for Education and accompanying official travelled economy class by train, and a car provided by the Government Car Despatch Agency. Total cost for both travellers was £715.26.
Special Educational Needs
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools in England and Wales providing specialist services for students with disabilities provide such services exclusively for children aged 16 to 18 years. [46820]
Sarah Teather: The information requested is not held centrally.
The latest published information on special educational needs can be found in the “Special Educational Needs in England: January 2010” Statistical First Release at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000939/index.shtml
Information relating to Wales is the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly Government.
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to his Green Paper on special educational needs, which items of guidance to schools and local authorities he plans to withdraw. [47285]
Sarah Teather
[holding answer 18 March 2011]:In the Green Paper “Support and Aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability”, published on 9 March, we announced that we will retain, but review and update, the statutory guidance to schools
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and local authorities in the SEN code of practice to reflect the proposals for change in the Green Paper and responses to the consultation.
In the Green Paper we ask whether the statutory guidance on inclusion and school choice, ‘Inclusive Schooling’, allows appropriately for parental preference for either mainstream or special schools. In the light of the responses to the Green Paper we will consider whether to incorporate this guidance into the new code.
The Green Paper also made a commitment to simplify and improve non-statutory guidance so that it is clear, accessible and helpful, and we will withdraw guidance that does not provide useful support.
On non-statutory guidance, the Department issued guidance on pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD) in 2008. The Green Paper is consulting on the categorisation of BESD and whether the term adequately identifies difficulties that may underlie difficult behaviour. The revised and updated code will include guidance on behaviour, following consideration of responses to the consultation, and we intend, therefore, to withdraw the BESD guidance. The revised code will also incorporate guidance on the effective use of data in monitoring the progress and achievement of pupils with SEN and disabilities currently set out in guidance on categorising SEN for School Census purposes (2005), Progression Guidance (2009), and Breaking the Link between Special Educational Needs and Low Attainment (2010).
We will remove good practice guidance on autism spectrum disorders (2002) as this has been superseded by the web-based 2010 in-service training materials on autism. We will also remove the SEN Toolkit, as it replicates much of the existing code, and the SEN Governors’ Guide video which is now out of date in both content and format.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent representations he has received on special needs education. [47737]
Sarah Teather: On 9 March, the Department published “Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability”. This Green Paper has been informed by a call for views, which received over 1,800 responses, 40% of which came from parents of disabled children and children with SEN.
In developing the Green Paper the Department has also heard from a range of professionals from health, education, social care and other areas, representative bodies, the voluntary and community sector, and children and young people and their families.
The Green Paper is now out for consultation until 30 June.
Special Educational Needs: Redditch
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) special needs schools and (b) children attending special needs schools there are in Redditch constituency. [32240]
Sarah Teather: At January 2010 there were two special needs schools in Redditch with a total of 185 sole and two dual registered pupils. Both schools are maintained special schools.
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Special Educational Needs: South West
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many children and young people at each age up to 19 in (a) North Somerset, (b) Bath and North East Somerset, (c) Somerset, (d) the City of Bristol and (e) Dorset have a disability or a special educational need; [46731]
(2) how many children and young people at each age up to 19 in (a) North Somerset, (b) Bath and North East Somerset, (c) Somerset, (d) the City of Bristol and (e) Dorset (i) have a statement of special educational need and (ii) have a statement of special educational need which was made at the request of a parent or carer; and on what date each such statement was issued. [46732]
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Sarah Teather: Information on the number of disabled children is not currently available. Such information is being collected for the first time and on a voluntary basis as part of the spring 2011 school census. Future collection and publication arrangements for data on disability will be considered in the light of data and feedback collected in response to January 2011 school census returns.
Information on the number of pupils with special educational needs, with and without statements, is shown in the following tables.
The Department does not collect information on who requested the statement, or the date of issue of the statement.
| All schools excluding independent and general hospital schools (1) : number of pupils (2) with special educational needs (SEN) by age (3) , as at January 2010, in North Somerset, Bath and North East Somerset, Somerset, city of Bristol and Dorset local authorities | ||||||||||||
| North Somerset | Bath and North East Somerset | |||||||||||
| Pupils with SEN without statements | Pupils with statements of SEN | Total (4) | Pupils with SEN without statements | Pupils with statements of SEN | Total (4) | |||||||
| Age as at 31 August 2009: | No. | % (5) | No. | % (5) | No. | % (5) | No. | % (5) | No. | % (5) | No. | % (5) |
| Somerset | City of Bristol | |||||||||||
| Pupils with SEN without statements | Pupils with statements of SEN | Total (4) | Pupils with SEN without statements | Pupils with statements of SEN | Total (4) | |||||||
| Age as at 31 August 2009: | No. | % (5) | No. | % (5) | No. | % (5) | No. | % (5) | No. | % (5) | No. | % (5) |
23 Mar 2011 : Column 1187W
23 Mar 2011 : Column 1188W