Written question asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 19 October 1999, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 29 October 1999. It was answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern (Labour) on Friday, 29 October 1999 on behalf of the Department for Education and Employment.

Dept for Education and Employment

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what assessment he has made of the ability of schools to provide conditions for formative emotional development. - Including ref to Government's booklet Desirable Outcomes for Children's Learning, and figures.

Answer: Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment he has made of the ability of schools to provide conditions for formative emotional development. [95218] Jacqui Smith: The Government are committed to fostering children's emotional well-being and to doing everything they can to ensure that they have the emotional maturity and security necessary for effective learning. This is a key theme of the Government's booklet "Desirable Outcomes for Children's Learning" and the recently launched Early Learning Goals. We are making £21 million available through the Standards Fund for 2000-01 to support innovative work in Local Education Authorities on early identification and assessment of emotional and behavioural difficulties. A further £18 million of Standards Fund Grant is available to support implementation of the revised National Curriculum framework. Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) in the Curriculum contains provision for pupils to learn how to recognise the symptoms and address the causes of stress and depression.

Secondary information