HC Deb 26 June 2002 vol 387 c907W
Mr. Willis

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what percentage of pupils living in(a) a residential care home and (b) with foster parents were (i) in special schools and (ii) excluded from school in the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by (A) Government office region and (B) LEA. [62658]

Mr. Stephen Twigg

The information is not currently collected centrally in the form requested. Information collected by the Department of Health shows that 1.5 per cent. of children who had been looked after continuously for at least 12 months at 30 September 2000 had received a permanent exclusion during the 1999–2000 school year.

From January 2003, the Annual Schools Census will identify children who are or have been in care, though the type of care will not be recorded.

Mr. Woodward

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many fixed-term exclusions from schools in England there were in(a) 1990, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000 and (e) 2001. [63656]

Mr. Miliband

The information requested is not available centrally.

Fixed term exclusions have been collected for the first time this year on a trial basis. A more regular collection is being considered.