§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total cost is of providing special needs education in(a) mainstream and (b) special schools in Gloucestershire in 2003–04; what percentage this forms of the total education budget; and if he will make a statement. [153405]
§ Mr. Miliband[holding answer 6 February 2004]: The information requested is given in the table:
Total cost of providing special needs education in both mainstream and special schools in Gloucestershire in 2003–04 £ SEN element of schools budget1 9,320,818 SEN element of LEA budget2 1,830,229 ISB for special schools3 12,223,481 Funding delegated to primary and secondary schools indentified as "National SEN"4 10,176,629 Cost of providing special needs education5 33,551,157 Total education budget6 286,597,291 Cost of providing special needs education as a percentage of total education budget 12 1 As recorded in lines 1.1.1 to 1.1.5 of Table 1 of the budget statement.
2 As recorded in line 2.2.6 of Table 1 of the budget statement.
208W3 As recorded in line 1.0.1 of Table 1 of the budget statement.
4 As recorded on Table 2 of the budget statement (figures are only indicative of the amount that might be spent by schools on SEN).
5 Sum of 1 to 4.
6 As recorded on line 3 of Table 1 of the budget statement.
Note:
The data are taken from 2003–04 Section 52 Budget Statements as reported by Gloucestershire LEA.
§ Mr. HagueTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the comparative employment prospects of pupils with special needs educated in(a) mainstream schools and (b) special schools. [155999]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggNo central record is kept of the outcomes for all young people with special educational needs (SEN) who attended mainstream or special schools. However, my Department has commissioned a longitudinal study of the post-l6 transitions of young people with SEN. Wave one, which took place between January 2000 and September 2001 when the young people in the study were still aged 15–16, found that more mainstream school pupils with SEN wanted to look for a job at the end of their compulsory schooling than special school pupils (28 per cent. as against 16 per cent.). The results from wave two of the study will be published in the spring and a wave three has been commissioned. These waves will show the development of any differential employment outcomes as between mainstream and special school pupils.
The new SEN strategy "Removing Barriers to Achievement", launched on 11 February, announced cross-Government action to improve the opportunities for progression beyond school for young people with SEN. A multi-agency group has been established to take this work forward and promoting employment as an aim in planning for the futures of almost all young people with SEN is one of the main objectives of this group. The group's work will take account of the findings of the SEN longitudinal study.