§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children had statements of special educational needs by age in each year since 1995; and what percentage of the total school under 18 years population this represented. [119536]
§ Jacqui SmithInformation on the number of children with statements of special educational need (SEN) by age has been published centrally since 1997. The latest information available is as follows:
Age 1996 1997 1998 1999 Under 5 8,440 8,999 8,631 9,167 5-15 208,204 215,909 — — 5-10 — — 94,826 97,150 11-15 — — 126,508 134,162 16-19 12,545 13,650 14,763 15,105 These figures relate to all children for whom LEAs maintain a statement including children not placed in schools. The table reflects the years in which the information was collected and a change in the age bands used to collect it from 1998.
356WThe percentage of the total under 18 school population with statements of SEN in each of the years 1995 to 1999 is 2.6 per cent., 2.8 per cent., 2.9 per cent. and 3.0 per cent. respectively.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children with statements of special educational needs were in designated special units within(a) primary schools up to and including year six and (b) secondary schools from year seven onwards in each year since 1995. [119537]
§ Jacqui SmithInformation on the number of children with statements of SEN in designated special units within primary schools and secondary schools is not collected centrally.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which local authorities in England and Wales have(a) adopted and (b) implemented the form of assessment recommended in the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority document "Supporting the Target Setting Process-Guidance for effective target setting for pupils with special educational needs". [119535]
§ Jacqui SmithThe information requested is not collected centrally.
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) commissioned Durham University to undertake a monitoring exercise last summer to ascertain the extent to which the P scales, the assessment framework proposed in the publication 'Supporting the Target Setting Process—Guidance for effective target setting for pupils with special educational needs', are being used in schools. 313 schools, including 116 mainstream and 197 special schools, took part in the survey. The exercise was supported by the 63 local education authorities (LEAs) in which the schools are situated.
A further monitoring survey on the P scales planned for next summer will specifically examine the use made by LEAs of the P scales, as well as school take up and use.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what percentage of the primary schools in England and Wales have been placed on special measures in each year since 1995; [119540]
(2) what percentage of primary schools with local education authorities designated special needs units have been placed on special measures in each year since 1995 in England and Wales. [119534]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisThe percentage of primary and maintained and non-maintained special schools which have been placed in special measures since 1995 is contained in the table. While there are some special schools which cater for pupils wholly of primary school age, or wholly of secondary school age, there are many others which cover age ranges bridging part or the whole of the primary and secondary phases. The attached table does not distinguish between special schools covering the wide number of possible different age ranges. The figures in the table represent the proportion of all primary and maintained and non-maintained special schools which were inspected by Ofsted during that academic year and deemed to be in need of special measures.
357W
Percentage Academic Year Primary Specials 1994–95 0.20 0.50 1995–96 0.40 2 1996–97 0.80 3 1997–98 1 3 1998–99 0.80 1