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6 Nov 2008 : Column 760W—continued
Powers of Entry
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many powers of entry have been (a) introduced and (b) abolished by his Department through legislation since 1997. [228157]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I refer the right hon. and learned Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department on 22 October 2008, Official Report, column 452W.
Pre-school Education: Enfield
Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many free nursery places for three and four year olds have been made available in Enfield North constituency since the establishment of the free nursery places scheme. [233891]
Beverley Hughes: The available information is shown in the tables.
Table 1 provides information about the part-time equivalent number of free early education places filled by three and four-year-olds in Enfield North parliamentary constituency area. Data at parliamentary constituency level are not yet available for 2008.
Table 2 provides information about the part-time equivalent number of free early education places filled by three and four-year-olds for Enfield local authority area for the years 1999 to 2008.
| Part-time equivalent number of free early education places( 1,2) filled by three and four-year-olds—local authority: Enfield | ||||||
| Position in January each year | ||||||
| Three-year-olds | Four-year-olds | |||||
| Maintained nursery and primary schools3 | Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers | Total three-year-olds | Maintained nursery and primary schools( 4) | Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers | Total four-year-olds | |
| n/a = Not available. (1) A place is equal to five or more sessions and can be filled by more than one child. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 and to the nearest 10 otherwise. (3) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the School Census. (4) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the School Census. (5) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise. (6) For the years 1999-2001, four-year-old sub national figures from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise cannot be disaggregated between the maintained and private, voluntary and independent sectors. (7) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise. (8) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census supplementary data collection exercise and the School Census. (9) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the School Census. (10) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the School Census. | ||||||
The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release (SFR) 12/2008 “Provision for children under five years of age in England: January 2008”, available on my Department’s website:
Primary Education: Nurses
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many primary schools do not have a school nurse. [233670]
Jim Knight: We do not hold this information. However, all primary schools have access to the school nursing service through their local primary care trust.
Primary Schools: Absenteeism
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government is taking to address non-attendance at primary schools. [233281]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department is determined to get overall absence down in all schools. Absence in 2006-07 (last complete year for which data have been published) was 6.49 per cent.—the lowest level on record in state funded schools. Absence has been lower than 1996-97 levels in all but two of the last 10 years. And on average 58,000 more pupils were in school each day in 2006-07 than would be the case if absence rates were still at the level of a decade ago.
We have achieved this considerable progress by targeting persistent absence in secondary schools. Secondary schools have higher absence rates than primary schools.
We do not ignore primary schools. When the National Strategies visit a Local authority with high persistent absence in secondary schools they also work with the
local authority attendance leader to determine what is happening in primary schools and the advice they give applies equally to primary schools. All local authorities update their actions to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence on a termly basis with the National Strategies regional adviser and primary attendance now is a focus of those discussions. All local authorities also have a standards meeting in the autumn term where targets and priorities are discussed. Although these meetings are still taking place many local authorities have decided to have persistent absence as a priority with particular reference to primary schools. The National Strategies are running a pilot on improving attendance in primary schools with a number of local authorities in London. We will carefully consider the lessons learned from that pilot and the implications for our policy to target persistent absence.
Pupil Exclusions: Suffolk
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how many pupils were temporarily excluded more than (a) once, (b) five times and (c) 10 times in Suffolk in each of the last five years; [233508]
(2) how many pupils were permanently excluded more than (a) once and (b) twice in Suffolk in each of the last five years. [233509]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Data on the numbers of pupils with fixed period exclusions were collected for the first time for the school year 2003/04, therefore data can only be provided for the last four school years. Data on permanent exclusions are available for the last five years.
However it is not possible, given the amount of analysis required, to provide a response to these questions within the timeframe required by Parliament. The requested information will be placed in the House of Commons Library within 10 working days.
School Leaving
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the percentage of pupils who will continue their education at their current secondary school when the requirement for young people to continue in education or training until the age of 18 comes into effect. [233935]
Jim Knight: Our proposals would not raise the school leaving age, but would introduce compulsory participation in some form of learning post-16. This could be in full-time education; work-based learning; or part-time education or training alongside full-time employment. The local authority will plan learning provision based on an assessment of the needs in the area and young people will be able to choose which route to follow. We have not estimated the percentage of pupils who will continue at their current secondary school.
Bob Russell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether schools for pupils aged 11 to 16 years old will be required to provide education for a further year when the requirement for young
people to continue in education or training until the age of 18 comes into effect; and if he will make a statement. [233936]
Jim Knight: Our intention is that from 2013 all young people will be required to carry on in some form of education or training post-16. This would not have to be at a school, and young people could choose to participate through full-time education, including at school or college; work-based learning; or part-time accredited training alongside full-time employment. Schools which currently provide education up to age 16 will not be required to provide an additional year of education as a result of this policy.
Schools: Choice Advisers
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) what assessment he has made of the effect choice advisers have had on standards in education; and if he will make a statement; [233608]
(2) how many choice advisers were employed in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [233609]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Choice Advice is an independent service commissioned by local authorities to support the minority of parents who most need help to negotiate the secondary school admissions process. We would not expect Choice Advice to have a measurable impact on standards in education. We would expect it to have a positive impact on the parents who have accessed it, in terms of the ease with which they were able to negotiate the admissions process and the extent to which they felt able to make appropriate choices for their child.
We recently funded Sheffield Hallam University to conduct an evaluation of Choice Advice in 15 case study local authorities. The report will be published later this month and will be available at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/ and will include an evaluation of the impact that Choice Advice had on the parents who accessed it.
The Choice Advice initiative was launched in September 2006 and we set a target of September 2008 for every local authority to have a Choice Advice service in place. Local authorities have the flexibility to make Choice Advice available in the way which best meets local needs. Some may employ only one choice adviser while others may find they need more than one. Similarly, some may employ full time choice advisers while others may employ choice advisers on a seasonal basis.
Information provided by local authorities to the Choice Advisers Support and Quality Assurance Network indicate that, by September 2007, there were 183 choice advisers employed across England and, by September 2008, there were 251 choice advisers employed across England.
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