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Educational Achievement (Essex)

Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many passes in GCSE at grades A*-C or equivalent were achieved by students in (a) the County of Essex in each year from 1980 to 1997 and (b) the County of Essex and the unitary authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock in each year from 1998 to 2003. [173327]

Mr. Miliband: The table below shows the number of GCSE grades A*-C (or equivalent) passes achieved by school leavers/15-year-old pupils in maintained schools from 1980 to 2003.
Essex
Southend-on-Sea
Thurrock
15-year-old pupils(21)Number of A*-C passesPercentage achieving 5 A*-C15-year-old pupils(21)Number of A*-C passesPercentage achieving 5 A*-C15-year-old pupils(21)Number of A*-C passesPercentage achieving 5 A*-C
198021,58050,06022.9
198120,79047,68022.8
198223,48056,99024.7
198324,54058,73023.4
198422,76059,18026.7
198522,38057,05025.5
198622,35057,26026.0
198721,52052,74023.6
198819,81059,76029.5
198919,81056,90029.3
199018,81060,39034.1
199115,44051,30034.7
199217,02258,87636.8
199316,44460,81939.1
199416,51464,15841.4
199517,55671,66142.8
199617,98873,74343.1
199717,91476,25744.6
199814,25966,14348.61,7488,39148.41,4875,11034.5
199914,28167,72949.31,7179,04054.11,4665,12935.9
200014,54070,55650.81,7229,09953.31,5025,91939.7
200114,67073,21452.01,87110,30055.91,5086,14041.8
200214,96677,20153.51,99711,03456.01,5116,80146.8
200315,53183,48455.01,98111,45556.61,5877,49849.4




Notes:
1. Age is at the beginning of academic year.
2. The figures for 1979–80 to 1987–88 are estimated from the School Leavers Survey and cover school leavers of any age. For 1988–89 to 1990–91 the figures are estimated from the School Examinations Survey but cover leavers of any age. The figures relate to maintained schools excluding special schools.
3. The figures from 1991–92 onwards are taken from the database on School Performance Tables and are based on 15-year-old pupils in all maintained schools including maintained special schools and CTCs.
4. "Passes" include achievements at GCE O level grades A-C and CSE grade 1 up to1986–87, GCSE grades A*-C from 1988 (grade A* was introduced in 1993–94) to 2003 and GNVQ equivalencies from 1996–97 to 2002–03.





 
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Excellence in Cities

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in Wirral, South have benefited from the Excellence in Cities programme; and what the per pupil spending was in each year since the programme's inception. [173629]

Mr. Miliband: The following table shows the number of children in Wirral, South benefiting from EiC, and the annual spend per pupil for the years in question.
Number of childrenTotal EiC expenditure(21)(£)Spend per pupil (£)
2000–015,349473,47388.52
2001–025,376473,47388.07
2002–035,443507,76493.29
2003–045,5661,182,257212.41


(21)   All funding figures supplied by Wirral Excellence in Cities Team.


The increase in the rate of EiC funding in 2002–03 was to pay for extra learning mentors and the increase in 2003–04 was due to the introduction of the Leadership Incentive Grant and the Behaviour Improvement Programme

Further Education Colleges (Salford)

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will provide funding to help further education colleges in the City of Salford to refurbish and rebuild their estates. [173127]

Alan Johnson: All of the Departments post-16 learning and skills sector capital investment is allocated to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The Department does not provide a specific budget to the LSC for rebuilding and refurbishing property in further education colleges at either the local or regional levels. It is for the LSC to determine for itself the right level of capital investment in further education colleges. Mr. Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member on this matter. A copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Higher Education (North-West)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on his recent discussions with the North West Regional Development Agency on the links between industry and higher education in the north west. [171014]

Alan Johnson: I have had no recent discussions with North West Development Agency on the links between industry and higher education in the north-west.
 
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History Teaching

Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to promote the (a) teaching of history and (b) testing of historical knowledge in primary schools. [173331]

Mr. Charles Clarke: History is a statutory subject in the National Curriculum for all primary age pupils, which requires that pupils are taught knowledge, skills and understanding through various areas of study. At Key Stage 2 these include studies of local, British, European and world history. Within that framework, schools have considerable flexibility over the detailed content of their history courses as long as the statutory requirements are met. The full Programmes of Study for History can be viewed at www.nc.uk.net.

All primary schools have received copies of the DfES/Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) scheme of work for primary history. This was specifically developed to help teachers plan courses aimed at developing children's historical knowledge and skills in a coherent and rigorous way. This is widely used and Ofsted has found that it is having a positive impact on standards in many primary schools. The Department is also funding the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to produce an "Innovating with History" website which will provide further support for primary and secondary history teachers encouraging them to explore more innovative and creative approaches to planning in history.

Assessment of historical knowledge is carried out through teacher assessment. Teacher assessment is carried out as part of teaching and learning in the classroom and forms an integral part of the assessment and reporting procedures.

The National Assembly for Wales is responsible for the curriculum and the teaching of history in schools in Wales.

Infant Class Sizes

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average teacher-to-pupil ratio in infant classes was in (a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) the north-east and (c) England in each year since 1997. [173383]

Mr. Miliband: The information requested is not available centrally.

Maintained Schools

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils there were in each of the last six years aged 11 to 15 in maintained
 
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secondary schools in England; and how many and what percentage of pupils in the same period were aged 11 to 15 in maintained grammar schools in England. [172380]

Mr. Miliband: The data requested is shown in the table.
Maintained secondary schools and grammar schools(22): Number of pupils aged 11 to 15 1998–2004(23)—Position in January each year—England

Maintained
secondary schools
Of which:
Grammar school
Number of pupils aged 11 to 15Number of pupils aged 11 to15Percentage of pupils aged 11 to 15
19982,686,78895,5113.6
19992,734,535104,2603.8
20002,795,415107,4733.8
20012,846,084108,2323.8
20022,878,800109,6043.8
20032,916,582110,7153.8
2004(23)2,917,400111,5003.8


(22)Grammar schools were designated by Order in 1999; prior to that schools designated themselves in returns to the Department.
(23)   2004 is provisional data, rounded to nearest 100.
Source:
Annual Schools Census




 
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