| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Electronic Children's Database
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which public sector bodies will have access to the new electronic children’s database. [83014]
Beverley Hughes: Practitioners from health, education, social care, and youth justice will be granted access to the information sharing index. Access will be granted according to the role of the practitioner. For example, in a school a small number of named designated staff, such as teachers of children with special educational needs or who have pastoral or child protection responsibilities, would have access.
We will be consulting over the autumn on draft regulations that will bring the information sharing index into operation. Among other issues, the regulations will specify the types of practitioners in the Children’s Workforce whose role would make it appropriate for them to have access to the index. All practitioners with access will have appropriate Criminal Records Bureau checks and to have undergone relevant training.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the (a) personal attributes and (b) fields which the electronic Children’s Database will have the capability to hold. [83060]
Beverley Hughes: The information sharing index will contain only limited and basic information about children in England and contact details for other services working with the child or young person. It will enable practitioners to identify and contact one another easily and quickly, so that they can share relevant information about children who need services or about whose welfare they are concerned.
It will not record information on personal attributes such as children’s diet, church attendance or school attainment. The Children’s Act 2004 specifically prohibits the inclusion of any case information on the index. There will be no subjective opinions or observations about a child or parent, no details of assessments such as the Common Assessment Framework and no automatic triggers for action or investigation.
Information fields on the index will hold for each child or young person:
basic identifying information: name, address, gender, date of birth, and a unique identifying number based on the existing child reference number/national insurance number;
basic identifying information about the child’s parent or carer;
Contact details for services involved with the child: as a minimum school and GP practice, and other services where appropriate and if consent from the child or family has left obtained in respect of a sensitive service.
the facility for practitioners to indicate to others that they have information to share, have taken action, or have undertaken a Common Assessment Framework, in relation to a child; and
other information included solely for the purposes of identifying and managing the quality of data in the index, for example the date of the last update to the record.
We will
consult over the autumn on draft regulations that will bring the index
into operation. The draft
regulations will be laid before both Houses for debate under affirmative
resolution procedures. Subject to the will of Parliament, the index is
expected to be available in all local areas in England by the end of
2008.
Higher Education Funding Council
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans there are for the Higher Education Funding Council to administer (a) Sussex university and (b) the University of Brighton; and if he will make a statement. [83034]
Bill Rammell: There are currently no plans for the Higher Education Funding Council for England to administer or otherwise intervene in the affairs of either university.
Holiday Play Schemes
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what qualifications are required for volunteers helping to run holiday play schemes; and if he will make a statement. [82693]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 5 July 2006]: The national standards for holiday play schemes, and other day care providers looking after children aged under eight, require that the manager of a scheme holds at least a level 3 qualification appropriate to the post; and that at least half of all staff hold a level 2 qualification appropriate to the care and development of children. Volunteers would not need to hold such qualifications if they are counted in the 50 per cent. for whom qualifications are not required.
A wide range of qualifications is acceptable for meeting the requirements of the national standards, and those at levels 2 to 4 are listed on the database of acceptable qualifications now maintained by the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC). Higher level qualifications, such as in teaching or social work, would normally be acceptable for managers.
Learning and Skills Council
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of further education Learning and Skills Council funding was spent on 19 to 25-year-olds in 2005-06; and what proportion is planned to be spent in the next two financial years. [81802]
Bill Rammell: For the most recently completed academic year, 2004/05, 27 per cent. of the adult further education budget was spent on young adults aged 19 to 25. Figures for 2005/06 are not yet available. We have not set out specific plans for the proportion of the adult FE budget to be spent on this cohort for 2006/07 or 2007/08. However, we have announced a new free entitlement to a first full level 3 for 19to 25-year-olds from 2007/08 and an additional£25 million will be available to support this entitlement.
Modern Languages
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students (a) aged 14 years and over and (b) at university level studied modern languages in each of the last 10 years. [82352]
Bill Rammell: The available information is given in the tables.
| 15-year-old pupils( 1) entered for a GCSE foreign language, England | |
| Academic year | Number |
| (1)
Pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year, i.e. 31
August. (2) 2004/05 GCSE examinations saw the first pupils for whom modern foreign languages were not compulsory. | |
| Pupils entered for an A-Level foreign language, England | |
| Academic year | Number |
In 2004/05, 120,000 aims funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) could be classified as ‘Other (i.e. non-British) languages, literature and culture’. Figures for foreign languages can not be identified separately in earlier years.
New Schools
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many new schools commissioned by the local authority have been built since 2001. [82458]
Jim Knight: Information on the number of schools commissioned by Coventry local education authority that have been built since 2001 is not held by the Department.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many applications he is considering from local authorities to build new community schools. [82459]
Jim Knight: The Secretary of State does not normally consider individual proposals for new schools. Proposals for additional secondary schools in a competition under the Education Act 2002 would fall to be decided by the Secretary of State, but there have been no such competitions. Following consultation and the publication of a notice followed by a representation period, proposals would normally be decided under local decision-making arrangements. The Department has been informed that currently 24 proposals for new community schools are outstanding. These are all for merged schools following reorganisation.
Local authorities receive support for capital investment through our main capital programmes. Investment decisions are largely taken locally.
Under the Education and Inspections Bill currently before Parliament, there will normally be a competition for all new schools, and the publication of proposals for new community schools from most authorities will require the consent of the Secretary of State. The proposals will be decided by the local authority or the schools adjudicator.
Personal Finance Education
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what measures are (a) in place and (b) under consideration for teaching secondary school pupils about the management of personal finances; and if he will make a statement; [82903]
(2) how much has been allocated to programmes to educate secondary school children about how to manage personal finances; and if he will make a statement. [82904]
Mr. Dhanda: The Government recognise the importance of personal finance education for all young people. The National Curriculum for Citizenship, which is compulsory at key stages 3 and 4 (11 to 16-year-olds), includes teaching pupils about how the economy functions, including the role of business and financial services. In addition, the DfES has asked the QCA, as part of the wider review of GCSE maths and the emphasis on improving functional skills, to consider including financial capability more explicitly in the maths curriculum. QCA has also developed a package of guidance for teachers of PSHE which includes two units of work on financial capability. In September 2004, we made work-related learning a statutory element of the curriculum, and from September 2005 are funding schools to develop a new focus on enterprise education, defined as enterprise capability supported by better financial capability and economic and business understanding. We are also working closely with the Financial Services Authority to take forward its Financial Capability Strategy which includes support for schools to deliver better personal finance education.
It is for schools and local authorities to decide the level of resources required to support their personal finance education programmes.
School Discipline
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what counselling services are provided for teachers who develop stress-related illnesses as a result of dealing with persistently badly behaved pupils. [82722]
Jim Knight: It is employers who have the responsibility for the health and safety of their staff and this includes access to Occupational Health Services. In addition, governing bodies and head teachers are encouraged to adopt or participate in health awareness programmes so that their staff can make full use of the welfare and counselling services available. The Department is also implementing a wide range of programmes for schools to manage pupil behaviour more effectively.
School Opt-outs
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools he estimates wish to opt out of local authority control. [82457]
Jim Knight: The Government have no proposals to allow schools to opt out of local authority control, and therefore no estimates of the number of schools which might wish to do so.
Student Safety
Mr.
Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State
for Education and Skills what (a) education is provided in
schools and colleges, (b) information his
Department
issues and (c) grants are available for the purpose of advising
sixth form and college students on personal safety issues.
[81470]
Bill Rammell [holding answer 3 July 2006]: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for funding post-16 education and training in schools and colleges. The LSC does not stipulate the training that is required by each funded learner to ensure their health and safety. Each learner’s complete learning programme should contain the appropriate personal health and safety training. It is a contractual responsibility of each school or college to determine what training is required and to ensure that this is delivered. Training should be in line with the result of risk assessment taking into account the environment, task, and the learner’s age, experience and any special requirements.
The LSC carries out “seeking assurance” activities to satisfy itself that every funded organisation that recruits learners is fulfilling their responsibilities with regard to health and safety. In addition and to spread good practice in health and safety, the LSC maintains a good practice website—where information and teaching materials are available on ensuring learner health and safety www.safelearner.info
Sure Start
Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding was allocated to Sure Start in Swindon in each year between 2002-03 and 2005-06. [82837]
Beverley Hughes: Swindon receives Sure Start funding to support the Pinehurst and Penhill Sure Start local programme (SSLP) and, as part of the General Sure Start Grant, they also receive funding to support Sure Start Children's Centres.
Allocated revenue funding for the SSLP was as follows:
| Sure Start local programme revenue (£) | |
In addition, the SSLP was allocated capital of £1,079,625, which was not allocated to specific financial years.
Funding for Sure Start Children's Centres began in 2004 with local authorities receiving a two year capital and revenue allocation for the period 2004-06. For this period Swindon's allocation was:
| £ | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |