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28 Jun 2006 : Column 466W—continued
Cadet Forces
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the expansion of cadet forces in schools; and if he will make a statement. [80660]
Mr. Dhanda: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is running a pilot project with a small number of state schools to establish new cadet forces (CCF) in these schools. In order to do this the MOD has drawn on an existing list of schools that had already indicated interest. The Department has discussed this list with the MOD.
Funding for this is being provided directly by the Treasury. The Department has therefore not had any discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer around, nor any involvement in the funding of, this pilot project.
Community Sports Facilities
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what cross-departmental discussions have taken place with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on ensuring that the Building Schools for the Future programme delivers effective community sport facilities in new build and refurbished schools. [80597]
Jim Knight: Ministers from this Department meet our Culture Media and Sport counterparts regularly to discuss our joint schools PE and sports strategy, including curriculum matters and the community use of facilities. There is also regular contact between our respective departmental officials, including those from Partnerships for Schools, the delivery body for Building Schools for the Future.
Education Expenditure, Bristol
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average expenditure was per pupil in Bristol in the (a) 1996-97 and (b) 2005-06 financial year. [80589]
Jim Knight: The following table gives a breakdown of the available data for City of Bristol (a) 1996-97. However, the information requested at (b) 2005-06 financial is not yet available. The Department is due to collect the section 52 outturn data relating to the 2005-06 financial year from August 2006.
| City of Bristol combined local authority and school based expenditure( 1) per pupil( 2) per pupil | |
| £ per pupil | |
| (1) The combined LA and school based expenditure includes all expenditure on the education of children in LA maintained establishments and pupils educated by the LA other than in maintained establishments. This includes both school based expenditure and all elements of central LA expenditure except youth and community and capital expenditure from revenue (CERA). (2) 1999-2000 saw a change in data source when the data collection moved from the RO1 form collected by the ODPM to the Section 52 form from the DfES. 2002-03 saw a further break in the time series following the introduction of Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) and the associated restructuring of the Section 52 outturn tables. (3) Pupil figures include all pre-primary pupils, including those under fives funded by the LA and being educated in private settings, pupils educated in maintained mainstream schools and other LA maintained pupils. The pupil data for pupils attending maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools are taken from the DfES Annual Schools Census. Private voluntary and independent (PVI) under five pupil numbers are taken from the Early Years census but are only included from 1999-2000 onwards. Also included are other LA maintained pupils which includes all pupils attending schools not maintained by the authority for whom the authority is paying full tuition fees, or educated otherwise than in schools and pupil referral units under arrangements made by the authority drawn from the Form 8b submitted to the DfES. Also included as other LA maintained pupils are all pupils attending pupil referral units who are not registered at a maintained mainstream school drawn from the DfES Annual Schools Census. All pupil numbers are adjusted to be on a financial year basis. (4) Figures prior to 1999-2000 exclude any expenditure on service, strategy and regulation. For Bristol LA this would add roughly £9 to the 1996-97 unit cost. Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £10. Cash terms figures as reported by City of Bristol local authority as at 23 June 2006. | |
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been allocated to special needs education provision in the Bristol local education authority area in each year since 2000. [80590]
Jim Knight: The information requested is set out in the following table:
Free School Meals
Helen Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of children in (a) each local authority which retains grammar schools, (b) each grammar school within each such
authority and (c) other secondary schools within each authority received free school meals on the latest date for which figures are available. [79798]
Jim Knight [holding answer 26 June 2006]: The information requested has been placed in the House Library.
GCSE (Foreign Languages)
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in which foreign languages pupils were entered in GCSEs for schools in Tamworth in 2005. [80137]
Jim Knight: Pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in maintained schools in Tamworth constituency were entered in French, German, and Spanish GCSE full courses in 2004/05.
GCSE Results
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average annual change in point scores at GCSE was in (a) specialist schools, (b) grammar schools, (c) academies and (d) all secondary schools between 2001 and 2005. [79802]
Jim Knight [holding answer 26 June 2006]: The information requested is outlined in the following table. Due to a change in the point score system there is a break in the series in 2004.
Learning and Skills Council
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what powers the Learning and Skills Council has (a) to open new post-16 facilities and (b) to withdraw funding from existing post-16 facilities (i) with and (ii) without the agreement of the local education authority for the area; and what (A) informal and (B) formal consultation is required before such proposals are (1) made and (2) implemented. [80864]
Bill Rammell: The LSC has powers to propose new school sixth forms and 16-19 schools under section 113A of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 as inserted by section 72 of the Education Act 2002, as part of local 16-19 reorganisation, where it can demonstrate that the proposals will improve participation, raise standards or broaden the range of provision or following recommendations in an Ofsted area inspection report. The LSC also has powers to propose new Further Education Colleges under section 51 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. In both circumstances the legislation requires the LSC to consult formally and widely, including with the local authority. Reorganisation proposals made by the LSC are decided by the Secretary of State.
The Learning and Skills Act 2000 places a duty on the LSC to make best use of resources (Section 2), gives the LSC the powers to secure the provision of funds to providers of post-16 education and training (Section 5) and impose conditions (Section 6). These powers cover the provision of funding to FE corporations and other providers of post-16 education and training.
Section 7 of the Act gives the LSC the power to make a grant to a local authority to be applied as part of the authority’s local schools budget and with a view to the grant being used for the purpose of or connected with the provision by schools of post-16 education.
The LSC has discretion whether to provide, increase, reduce or withdraw funding. However the LSC must exercise its powers reasonably and this means it would normally be expected to consult with the recipient of any funding before withdrawing funding and take into account any representations they wish to make. The LSC must also take into account all relevant matters in reaching any decisions including the need to fulfil its statutory duties to secure proper or reasonable provision.
Missing Children
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will take steps to collect and publish information on the support services available to children who run away or go missing from care or home in each children’s services area. [80003]
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