Tag: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2014-03-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of pupils in English schools were entered for drama GCSE in each of the last 4 years.

Lord Nash

The requested information[1] has been provided in the following table.

Percentage of pupils at the end of key stage 4 entered for music and drama GCSEs in England, 2009/10 – 2012/13

	2009/10	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13
Drama	13	12	11	11
Music	7	7	7	7

Note: Figures underlying the percentages are available in table 7 of the “GCSE and equivalent results” statistical first release for each year. 2012/13 figures are based on revised data, all other years are final. Data includes entries by pupils in previous academic years.

[1] These figures are published in the “GCSE and equivalent results” statistical first releases for each year at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-gcses-key-stage-4.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2014-04-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy on the teaching of instrumental music lessons in (1) maintained schools, and (2) academies.

Lord Nash

The new national curriculum for music is designed to ensure that all pupils in maintained schools have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument, to perform and to progress to the next level of musical excellence. Music remains a statutory subject for all children between the ages of 5 and 14.

At key stage 1, children should be taught to play tuned and un-tuned instruments musically. At key stage 2, they should be taught to play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, playing musical instruments with increasing fluency, and expression. At key stage 3, pupils should build on their previous learning through playing and performing confidently with increasing fluency and expression.

At key stage 4, children have an entitlement to study an arts subject, and maintained schools are required to offer at least one arts subject, which can include music.

Academies’ funding agreements require them to offer a broad and balanced curriculum. We trust headteachers to understand the benefits of, and deliver, a high-quality music education.

In addition, we are providing £171 million funding for 123 music education hubs across the three years 2012-15 to improve the quality and consistency of music education in England. One of the hubs’ core roles is to ensure that every child aged 5-18 has the opportunity to learn a musical instrument through whole-class ensemble teaching. Hubs must also provide opportunities for pupils to play in ensembles and perform from an early stage, and ensure that clear progression routes are available and affordable to all young people.

In the first year of the music education hubs, nearly half a million children were given the opportunity to learn a musical instrument for the first time and hubs organised almost 15,000 school choirs, orchestras and bands in conjunction with schools. More than a third of those children who learned a musical instrument for the first time have continued learning to play. As hubs work with more schools, we want to see that number rise.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2014-04-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in each of the last four academic years, what percentage of pupils have attended a live arts performance as part of their school activities in that year; and what funding is available to facilitate such trips.

Lord Nash

We do not collect data on how many pupils have attended a live arts performance as part of their school activities.

Schools are free to use their funding for such activities, as well as seek voluntary contributions from parents. They may additionally use pupil premium funding for activities that help raise their disadvantaged pupils’ attainment and close the attainment gap between these pupils and their peers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2014-03-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all maintained and academy schools in receipt of the pupil premium use the funds directly to support disadvantaged pupils.

Lord Nash

Headteachers of maintained schools and academies are expected to use their professional judgement in determining which well-evidenced interventions to invest in to raise the attainment of their disadvantaged pupils. A headteacher may decide to spend some of their pupil premium on whole school interventions, such as improving the quality of teacher feedback, as the evidence shows that this has a significant impact on the attainment of disadvantaged pupils.

While headteachers have this freedom, they are also held accountable for the impact of this additional funding in three different ways. Firstly, the performance tables set out the attainment and progress of disadvantaged pupils and the gap between them and their peers. Secondly, Ofsted inspects the achievement of all pupils in a school, and where disadvantaged pupils are making insufficient progress, inspectors are likely to grade a school as requiring improvement and will recommend that the school undertakes a pupil premium review. Thirdly, schools are required to publish online how much pupil premium funding they receive, how they have used this funding and an evaluation of the impact that it has had.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2014-03-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many primary school places have been created as a result of the Priority School Building Programme since its introduction.

Lord Nash

261 schools were successful in their application to the Priority School Building Programme (PSBP) and initial work has started with over 230 of these schools. Construction work has started at 24 schools and the first primary school is due to open in May 2014.

The PSBP is aimed at addressing the condition needs of those schools most in need of urgent repair; it is not a programme aimed at increasing school capacity. However, where a school is seeking to expand and this is supported by pupil planning statistics, we are increasing the capacity of the schools.

The PSBP will create approximately 9,300 new primary school places through the expansion of these schools beyond the existing capacity stated in their application forms.

This number is subject to change. As part of the feasibility study undertaken for each school, we work with the school, local authority and other stakeholders to review pupil planning statistics for the area and confirm that the size of the school being rebuilt or refurbished is sustainable and also meets any demand for pupil places where possible.

We are on track to complete all PSPB schools by the end of 2017. This is two years earlier than was planned when the programme was announced.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2014-03-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that 40 per cent of two-year-olds will be able to receive free childcare by September 2014 as announced by the Deputy Prime Minister on 2 September 2013.

Lord Nash

The Government is investing £525 million this year, rising to £755 million in 2014-15, in the new entitlement to early learning for two-year-olds. In February 2014 local authorities reported that over 100,000 two-year-olds were already benefitting from funded early learning places. Local authorities have received £100 million capital funding, and we are reducing bureaucracy and red tape to help support the expansion of successful providers and the creation of new places. We are encouraging more schools to provide early education places and to open from 8-6pm and are also establishing childminder agencies. These measures are part of the Government’s wider childcare reform programme which will improve the affordability and accessibility of childcare by increasing the supply of places across the country.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2014-03-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of pupils in English schools were entered for music GCSE in each of the last 4 years.

Lord Nash

The requested information[1] has been provided in the following table.

Percentage of pupils at the end of key stage 4 entered for music and drama GCSEs in England, 2009/10 – 2012/13

	2009/10	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13
Drama	13	12	11	11
Music	7	7	7	7

Note: Figures underlying the percentages are available in table 7 of the “GCSE and equivalent results” statistical first release for each year. 2012/13 figures are based on revised data, all other years are final. Data includes entries by pupils in previous academic years.

[1] These figures are published in the “GCSE and equivalent results” statistical first releases for each year at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-gcses-key-stage-4.

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