§ Chris GraylingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many qualified further education lecturers were working in further education colleges in England on the last date for which figures are available. [144286]
§ Alan JohnsonThe numbers of staff teaching in FE colleges in England in 2001/02 and holding a teaching qualification are shown in the following table.
Fully qualified Part-qualified Total Full-time staff 22,400 5,500 27,800 Part-time staff 18,200 13,700 31,800 Total 40,500 19,100 59,700 Source:
LSC Staff Individualised Record, 2001/02.
§ Chris GraylingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in what circumstances further education staff members can be(a) removed from post and (b) redeployed because they do not hold specific qualifications. [144793]
§ Alan JohnsonFollowing the enactment of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, Further Education colleges were established as independent corporations. As such, colleges are responsible for setting the pay and conditions of service of their staff.
The Further Education Teachers" Qualifications (England) Regulations 2001(http://www.legistation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2001/20011209.htm) provide, as of September 2001, that new FE teachers must gain a 63W teaching qualification appropriate to their role within a time limit. This requirement does not apply, however, to those who have previously worked either as an FE teacher, a teacher in a maintained school or an equivalent elsewhere in the UK or EEA. Where a teacher fails to obtain such a qualification it is for the employing corporation to decide what action it should take to meet its legal obligations within the regulations, it is for the employing college to decide what action it should take.
§ Chris GraylingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which further education staff have to hold a qualification in mathematics as a prerequisite for holding their positions. [144794]
§ Alan JohnsonUnder the terms of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 the recruitment of all staff, including those teaching mathematics, is the responsibility of individual FE colleges. Colleges need to ensure all staff have appropriate skills to meet the needs of learners. In order to support the Skills for Life agenda, the Department"s policy is that from September 2002, new teachers and subject support staff who wish to specialise in teaching adult numeracy obtain, within specified timescales, an approved specialist numeracy qualification in addition to their generic initial teacher training.
§ Chris GraylingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes there have been to the regulatory framework for further education in the past five years that require staff to meet specific qualification levels to entitle them to continue to hold their positions. [144795]
§ Alan JohnsonThe Further Education Teachers" Qualifications (England) Regulations 2001 (http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2001/20011209.htm) provide, as of September 2001, that new FE teachers must gain a teaching qualification appropriate to their role within a time limit. This requirement does not apply, however, to those who have previously worked either as an FE teacher, a teacher in a maintained school or an equivalent elsewhere in the UK or EEA. Where a teacher fails to obtain such a qualification it is for the employing corporation to decide what action it should take to meet its legal obligations within the regulations, it is for the employing college to decide what action it should take.
§ Joan WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of 16 to 18-year-olds in Stoke-on-Trent who started further education courses in each year since 1997 completed their course. [143249]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisThe Learning and Skills Council (LSC) calculate and publish retention (completion) rates by the year the qualification was expected to end as opposed to the year it was started. The proportions of qualifications completed at further education colleges in Stoke-on-Trent by 16–18 year olds in the three years to 2001/02 are shown in he following table.64W
Retention rates in LSC funded provision for 16–18 years olds studying at FE colleges in Stoke-on-Trent by college and expected end year Percentage Expected end year College 1999/2000 2000/01 2001/02 Stoke-on-Trent College 73 78 75 City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College 74 82 93 Source:
Individualised Student Record
§ Chris GraylingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list initiatives launched by his Department in each of the past three years which required(a) higher education institutions, (b) further education institutions and (c) schools to make a formal response to his Department. [144279]
§ Alan JohnsonA list of the initiatives my Department has consulted on in the past three years can be found at www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/. Consultation on initiatives launched by the Department adheres to the guidance in the Cabinet Office code of practice on written consultation. There is no requirement for higher education institutions, further education institutions or schools to formally respond to initiatives the Department consults on.