§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the ability of schools to provide conditions for formative emotional development. [95218]
§ Jacqui SmithThe Government is committed to fostering children's emotional well-being and to doing1008W everything they can to ensure that they have the emotional maturity and security necessary for effective learning. This is a key theme of the Government's booklet "Desirable Outcomes for Children's Learning" and the recently launched Early Learning Goals.
We are making £21 million available through the Standards Fund for 2000–01 to support innovative work in Local Education Authorities on early identification and assessment of emotional and behavioural difficulties. A further £18 million of Standards Fund Grant is available to support implementation of the revised National Curriculum framework. Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) in the Curriculum contains provision for pupils to learn how to recognise the symptoms and address the causes of stress and depression.