§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the average amount of hours of education that a permanently excluded child receives, by local education authority. [158845]
§ Jacqui SmithIn July 1999 we placed a responsibility on local education authorities to phase in full-time education for all permanently excluded pupils by September 2002, compared to the two to three hours all too typically offered in the past. Data from the 2000 Schools Census indicated that around a third of PRUs were providing full-time education and two thirds were offering 13 or more hours of education each week. All LEAs must offer full-time provision to all excluded pupils from September 2002. Since 1997 there has been an expansion of PRU provision with over 1,000 additional pupil places and nearly 600 more teaching and support staff.
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many schools have received a financial penalty for not meeting their exclusion reduction targets; and what the fine imposed in each instance was. [158843]
§ Jacqui SmithWe have not set school level exclusion targets and schools are not fined for excluding pupils.
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many off-site pupil referral units have closed in each year since 1997. [158853]
§ Jacqui SmithSchools Form 7 Census figures show the number of pupil referral units (PRUs) in each year since 1997 as:
Number of PRUs Number of pupils1 1997 309 11,933 1998 309 11,906 1999 298 12,465 2000 295 13,065 2001 2308 3— 1 Including dually registered pupils 2 Provisional 1 Not yet available A number of PRUs have amalgamated to rationalise and improve the quality of provision following Ofsted concerns about standards in PRUs in 1995. Ofsted now reports that pupils in most PRUs are making satisfactory or better progress and teaching in 90 per cent. of units is at least satisfactory. Almost all PRUs now improve pupils' behaviour and attitudes to learning.
A net total of 13 new PRUs have opened in the last year. Since 1997 the number of pupil places at PRUs has risen by over 1,000 and the number of teaching and support staff is up by nearly 600. The pupil:teacher ratio is 4.3 the same as in 1997. Local authorities were planning to spend 13 per cent. more on PRU provision in 2000–01 compared to the previous year. This reflects the tenfold increase in funding to tackle poor behaviour in schools 364W and provide education outside school for those who are excluded, up from £17 million in 1996–97 to £174 million this year.
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the criteria used to determine whether a decision by a headmaster to exclude a pupil should be overridden. [158852]
§ Jacqui SmithPermanent exclusions must be reviewed by the governing body of a school through its discipline committee. Where a parent or pupil appeals against permanent exclusion, an independent appeal panel will consider the case.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's guidance to appeal panels is that they should decide whether the pupil did what they are accused of doing, and if so whether, considering all relevant factors, permanent exclusion is a reasonable response to that conduct. He has advised that reinstatement would not normally be appropriate where the circumstances involve:
serious actual or threatened violence against another pupil or a member of staff; orsexual abuse; orpresenting a significant risk to the health and safety of other pupils by selling illegal drugs; orpersistent and malicious disruptive behaviour—including open defiance or refusal to conform with agreed school policies on for example, discipline or dress code.