§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what local education authority programmes encourage pupils to remain in education beyond the age of 16; and what steps his Department is taking to support these programmes. [154945]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisWe work with local education authorities (LEAs), the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), Connexions, and schools and colleges to encourage young people to remain in education or training after the age of 16. We are tackling the causes of low participation by providing a more flexible, coherent and better quality 14–19 curriculum; advice and guidance; and financial support.
We are working with 56 LEAs to pilot the Education Maintenance Allowance scheme. Evidence from the evaluation has led to our decision to extend the scheme across England from September 2004.
We have put in place a national Connexions service to provide advice, guidance and support to help young people make an effective transition to post-16 learning and to adult life. This is supported by Connexions Direct—an internet and telephone based confidential advice service available 18 hours a day and 365 days a year. The Connexions service has a specific target to reduce the numbers of young people not in education, employment or training by 10 per cent. by November 2004.
We are investing, jointly with the LSC, £46 million over the period 2002–03 to 2004–05 in a programme of 39 14–19 pathfinders. Pathfinder partnerships, which include LEAs, are testing local delivery of 14–19 education and training in a range of settings, introducing more curriculum flexibility and choice so that students' programmes can be better tailored to their needs and aptitudes.
We recognise that a key factor in the decision by young people to remain in education after 16 is the quality of their experience at school and the standards they achieve. That is why our strategy for transforming education in secondary schools, particularly the national Key Stage 3 Strategy, supports teachers in 1738W tailoring teaching and learning to meet the needs of pupils and to personalise their learning experience. The results of national curriculum tests at KS3 last year showed standards at their highest ever in each subject and at every level. Standards at KS4 again improved on previous record levels with greatest improvements in schools in the most challenging circumstances. The 'Increased Flexibility for 14–16 Year Olds' programme aims to increase attainment and encourage young people to progress into education or training. Over 90,000 pupils are currently involved and we are providing over £50 million of support in the current year to almost 300 partnerships between schools and colleges.
We are also working, through the Sure Start initiative, with LEAs and providers to continue to expand child care, early learning and health and family support from which teenage and older parents can benefit.
And we recognise that educational participation is supported and enhanced by modern, accessible youth work providing personal and social development. In "Resourcing Excellent Youth Services", we set youth services a clear vision of what we expect them to provide for the young people in their area. To help youth services achieve this vision, we gave local authorities a 5.9 per cent. investment increase in the EPS youth and community sub-block; and have also provided grant funding worth around £80 million over the period 2002–06 explicitly to support modernisation.