§ John MannTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure the provision of a minimum standard of drugs education in secondary schools. [82934]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggWe are determined to ensure that the quality of drug education provision in all schools is of high quality. Funding is made available through the standards fund (£15.5 million in 2002–03) to all local education authorities to facilitate this. It will help schools deliver drug education programmes tailor made to the needs of young people, train teachers, and fund school drug adviser posts to work directly with schools to address gaps in the quality of drug education and help ensure drug education and incident management polices are in line with DfES guidance.
There are a number of other measures in place to drive up the quality of drug education including the drug, alcohol and tobacco education package to improve teaching and learning and classroom practice and QCA curriculum materials which provide exemplar teaching and learning activities for key stages 1–4.
The latest Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) survey of drug education published in November 2002 indicated that at key stages 3 and 4 the quality of teaching about drugs is at least adequate in all but a few lessons and good or better in 40 per cent. of lessons. We will be working with Ofsted to strengthen current arrangements for inspecting drug education. This might include specific training for Ofsted inspectors.
§ Stephen HesfordTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of additional post-threshold pay progression for teachers will be met by additional central Government funding; and whether this extra money will recur in future financial years. [83430]
§ Mr. MilibandMovement to point two of the upper pay scale for post-threshold teachers is by performance points awarded on a discretionary basis by school governors. The Department is contributing £90 million to fund progression on the upper pay scale for teachers. The percentage of awards that the £90 million will fully fund depends on the number of discretionary points that governing bodies decide to award.
Schools are also able to use their general budgets to fund moving teachers to point two should they wish to do so. Schools have benefited from a £1.3 billion increase in education standard spending assessments this financial year.
306WThe exact mechanisms for future funding have yet to be finalised. However, we have already said that funding for post-threshold and leadership performance points next year will not be less than the £150 million already announced.