§ Mr. HeathTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many teachers in Somerset local education authority have passed the threshold for performance-related pay in round 1 of assessment; [26570]
(2) how many teachers in (a) England and Wales and (b) Somerset local education authority have applied to pass the threshold for performance-related pay in round 1 of assessment. [26571]
§ Mr. TimmsAbout 200,000 teachers in English local authorities—including nearly 2,000 in Somerset—applied for the threshold assessment in the first (2000) round. The proportion of teachers in Somerset assessed as meeting the standards, at about 97 per cent., is in line with the national average.
§ Mr. HeathTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her estimate is of the number of high performing(a) classroom teachers, (b) advanced skills 220W teachers and (c) leadership group members who will be awarded additional points on the upper pay scale in 2002–03 in (i) England and Wales and (ii) Somerset local education authority. [26572]
§ Mr. TimmsThe number of performance points awarded to teachers and members of the leadership group will be determined by the governing bodies of individual schools. My Department will be making a special grant worth £250 million over the next two financial years available for performance points. But the purpose of this grant will be to encourage schools to award such points, not to fund a particular number of awards. Funding for teachers' pay in Wales is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.