§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what research he has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the effect of attendance at football study support centres on the educational standards of the children concerned. [89719]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeIn June 1998, the Department commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to evaluate the first six centres in order to provide early indications of their effectiveness and to inform future development plans. NFER's report is very positive about the impact of the centres and will be published in September 1999. A more extensive evaluation of allPlaying for Success centres will begin in August 1999.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the cost per pupil of a pupil attending a football study support centre. [89720]
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§ Mr. Charles ClarkePrecise figures are not yet available. Most centres are still in the early stages of development and are adjusting module lengths, pupil numbers and infrastructure arrangements in the light of experience. However, the Department estimates the average cost per pupil at approximately £150.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much funding for football study support centres has been obtained from(a) sponsors and (b) football clubs. [89723]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe amount of sponsorship for Playing forSuccess is substantial, and sponsors have equipped some centres with full suites of IT hardware. The Department is in the process of quantifying the total sponsorship sum. Each football club is required to contribute one third of the total costs, estimated at £110,000 per annum, in cash or kind.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the extent to which children who are(a) disaffected with school and (b) likely to become disaffected have joined football study support centres. [89718]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThePlaying for Success initiative is specifically targeted at those young people who are disaffected or who are identified as in danger of becoming so. The schools involved are the best judges of which pupils fall into those categories and select pupils who are most likely to benefit from attendance at the centres.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the Premier League and Division One football clubs providing study support centres in(a) 1999 and (b) 2000; and how many children are (i) attending and (ii) planned to attend such centres in the case of each football club. [89721]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeDetails are shown in the table. Expected opening dates are provisional and the numbers of children taking part are estimated.
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Clubs committed Pupil numbers (estimated) Arsenal 1— Expected to open in 2000 Barnsley 200 Open Birmingham City 2— Expected to open in 1999 Blackburn Rovers 550 Open Bolton Wanderers 300 Open Bradford City 1— Expected to open in 2000 Bristol City 2— Expected to open in 1999 Charlton Athletic 540 Open Crystal Palace 1,000 Open Derby County 1,500 Open Everton 1— Expected to open in 2000 Huddersfield Town 240 Open Leeds United 360 Open Leicester City 720 Open Liverpool 2— Expected to open in 1999 Manchester City 160 Open Manchester United 2— Expected to open in 1999 Middlesbrough 800 Open Newcastle United 5,000 Open Norwich City 160 Expected to open in 1999 Nottingham Forest 180 Open Port Vale 150 Open Queens Park Rangers 675 Open Reading 1— Expected to open in 2000
Clubs committed Pupil numbers (estimated) Sheffield United 240 Open Sheffield Wednesday 560 Open Southampton 2— Expected to open in 1999 Stoke City 210 Open Stockport County 2— Expected to open in 1999 Sunderland 350 Open Swindon Town 575 Open Tottenham Hotspur 1— Expected to open in 2000 Watford 1— Expected to open in 2000 West Bromwich Albion 2— Expected to open in 1999 West Ham United 1,160 Open Wolverhampton Wanderers 120 Open 1Not applicable 2Not Known
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the number of girls attending football study support centres. [89722]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe national evaluation report of the first six centres by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) found girls attended in equal numbers to boys. Feedback from individualPlaying for Success centre managers, who monitor attendance by gender, confirms this pattern.