§ Mr. FrancoisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many special needs teachers were employed in primary schools by Essex county council on 1 September. [139519]
§ Mr. MilibandThe information is not available in the form requested. In January 2003, there were 5,100 full-time equivalent regular teachers in maintained nursery and primary schools and a further 280 full-time equivalent regular teachers in maintained special schools, pupil referral units and education other than at school in Essex. All teachers must be able to differentiate their teaching to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs in order to gain Qualified Teacher Status. In addition, special educational needs feature in the induction standards for new teachers.