§ Mr. FatchettTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to set up the national curriculum working parties in(a) music, (b) art and (c) physical education; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. RumboldI hope that an announcement will be made soon.
§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what consideration has been given to the introduction of road safety into the national curriculum.
§ Mr. Alan HowarthAspects of road safety are or will be covered within national curriculum foundation subjects. It is for schools to decide how best to provide road safety education.
§ Mr. StrawTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assessment he has made of the sufficiency and adequacy of supply of books and equipment appropriate to deliver the national curriculum.
§ Mr. MacGregorSince the national curriculum builds on current best practice, large-scale replacement of books and equipment should be unnecessary. The adequacy of current stocks for the national curriculum will vary between LEAs and schools. The Government are using the education support grant mechanism to support expenditure on books and equipment for this purpose. Otherwise, it is for each local education authority to determine how to deploy the total resources available to it in order to meet the requirements of the national curriculum, including for books.