Mr. Robert AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what action she is taking to ensure the ongoing educational value of section 11 activity now that much of the funding is contained within the single regeneration budget.
§ Mr. Robin SquireMy right hon. Friend will continue to monitor, through Ofsted, the standard of educational provision in all maintained schools, including provision for those pupils for whom English is not their first language. Additional support for the latter category through section 11 and single regeneration budget grants is a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, respectively.
Mr. Robert AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what moneys are allocated within grants for education support and training to provide for the needs of those teaching bilingual pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds; and what monitoring is planned on how it is spent.
§ Mr. Robin SquireThe size of the grants for education support and training—GEST—programme for 1995–96, and the grants within it, will be considered in the light of decisions on education standard spending generally following the unified budget on 29 November. The GEST programme will include a new grant to provide in-service training for mainstream teachers of bilingual pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds. LEAs will be required to report by 30 June 1996 on the training provided under this activity. In addition, Ofsted will be invited to inspect a sample of courses and report to the Department.