§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the proportion of pupils achieving(a) one or more A* to C, (b) five or more A* to C and (c) five or more A* to G grades was (i) in the UK, (ii) in Somerset schools and (iii) in Yeovil constituency schools in each year since 1994–95; and if she will make a statement. [27042]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisThe proportion of 15-year-old pupils achieving(a) one or more A* to C, (b) five or more A* to C and (c) five or more A* to G grades at GCSE or the GNVQ equivalent, in (i) the UK, (ii) Somerset and (iii) the Yeovil constituency since 1994–95 are:
§ Mr. DenhamI am pleased to announce that 30 new areas will be eligible for funding from the Local Network Fund in its second and third years of operation. The Local Network Fund is designed to tackle poverty and disadvantage among children and young people by making grants direct to local community and voluntary groups helping vulnerable children aged 0–19. £70 million is available over three years with second year areas operational from 1 April 2002.
453WThe Local Network funds are used to support local and community groups under four themes:
Aspirations and experiences—projects that give children experiences, or help them achieve goals that more privileged children may take for granted.Economic disadvantage—projects that help families to improve their living standards and cope with difficulties that come from being on low incomes.
Local network areas funding for 2002–03 £ Local network area Approximate allocation North East 1,523,100 Tees Valley (Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees, Darlington) 437,500 Tyne and Wear (Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside, Sunderland) 644,500 Durham (County)1 275,700 Northumberland (County)1 165, 400 North West 3,684,500 Merseyside/Halton (Knowsley, Sefton, Liverpool, St. Helens, Wirral, Halton) 977,000 Greater Manchester (Manchester, Salford, Oldham, Rochdale, Bolton, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, Bury, Stockport) 1,452,700 Lancashire (Lancashire, Blackpool and Blackburn) 726,500 Cheshire (Cheshire, Warrington)1 310, 400 Cumbria (Cumbria)1 217,900 Yorkshire and Humberside 2,566,700 South Yorkshire (Doncaster, Barnsley, Rotherham, Sheffield) 699,200 West Yorkshire (Bradford, Kirklees, Calderdale, Wakefield, Leeds) 1,137,400 Humberside (Kingston upon Hull, NE Lincolnshire, N Lincolnshire, East Riding) 478,500 North Yorkshire (County, and York)1 251,600 East Midlands 1,845,100 Nottinghamshire (Nottingham and Nottinghamshire) 525,800 Leicestershire (Leicester and Leicestershire) 389,200 Derbyshire (County and Derby)1 407,100 Lincolnshire (County)1 265,200 Northamptonshire (County)1 257,800 West Midlands 2,426,300 Birmingham/Solihull (Birmingham and Solihull) 825,300 The Black Country (Sandwell, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Dudley) 631,000 Shropshire (County, Telford and Wrekin)1 207,400 Staffordshire (County, Stoke on Trent)1 427,000 Warwickshire (County, Coventry)1 335,600 East 804,900 Norfolk 305,100 Bedfordshire (County, Luton)1 254,600 Suffolk (County)1 245,200 South West 1,327,600 Cornwall (Cornwall with Isles of Scilly) 252,600 Devon (County, Torbay and Plymouth) 452,200 Former Avon (Bristol, Bath and NE Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire)1 371,300 Dorset (County, Bournemouth and Poole)1 251,500 South East 1,472,200 Kent (Medway, Kent) 592,000 East Sussex (East Sussex and Brighton and Hove) 297,700 Hampshire (County, Southampton, Portsmouth and Isle of Wight)1 582,500 London 3,349,600 All London Boroughs 3,349,600 1 New area Examples of projects funded in the first year of funding:
Ashford Mobile Toy Library, Kent
454WThe library lends good quality toys to families with pre-school children. Over 100 children from around 70 families use the toyIsolation and access—projects that help children that are isolated or alone, or have trouble accessing services.
Children's voices—projects that give children and young people the chance to express their opinions and give advice on matters that concern them.
Examples of the type of projects funded in the first year of operation are shown in the table along with the full list of the new areas eligible for funding and the provisional budget for each area.
library regularly. The Local Network grant helped to purchase new equipment and fund the costs of training new volunteers.
The Mustard Seed Project, Cornwall
Covering the Helston, Porthleven and Lizard areas of Cornwall, which have the highest rate of unemployment in the district, this 455W project provides a range of services including evening club activities for 10 to 14-year-olds, a drop-in centre and coffee bar with cheap wholesome food. The Local Network grant helped provide outreach into rural areas to help isolated young people and their families access the centre and its information and support services.Alpha Grove Community Centre, Millwall, East London
The Alpha Grove Community centre is working to help disadvantaged young people in the area, providing an environment where they can meet, learn, create, express and develop social skills. A Local Network grant will allow a local artist to work with these young people to produce artwork for the centre which reflects subject matter derived from debates conducted with them on the issues they feel are relevant to them.Tyne and Wear Youth Bank, Newcastle Upon Tyne
YouthBank is a grant making scheme run by young people. The Local Network grant is redistributed by the young people to small projects in the Tyne and Wear area which are run by and for young people.Sefton Women and Children's Aid, Litherland, Liverpool
SWACA was established 24 years ago to provide a range of services for women and children who are victims of domestic violence, including valuable one-to-one support to children aged 0–17 years. The new grant will enable the group to assess what impact this service is having on the children and whether it is meeting their real needs. It will run group sessions with children aged five and over, so that they can describe what they would like to get from the service, allowing them to discuss issues of concern to them.