§ Mr. Peter BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) in how many schools in The Wrekin infant class sizes have been reduced to 30 or less; [133191]
(2) how many five, six and seven year-olds in The Wrekin have benefited from a reduction in class sizes to 30 or less. [133190]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisThe latest available data show that infant classes had been reduced to 30 or below in 24 of the 27 relevant schools in the constituency. Since 1997, 840 five, six and seven-year-olds have benefited from the Government's infant class size initiative. In January 2000, as few as 3.4 per cent. of the relevant age group remained in an infant class of 31 or over. The Government is well on target to deliver its infant class size pledge. Some £620 million is available to support the pledge, and allocations so far to Telford and Wrekin LEA amount to some £1.8 million. This has helped to reduce the size of the average infant class in The Wrekin to 24.7. The figure in January 1997 was 27.2
§ Mr. Peter BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many pre-school places have been provided in The Wrekin since May 1997 and are planned in subsequent years for(a) four-year-olds and (b) three-year-olds. [133187]
§ Ms HodgeSince this Government came to office, 120,000 new, free, early education places have been created for three and four-year-olds nationally. This Government have provided funding to create an additional 602 free early education places for three and four-year-olds in the Telford and Wrekin local education authority area, from 2,501 places in 1997 to 3,103 in 2000.
Now, all four-year-olds and over two thirds of the three-year-olds in the Telford and Wrekin local education authority area have access to a free, part-time, early education place. Future allocations will be decided later this year.
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§ Mr. Peter BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what funding, over and above Rate Support Grant, has been provided to education services in The Wrekin since May 1997. [133188]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisFunding for education services in Telford and Wrekin over and above Revenue Support Grant since May 1997 is shown in the following table. The revenue funding for 2000–01 does not include Nursery Grant, for which data are not yet available. Telford and Wrekin was part of Shropshire county council up to 31 March 1998. Since 1997–98 spending per pupil in England has increased by £300 in real terms.
Telford and Wrekin education funding over and above Revenue Support Grant £ 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 Revenue funding 1,389,027 2,964,079 4,840,484 Capital funding 2,205,875 5,431,251 8,527,827 Total 3,594,902 8,395,330 13,368,311
§ Mr. Peter BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many additional teachers and classroom assistants have been employed in primary and secondary schools in The Wrekin since May 1997. [133189]
§ Ms Estelle MorrisThe full-time equivalent of additional qualified teachers and educational support staff employed in primary and secondary schools in The Wrekin parliamentary constituency area between the third Thursday in January 1997 and 2000 (provisional) are shown.
Number Qualified teachers Primary 19.9 Secondary 27.0 Educational support staff1 Primary 23.6 Secondary 12.9 1 Includes nursery assistants, special needs support staff, librarians and technicians There has been a growth of 6,900 full-time equivalent regular teachers in the maintained school sector in England between January 1998 and January 2000.
The Government will also increase by 20,000 the numbers of full-time equivalent support staff working in primary and secondary schools in England by 2002.