§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many targets have been agreed between his Department and (i) local authorities and (ii) other bodies apart from his own agencies and non-departmental bodies since May 1997. [99472]
§ Mr. Wills[holding answer 24 November 1999]: My Department has set out a number of Key Performance targets in its PSA and Strategic Framework to 2002, including the National Learning Targets for England for 2002. The Key Performance targets underpinned by targets set with local authorities and other bodies, excluding our own agencies and non-departmental bodies, since May 1997, are listed:
DfEE target: a reduction by one third in school truancies (from 0.7 per cent. to 0.5 per cent. half days missed a year through unauthorised absence), and exclusions (from 12,500 to 8,400 permanent exclusions a year) by 2002.
Local authorities have been required to set targets for reducing unauthorised absence and for reducing permanent exclusions for the three years commencing 1999–2000. These targets have been included in their Education Development Plans. Provisions under the Schools Standards and Framework Act 1998 also allow the Secretary of State to require governing bodies of maintained schools to set school-level targets for reducing unauthorised absence where their attendance is significantly below average. During 1999, 304 schools have been asked to set targets.
DfEE target: an increase in the proportion of those aged 11 meeting the standard of literacy for that age (level 4 in the KS2 test) from 63 per cent. to 80 per cent. by 2002, and an increase in the proportion of those aged 11 meeting the standard of numeracy for that age (level 4 in the KS2 test) from 62 per cent. to 75 per cent. by 2002.
Targets at local education authority level for the achievement of 11-year-olds in literacy and numeracy, as measured by the Key Stage 2 national curriculum tests in English and maths, have been agreed with the Department for 2000 and 2002. Local education authorities are also required to submit to the Department targets for their authority for 2001 by January 2000, as part of the process of revising their Education Development Plans.
DJEE targets: an increase in the proportion of those aged 16 who achieve one or more GCSEs at grade G or equivalent, from 92 per cent. to 95 per cent. by 2002, and an increase in the proportion of those aged 16 who achieve five or more GCSEs grades A*-C from 45 per cent. to 50 per cent. by 2002.
Each local authority has agreed with the Department three targets for achievement by pupils aged 16: the percentage gaining 5 or more GCSEs at A8-C; the percentage gaining at least 1 GCSE at A*-G (or equivalent); and the average points score per pupil. These targets are listed in the authority's Education Development Plan.
221WDfEE target: 45 per cent. of medium sized or large organisations and 10,000 small organisations are recognised as Investors in People by 2002.
The Department sets targets for Training Enterprise Councils each year which reflect their local contribution to the national target.
The Department's Key Performance targets are also supported at operational level by numerous other targets to ensure delivery by individual units. Listing all of the Operational Targets the Department has agreed with local authorities and other bodies would be inappropriate and disproportionate in terms of resource. However, the DfEE annual Departmental Report and Annual Report of the Employment Service does include performance related information.