Occupied Territories
Mrs Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of Israel on ending Israeli settlements in area C of the west bank. [117729]
Alistair Burt: We remain concerned about the expansion of Israeli settlements and the demolition of Palestinian property in area C of the west bank (the area under full Israeli control). Both are contrary to Israel's obligations under international humanitarian law and harmful to the peace process. We continue to urge the Israeli authorities, including at the highest levels, to cease all settlement building and to desist from the demolition of Palestinian homes and infrastructure.
These are concerns shared across Europe. The EU's Foreign Affairs Council, in Conclusions agreed on 14 May, called on Israel to meet its obligations regarding the living conditions of the Palestinian population in Area C, including by halting the forced transfer of the population and the demolition of Palestinian housing and infrastructure, ensuring access to water and addressing humanitarian needs. Together with our EU partners, we will continue to make this case to the Israeli Government.
Palestinians
Mrs Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of healthcare and education available to the people of Gaza. [117703]
17 July 2012 : Column 727W
Alistair Burt: Access to education and healthcare for the people of Gaza has been seriously undermined by continuing movement and access restrictions.
The most recent assessment of healthcare provision in Gaza by the World Health Organisation and a report on children in Gaza by Save the Children and Medical Aid for Palestinians conclude that there has been a deterioration in the quality of care, as a result of Israeli movement and access restrictions, and political and institutional separation between the west bank and Gaza.
The UK continues to provide practical assistance to the Palestinian population of Gaza. The Department for International Development's (DFID) current work on Gaza addresses the key access constraints, promotes economic growth and provides support to the poorest and most vulnerable parts of society. The UK supports the Palestinian Authority and UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to provide basic services, such as education and health, to the people of Gaza.
DFID further helps 24 UN agencies and 132 international NGOs to facilitate the transfer of vital humanitarian assistance, including medical equipment and supplies, in and out of Gaza through our support to the UN Access Co-ordination Unit and the Palestinian Authority's crossing co-ordination committee. DFID are also providing financial support to the Palestinian Authority to help deliver essential services, including medical supplies, to Gaza.
Property
Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many properties his Department (a) owns and (b) rents (i) in the UK and (ii) overseas. [117276]
Mr Lidington: The following table sets out the number of owned and rented properties in the UK and overseas.
| (i) UK | (ii) Overseas | Total | |
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) global network extends to 141 sovereign and 130 subordinate posts in 170 countries. The overseas estate consists of properties, ranging from embassy and high commission buildings to staff accommodation and other facilities. The overseas estate accommodates not only FCO staff but also Government partners and wider public sector organisations. The estate mix responds to operational needs as well as the performance of properties. We are restructuring the FCO global estate by reducing the cost of office and residential accommodation.
Departmental Staff
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of senior management jobs in his Department are held by women. [117196]
Mr Bellingham: In the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) 22.4% of senior management jobs are held by women.
17 July 2012 : Column 728W
The FCO produces an annual Equality report which can be accessed at:
www.fco.gov.uk/en/publications-and-documents/publications1/annual-reports/equality-report
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff employed by his Department (a) in the UK and (b) overseas are (i) female and (ii) male. [117197]
Mr Bellingham: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) employs:
(a) 1,292 women and 1,303 men in the UK
(b) 675 women and 1,317 men overseas.
These figures are for UK-based staff only and do not include staff from FCO Services Trading Fund or the UK Border Agency. Neither do they include locally engaged staff employed overseas.
The FCO produces an annual Equality report which can be accessed at:
http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/publications-and-documents/publications1/annual-reports/equality-report
Sudan: South Sudan
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the Government is giving to facilitate improved relations between Sudan and South Sudan. [117622]
Mr Bellingham: Britain fully supports the African Union (AU) High Level Implementation Panel, which is facilitating negotiations between both countries in Addis Ababa, and to which it has provided political, financial and technical support. We continue to make clear to both countries that they must comply fully and without preconditions with all the provisions of the AU road map of 24 April 2012, and UN Security Council resolution 2046, which endorses that road map.
Syria
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessments have been made regarding the impact of additional Russian military assets being moved to Syria. [117639]
Alistair Burt: Russian provision of attack helicopters and other weapons to the Syrian regime is deeply concerning. We believe this will only exacerbate the cycle of violence. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has raised the issue of arms sales to the Syrian regime with the Russian Foreign Minister. The Prime Minister also raised it with President Putin. There have been reports that Russia has decided to stop shipments of new arms to Syria. But we urge Russia to stop all arms shipments to Syria.
We have strengthened the EU arms embargo so that the insurance and re-insurance of arms shipments to Syria is explicitly prohibited following the action to prevent a Russian ship providing attack helicopters to those leading the repression in Syria.
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Turkey
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the freedom of the press in Turkey. [117485]
Mr Lidington: We share concerns expressed by the European Commission, OSCE, Council of Europe and others over the deterioration in freedom of expression in Turkey. We are particularly concerned about the high number of journalists currently imprisoned in Turkey.
The Turkish Government have assured us that they are committed to improving the climate for freedom of expression. Parliament has just passed a judicial reform package which, we have been told, will reduce the number of people in pre-trial detention. We welcome news that a further judicial reform package aimed specifically at improving the climate for freedom of expression will be debated by the Turkish Parliament in the autumn. With our financial support, the Council of Europe will launch a project later this year aimed at promoting media freedom in Turkey.
UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara
Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 22 May 2012, Official Report, column 571W, on UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, whether he has received a response from the UN Mission for the Referendum in the Western Sahara (MINURSO) on where the documents which had been removed from the MINURSO website can be obtained publicly. [117541]
Alistair Burt: The documents are now available in the House of Commons Library. They were placed in the Library on 24 May under deposit reference DEP2012-0860.
Western Sahara
Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will instruct HM Ambassador to Morocco to raise with the Moroccan authorities the assault on the children of the Saharawi human rights activist Aminatou Haidar while travelling between Agadir, Morocco and El Aauin, Western Sahara on 8 July 2012. [117339]
Alistair Burt: We are aware of reports of alleged assault on Aminatou Haidar's children and are monitoring this. We have no current plans to raise this issue. We regularly raise with the Moroccan authorities the importance of ensuring full respect for human rights in Western Sahara.
Wines
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects his Department's wine cellar will be self-financing. [117193]
Mr Bellingham: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 16 July 2012, Official Report, column 570W, to the hon. Member for Makerfield (Yvonne Fovargue).
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Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the written ministerial statement of 13 May 2011, Official Report, column 49WS, on the Government wine cellar review, for what reasons his Department has not published an annual statement to Parliament on the Government's wine cellar. [117194]
Mr Bellingham: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 16 July 2012, Official Report, column 570W, to the hon. Member for Makerfield (Yvonne Fovargue).
Education
Academies: Middlesbrough
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions his Department has had with Middlesbrough borough council on schools in Middlesbrough becoming academies. [117273]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 16 July 2012]: Since July 2011, there have been 24 meetings, emails or telephone conversations between officials and the local authority to discuss academies across the borough. Two sponsored primary academies have been approved and one primary and one secondary school have been given approval to convert.
Academies: Worcestershire
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many academies there are in (a) Worcestershire and (b) Redditch. [110973]
Mr Gibb: The information requested is as follows:
(a) In Worcestershire, there are 25 open academies;
(b) In Redditch constituency there are four open Academies.
Information about open academies and those in development is available on the Department for Education website at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/b00208569/open-academies
Adoption
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average length of time was to successfully complete the adoption process in the last (a) five and (b) 10 years. [117229]
Tim Loughton: The average time to successfully complete the adoption process in the last (a) five years was two years and seven months, and in (b) the last 10 years was two years and eight months.
These averages are based on the time taken from the start of the child's last period of care to the date when the adoption order was made.
Information on adopted children can be found in the Statistical First Release (SFR) “Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2011”, which is available on the Department's website via the following link:
http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001026/index.shtml
The methodology used to answer this question follows that used in Table E2 of the SFR for the yearly average time between entry into care and adoption.
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Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many couples in (a) Dartford constituency, (b) Kent and (c) England (i) successfully adopted a child and (ii) were rejected for adoption of a child in the last 10 years. [117230]
Tim Loughton: The Department collects information on looked-after children adopted by single people, civil partners, married and unmarried (same sex and different sex) couples. Some couples adopt two or more children, and therefore the number of couples who adopt will be lower than the number of children they adopted. Information on the legal status of adopters of looked- after children has been collected since 2006-07. Consequently, the number of looked-after children adopted by couples can be provided only for the last five years.
Figures for Kent and England are shown in the following tables.
Figures for England have been taken from Table E3 of the Statistical First Release, “Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England (including adoption and care leavers)—year ending 31 March 2011”. This can be accessed at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001026/index.shtml
Information at constituency level is not available. The Department does not collect data on the number of prospective adopters who have been considered unsuitable to adopt a looked-after child.
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Children in Care
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure that young people leaving care have access to adequate financial support and employment advice. [117449]
Tim Loughton: In 2010 we introduced revised regulations and guidance on support for care leavers. These are intended to improve the quality of support, and bring greater consistency in local authority practice to help ensure all young people receive the same opportunities to succeed as their peers.
Key entitlements for care leavers include duties on local authorities to:
Provide support from a suitably qualified personal adviser up to age 21 or up to aged 25 if they are on an agreed education or training course (this includes providing access to careers advice);
Develop and support the implementation of a pathway plan including how the young person will undertake education courses or gain employment;
Pay a £2,000 Higher Education Bursary for all eligible care leavers;
Support to make a successful financial transition to adulthood including access to emergency payments where necessary.
Other key areas of Government support for care leavers include:
Funding of the “From Care2Work” programme, run by the National Care Advisory Service, to improve employment opportunities for care leavers by offering young people work experience, and through apprenticeships to part and full time jobs in the public and private sector;
Placing a duty on the Skills Funding Agency to prioritise funding for apprenticeships training for certain groups of young people who have secured an apprenticeship place. This includes 19 to 24-year-olds who have been in local authority care;
Funding a new 16-19 further education bursary scheme which began at the start of the 2011/12 academic year. Looked after young people and care leavers are guaranteed a £1,200 bursary if they continue in full-time education.
Giving priority for care leavers to access the Work Programme. This has been introduced to provide intensive personalised support for people who are at risk of long-term unemployment.
Children: Day Care
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) after-school and (b) before-school places are available for children over the age of five. [116267]
Sarah Teather: The Government report the number of Ofsted registered places in England in the Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey series. The latest report is for 2010.
The number of after-school club places is provided below for each year from 2006. After-school clubs are defined here as facilities providing after school activities or childcare during term time to school aged children aged under eight, for more than two hours in any day and more than five days a year. Age break downs are not available. The equivalent information for before-school places is not collected.
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| Number of Ofsted registered places for after-school clubs (England) | |
| Ofsted registered places | |
| Source: 2010 Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey | |
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what information his Department holds on the average staff: child ratios for child care services for children in each age group. [116268]
Sarah Teather: Adult:child ratios are set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework (EYFS) which sets learning and development and welfare standards that all early year providers must meet, for children from birth to five. For children aged six and seven ratios are set in regulations for the General Childcare Register (GCR).
The revised EYFS which comes into effect on 1 September sets the same adult:child ratios for child care and child minding.
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many child care places are funded by his Department by type of provider; [116289]
(2) how many childcare places (a) in total and (b) for children of each age his Department estimates are funded through its spending on (i) Sure Start and (ii) child care. [116266]
Sarah Teather: The Department does not fund child care places. The Department provides funding to local authorities through the dedicated schools grant (DSG) to provide 15 hours a week of free early education for 38 weeks of the year for all three and four-year-olds.
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The number of three and four-year-old children benefiting from free early education in England, by type of provider, is shown in the table.
| Number of three and four-year-old children benefiting from free early education(1, 2 )by type of provider. England, 2012 | ||
| Three-year-olds | Four-year-olds | |
| (1 )Count of children aged three and four at 31 December in the previous calendar year. (2) Numbers of three and four-year-olds in schools may include some two-year-olds. (3) Includes some local authority day nurseries registered to receive funding. (4) Includes primary converter academies, primary sponsor-led academies and primary free schools. (5) Includes reception and other classes not designated as nursery classes. (6) Includes maintained secondary schools, secondary converter academies, sponsor-led academies, secondary free schools and city technology (7) Includes general hospital schools. Source: Early Years Census (EYC), School Census (SC), and School Level Annual School Census (SLASC) | ||
This information can be found in the “Provision for Children under Five Years of Age in England: January 2012” Statistical First Release at the following link:
http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001074/index.shtml
The Department also provides funding for free early education places for less advantaged two-year-olds, currently through the early intervention grant (EIG). From September 2013, the Government are introducing a legal entitlement to free early education for two-year-olds. We estimate that around 150,000 children (approximately 20%) will be eligible for free places from September 2013, rising to around 300,000 (around 40%) from September 2014.
Children’s Rights
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) on how many occasions his Department has made representations to other Government Departments on the compatibility of proposals, policies or legislation with the UN convention on the rights of the child since May 2010; and if he will place in the Library copies of any such correspondence; [117381]
(2) what representations his Department has received on the compatibility of its policies with the (a) UN convention on the rights of the child and (b) UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each such item of correspondence. [117382]
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Sarah Teather [holding answer 16 July 2012]: As Minister for Children and Families, I regularly champion the rights of children with my ministerial colleagues.
The Government do not normally disclose information relating to internal discussion and policy advice.
The Department has received a number of representations about the compatibility of its policies with the UNCRC. These include reports and correspondence from the UK Children’s Commissioners—“Mid Term report”; the Children’s Rights Alliance for England—“State of Children’s Rights in England 2011”; and Save the Children UK—“Governance fit for Children”. The Department has also received representations from individuals on a wide range of specific matters. Our policy is not to share correspondence from individuals without their agreement.
Similarly, a number of individuals and organisations have raised issues with the Department regarding the compatibility of our policies with the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.
Disclosure of Information
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on the updating of published data in line with the Government's transparency agenda in each month since September 2011. [110712]
Mr Gibb: Transparency is a key operating principle for the Department and we release a wide range of data and statistics on an ongoing basis. Given the broad range of data sets which are processed and released by the Department it is not possible to provide the exact monthly breakdown requested. The estimated additional cost associated with updating and enhancing published data to meet the specific transparency commitments announced in letters from the Prime Minister in May 2010 and July 2011 in 2011-12 is £1,140,000 in financial year 2011-12. This figure includes internal staff costs associated with preparing and publishing data and the development costs associated with enhancing the 2011 school performance tables to release a significantly expanded set of data about primary and secondary schools.
Education: Assessments
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) how many and what proportion of 16-year-olds took qualifications in 2011 which will no longer count in performance tables following his reforms of equivalent qualifications; [114161]
(2) how many pupils were examined in 2011 in each qualification that he plans to remove from key stage 4 performance tables; [114193]
(3) which qualifications he plans to remove from key stage 4 performance tables from 2014; and how many children sat each such qualification in 2011; [114195]
(4) how many qualifications were awarded last year which will in future no longer count in performance tables due to reforms to the equivalent qualifications. [114191]
Mr Gibb:
From 2014, the key stage 4 performance tables will be restricted to qualifications that are high quality, rigorous and enable progression to a range of study and employment opportunities for the majority
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of pupils. Details on the qualifications to be included in the 2014 key stage 4 performance tables are available on our website at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/qualifications/otherqualifications/a00202523/reform-of-14-to-16-performance-tables
A list of qualifications that will not be included from 2014 onwards, entered by at least one pupil reported in the 2011 key stage 4 performance tables, has been placed in the House Libraries. This list includes the number of pupils at the end of key stage 4 entered for each qualification in 2011. Some existing qualifications on that list will not be counted in their current form from 2014 onwards, but will be superseded by revised versions which have been judged to be high quality, rigorous and enable progression to a range of study and employment opportunities for the majority of pupils. As long as the qualifications in this list remain regulated by Ofqual and approved for teaching pre-16 they will continue to be included in the 2012 and 2013 key stage 4 performance tables.
In 2011, 552,575 pupils (88%) at the end of key stage 4 were entered for at least one of 2,572 qualifications that will not be included in the key stage 4 performance tables from 2014. This analysis has been based on the qualifications list from January 2012; the list was revised in May 2012 to add 15 new qualifications that we are not able to incorporate.
Education: Qualifications
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils took qualifications which he plans to remove from performance tables in each year since 2004. [116005]
Mr Gibb: The information requested, for 2007-11, is shown in the following table. From 2014, the key stage 4 performance tables will be restricted to qualifications that are high quality, rigorous and enable progression to a range of study and employment opportunities for the majority of pupils. Regulated qualifications have a set review date after which the qualification can be either amended with a new review date or removed from the list of qualifications. Many of the qualifications that the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), plans to remove from performance tables have become available to pupils only in recent years—sometimes replacing similar qualifications. Therefore the trend, in the following table, of rising take-up of these qualifications may not reflect a real trend towards these qualifications. Only qualifications that are currently Ofqual regulated, have section 96 approval and meet the Department’s rigorous standards have been included in the list of qualifications that will count towards the performance tables in 2014. The information in the following table is based on qualifications that are currently regulated for use, but will not be eligible to count in performance tables from 2014 onwards.
Information for earlier years is not available.
| Number and percentage of pupils who were entered for at least one of the qualifications that will not be included in the key stage 4 performance tables from 2014 onwards, 2006/07 to 2010/11(1), England | ||
| Number of pupils | Percentage of pupils (%) | |
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| (1) Includes attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (2) Figures for 2010/11 are revised, all other figures are final. | ||
e-mail: Policy Advisers
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent guidance he has issued to (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) special advisers in his Department on the use of private email accounts to discuss items of Government business; and if he will make a statement. [113928]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 26 June 2012]: None. The Information Commissioner published guidance on 15 December 2011 concerning information held in private email accounts. The Cabinet Office is considering this and has said that it will issue further guidance to Departments. The Department will then review its own guidance accordingly.
Freedom of Information
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much money his Department spent on legal advice on its compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in each month since September 2011. [113369]
Tim Loughton: The Department has since September 2011 spent a total of £23,988.28 on external legal advice and litigation services relating to compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FoIA). The Department spent £19,163:28 in relation to two Decision Notices issued by the Information Commissioner's Office in 2011 or earlier, and £4,825 for advice from counsel in relation to use of non-departmental accounts for official business.
These break down by month as follows:
| Departmental spend in £ | |
The costs of internal legal advice on FoIA matters are not held in such a way that they can be separately identified.
GCSE: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of students at state schools in York achieved five or more GCSEs at grades (a) A* to C and (b) A* to E in each year from 1997-98. [117725]
Mr Gibb: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 3 July 2012, Official Report, columns 590-94W.
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Standard measures of attainment at the end of Key Stage 4 include achievement of five or more GCSEs at A*-C grade. Information for five or more A*-E grades could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Internet
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department plans to create a myth buster section on its website similar to that of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. [117904]
Tim Loughton: The Department for Education works to ensure that accurate and timely information is provided to the public and workforces through all communication channels.
The Department has no current plans to create a myth buster section on its website similar to that of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Newham Free Academy
Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils have applied to join the Newham Free Academy in September 2012. [116452]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 11 July 2012]: Following careful consideration, we have judged that the proposal to establish Newham Free Academy has not progressed sufficiently for it to proceed to opening and it has been withdrawn from the free school programme.
Pre-school Education
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the early years curriculum; and if he will make a statement. [116269]
Sarah Teather: In March, we published a revised Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) following an independent review by Dame Clare Tickell. The EYFS is a statutory framework which sets the standards that all early year providers must meet, covering children from birth to five. It includes requirements to ensure that children learn and develop well and that they are kept healthy and safe. The new, simpler and clearer EYFS, which comes into force in September, places a stronger emphasis on learning and development, with a clearer focus on the three prime areas of learning and development that are essential for children's healthy development and readiness for school. It also simplifies assessment at age five and provides for earlier intervention for those children who need extra help, through the introduction of a progress check when children are aged two.
Runaway Children: Missing Persons
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of incidents in which a failure to track runaway and missing children results in them becoming vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. [117447]
Tim Loughton:
Identifying and ensuring the safe return of children who go missing is a key part of the police service's child protection and wider safeguarding role.
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However, as the missing children and adults cross- Government strategy makes clear, tackling missing persons issues requires a multi-agency response and co-ordination across a range of policies and operational partners including local authorities, who are key where children go missing.
The Department is planning to consult on the statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care to give local authorities a clearer understanding of their duties and more flexibility to decide on the arrangements which are suitable for their areas.
The Department is also driving forward work to ensure that there are better and more transparent data about children who go missing from care (and who may often then be at risk of sexual exploitation). We have already written to all local authorities asking them to review their own data collections, and to check their figures against those collected by local police forces. The Department is now working with an expert group to develop a data collection system which is more meaningful and gives a much clearer picture of the numbers of children who go missing from care. Better local data collection will contribute to improved local strategies for minimising missing persons incidents and improving protection for children in care.
Schools: Peterborough
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much (a) revenue and (b) capital funding was provided (i) in cash terms and (ii) at 2012 prices to state (A) primary and (B) secondary schools in Peterborough in each year since 1997. [114654]
Mr Gibb: The information is as follows:
Average per pupil revenue funding figures, provided from the Department for Education to Peterborough city council, for pupils aged three to 10 (primary) and 11 to 15 (secondary) for the years 1997-98 to 2005-06 are as follows (Table 1 provides figures in cash terms and table 2 provides the equivalent real terms figures):
| Table 1: Average per pupil revenue funding (cash) | ||
| Peterborough (primary) | Peterborough (secondary) | |
| Notes: 1. Price base: cash. 2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of Standard Spending Assessment/Education Formula Spending (EFS) settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS and LSC. 3. Funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES departmental expenditure limits relevant to pupils aged three to 15 and exclude education maintenance allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level. 4. Where responsibility for funding a school has transferred from an authority, related funding no longer appears in the series. 5. The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to £ per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC three-year-old maintained pupils and estimated three to four-year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers. 6. Rounding: Per pupil figures are rounded to the nearest £1. | ||
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| Table 2: Average per pupil revenue funding (real) | ||
| Peterborough (primary) | Peterborough (secondary) | |
| Notes: 1. Price base: Real terms at 2010-11 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 28 March 2012 2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of Standard Spending Assessment/Education Formula Spending (EFS) settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS and LSC. 3. Funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES departmental expenditure limits relevant to pupils aged three to 15 and exclude education maintenance allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level. 4. Where responsibility for funding a school has transferred from an authority, related funding no longer appears in the series. 5. The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to £ per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC three-year-old maintained pupils and estimated three to four-year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers. 6. Rounding: Per pupil figures are rounded to the nearest £1. | ||
The total revenue per pupil figures shown in the following table are taken from the new Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). They are not comparable with those for the years 1997-98 to 2005-06 because the introduction of the DSG in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded.
The 1997-98 to 2005-06 figures are based on Education Formula Spending (EFS) which formed the education part of the Local Government Finance Settlement, plus various grants. This was an assessment of what local authorities needed to fund education rather than what they spent. The DSG is based largely on an authority's previous spending. In addition, the DSG has a different coverage to EFS. EFS comprised a schools block and an LEA block (to cover LEA central functions) whereas DSG only covers the school block. LEA block items are still funded through DCLG's Local Government Finance Settlement but education items cannot be separately identified. Consequently, there is a break in the Department's time series as the two sets of data are not comparable. An alternative time series is currently under development.
To provide a comparison for 2006-07 DSG, the Department have isolated the schools block equivalent funding in 2005-06; as described above this does not represent the totality of “education” funding in that year.
The total and per pupil revenue funding figures for years 2005-06 to 2010-11 for Peterborough are provided in the following table. The following figures are for all funded pupils aged three to 19 and are in cash terms:
| Average revenue per pupil funding (DSG + grants cash) | |
| Peterborough | |
17 July 2012 : Column 741W
| Notes: 1. This covers funding through the Dedicated Schools Grant, School Standards Grant, School Standards Grant (Personalisation) and Standards Fund as well as funding from the Learning and Skills Council; it excludes grants which are not allocated at LA level. 2. Price base: Cash 3. These figures are for all funded pupils aged three to 19. 4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £10. | |
These figures are in real terms:
| Average per pupil revenue funding (DSG + Grants real) | |
| Peterborough | |
| Notes: 1. This covers funding through the Dedicated Schools Grant, School Standards Grant, School Standards Grant (Personalisation) and Standards Fund as well as funding from the Learning and Skills Council; it excludes grants which are not allocated at LA level. 2. Price base: Real terms at 2010-11 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 28 March 2012. 3. These figures are for all funded pupils aged three to 19. 4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £10. | |
The following table shows capital funding allocated to Peterborough local authority for the financial years that are available. The data are in cash terms as allocations are phased across more than one year making real terms calculations misleading. Complete information on the split of capital between phases of education is not held centrally.
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| £ million | ||
| Peterborough | Capital allocations(1) | PFI credits(2) |
| (1 )Capital allocations includes capital grant and supported borrowing allocations. (2 )PFI credit allocations are counted at financial close. (3 )Peterborough did not receive funding in its own right in 1996-97 and 1997-98 as it formed part of Cambridgeshire local authority. (4 )Indicates that no funding was given in that year. Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £100,000. | ||
Schools: Yorkshire and Humberside
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many full-time equivalent (a) teachers, (b) teaching assistants and (c) other staff have been employed at (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in (A) York and (B) North Yorkshire and York (1) in total and (2) per pupil in each year since 1992. [111434]
Mr Gibb: The following tables provide the full-time equivalent numbers of teachers, teaching assistants and support staff in the North Yorkshire and York local authorities in each January from 1994 to November 2011.
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| (1) Equals not available. Note: Staff numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. Sources: FTE teachers (1997 to 2009 618g survey, 2010 School Workforce Census), FTE teaching assistants, support staff and pupils from School Census. | ||||||
The methodology for calculating pupil: teacher ratios has recently changed to take account of dual registered pupils. At present the pupil: teacher ratios for City of York and North Yorkshire are only available on the new methodology for November 2010 and 2011 and these are given in the following table.
| Full-time equivalent pupils, qualified teachers and pupil teacher ratios(1) in local authority primary and secondary schools. Maintained Coverage: York local authority and North Yorkshire and York—November 2010 and 2011 | ||||||
| Primary | Secondary | |||||
| FTE pupils | FTE qualified teachers | PTR | FTE pupils | FTE qualified teachers | PTR | |
| (1) PTRs are calculated using the FTE number of sole and dual registered pupils on roll by the total FTE number of qualified teachers regularly employed in schools. Notes: 1. Figures for 2011 include only those schools that remained with local authority maintained status at January 2012. 2. Staff numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. Sources: FTE teachers (2010 School Workforce Census), FTE pupils (School Census). | ||||||
These statistics are provided and are sourced from the Statistical First Release “School Workforce in England, November 2011”. National statistics were published in April 2012 and underlying regional, local authority and school information on 12 July at the following web link:
http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/stats/a00205723/school-workforce-in-england-provisional-nov-2011
Table 17 of the SFR provides the revised national pupil: teacher ratio time series and the underlying data provides the local authority breakdown for November 2011.
Special Educational Needs
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children were (a) statemented for special educational needs, (b) in the School Action category and (c) in the School Action Plus category in each year since 1997. [116006]
Sarah Teather: The available information on numbers of pupils with statements of special educational needs, at School Action and at School Action Plus is shown in the following table. The three stages of special, educational needs (SEN) came into effect with the SEN Code of Practice in 2002; comparable information is therefore not available prior to 2003.
The latest available information on special educational needs was published in the “Special Educational Needs in England: January 2011” Statistical First Release on 30 June 2011 at
http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001007/index.shtml
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Data as at January 2012 will be published in the “Special Educational Needs in England: January 2012” Statistical First Release on 12 July 2012 at
http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001075/index.shtml
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The information requested here, for 2012, will be available in Tables 1A and 1B.
| All schools: Pupils with special educational needs (SEN)(1). As at January each year: 2003-11, England | |||||||||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
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| n/a = Not available. x = 1 or 2 pupils. (1 )Includes pupils who are sole or dual main registrations. Excludes pupils in Alternative provision (except those in Pupil Referral Units). (2) Excludes independent schools and general hospital schools as data collected are not broken down by SEN provision for all years from 2003. Includes direct grant nurseries. (3) Includes pupils with SEN without statements in all school types. (4) Includes middle schools as deemed. (5) Includes primary academies. (6) Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies, including all-through academies. (7) Prior to 2009 information on pupils with SEN without statements was not collected from general hospital schools. General hospital schools are included from 2009. (8) Includes pupils registered with other providers and in further education colleges. In 2003-09 includes dual subsidiary registered pupils. (9) Includes direct grant nursery schools. Note: Totals may not appear to equal the sum of the component parts because numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. Source: School Census | |||||||||