Mr Stephen Timms MP, the Minister for Schools, responds to questions asked by the parents of the school's pupils
Questions for Mr Stephen Timms, MP
Minister for Schools
Mr Timms, as Minister for Schools, what improvements are to be made for primary schools (in Newham), and are these to benefit the children or the teaching staff?
Mr Timms said that he was pleased with the improvements that have been made over the last 3/4 years which have improved the standard of teaching. This in turn has benefitted the children. He spoke of a recent visit to a local secondary school where the teachers had noticed a real change in the children coming up from primary schools. They had noticed that children are better skilled, more confident, articulate and all round more prepared for the transition. He also said that the government is committed to increasing funding for schools over the next 3 years, with an increase of approx 6% per year, which will amount to a large monetary figure over 3 years. In addition, it is the aim to recruit another 20,000 teacher assistants and 10,000 across the country.
I would like the governing body at St Stephen's School to ask Mr Timms the following question; Does the Educational government have any immediate plans to work with the NHS (Child and Family consultation) to assess, diagnose and treat young children under the age of 7 years for DYSLEXIA, DYSPRAXIA, BEHAVIOUR, HEARING, VISUAL, SPEECH AND LANGUAGE PROBLEMS/DISORDERS, SHORT-TERM MEMORY PROBLEMS PLUS EPILEPSY (daydreaming/blankspells), TOURETTES SYNDROME (TICS etc) or will these children be assessed diagnosed and treated in COLLEGES, YOUNG OFFENDERS INSTITUTIONS, PRISONS or on PSYCHIATRIC WARDS when they become young adults?
Mr Timms recognised the importance of this point. This month (Jan 2002) the government have introduced a new code of practice for children with special educational needs. The aim is to try to instigate earlier diagnosis of problems, in order to treat cases from a young age. He agreed with the need for it to be done jointly with the health services.
What practical steps is the government taking to attracting teachers into inner city schools in terms of financial incentives and affordable accommodation? It is essential for the pupils and school to retain good teachers and create a stable environment.
As explained earlier the government's aim is to recruit another 20,000 teacher assistants and 10,000 teachers across the country. The Teacher Training Agency has reported that there has been a 5% increase of teachers recruited this year, which is the 2nd increase after an 8 year decline.
Locally, the borough has made a start in retaining teachers by providing financial incentives to attract professional people into education and by providing the starter home initiatives to attract teachers to teach in inner city schools. There have also been resources provided to support teaching through the Excellence in Cities projects.Mr Timms went on to say that across the country, the government understands the need to review teacher workload as the number of hours are too great. They are considering employing extra administration assistants and bursars etc so teachers can concentrate on teaching! He also indicated the possibility of providing non-contact time for primary teachers.
Will state schools be looking at having smaller numbers in each class to enable the children to be provided with more individual attention?
He said that in 1997 the priority was for a limit of 30 children in each infant class, except in exceptional circumstances. The government is now trying to extend that policy into junior classes, so that when classes in the infant phase move into the juniors it is expected that they will keep the limit of 30 children.
Newham is going to be one of the key junctions of Europe. Is Newham improving its school's facilities such as, computers, classrooms and technology, in order to make ours the best schools in Europe?
Mr Timms said that the government has invested a lot of money over the last few years for schools to improve their ICT resources and teaching. In addition, money has been available to schools to improve their buildings. Over the next three years the government is investing 2 billion pounds into education, which will include funds for the updating of classrooms and buildings.
Why isn't St Stephen's School linked to Langdon School?
Mr Timms suggested that this question needs to be directed to the Education Department at Broadway House where decisions about primary and secondary links are made.
What steps are being taken to raise the standard of ethics in education? Education does not solely mean to make students to understand the subjects of the curriculum but it should also lead pupils to become a balanced and morally strong person of the society. We find a lack of these characteristics in our schools.
He said that Citizenship is now a compulsory part of the national curriculum. Mr Timms commented that it was encouraging to see activities such as the school council being adopted in schools, just like at St Stephen's. He said that the government is producing proposals for the 14-19 year old age range to encourage them to involve themselves in wider activities on a voluntary basis. This will be done in order to address some of the issues currently evident in society. He also agreed that there should be more provision in the area for clubs to encourage children of all ages to become involved and stay off the streets.
Many parents feel that the transition from primary to secondary school has a major effect on their children and themselves. The state of Newham schools is such that the links between primary and secondary is very narrow minded in the view of the authorities. When a link is established to a secondary school it may be inadequate. In these circumstances the support given to parents who want a different secondary school is neither, informative nor supportive. If another school is approached within the borough they are adamant that the link school be maintained. I believe that providing a choice for pupils and their parents is the best way forward. They should be able to choose a school, which suits their needs. Also, may I take this opportunity to ask why there are no secondary schools within Newham, apart from St Bonaventures and St Angelas, that have an attached sixth form. The authorities have provided colleges to compensate, but is it not beneficial that a student carry his education further in the same school? Many other areas provide this arrangement but Newham seems to be lacking in this respect. This can't be deemed to be productive or for the benefit of students because other similar schools with attached sixth forms are very prosperous in terms of results.
Mr Timms said that the government has set targets to raise the standards in all secondary schools so that parents can feel secure in sending their children to any of the linked schools. The targets for children achieving 5 or more good GCSEs are:
2004 - 20%
2006 - 25%
He also said that sixth form colleges offer a wider range of courses, provision and opportunities. The aim is for diversity. He went on to say that children benefit from different experiences and there needs to be flexibility.
Why hasn't recent childcare policy extended the creation of more afterschool play schemes, as this environment is often preferable to the alternative of childminders for working parents and children?
Mr Timms said that the government is keen to see these types of arrangements implemented. There is currently a bill being taken through the House of Commons to encourage and enable school governors to run childcare schemes in schools.
Why does the government not make it law that every child in primary school should wear a uniform? In this way all children would look equal in people's eyes and some kids would not be picked upon because of their status.
Mr Timms said that the issue of uniform is down to the school. The government understands the need for flexibility so that schools can make decisions depending on the needs of the community.
Why are male teachers under represented in the majority of Newham schools and when are we going to see a change?
Mr Timms said that this is a national issue, which the Teacher Training Agency is looking at in order to increase the number of male teachers being recruited. The introduction of Learning Mentors in schools, particularly male, may help to address the gender imbalance.
Finally Mr Timms conveyed how grateful he was to receive the gift of a calendar from one of our parents and said that he will put it on display in his office at the House of Commons. He also said how much he'd enjoyed visiting St Stephen's again.