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23 Mar 2005 : Column 849W—continued

Child Poverty

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department is taking to achieve the Government's targets of (a) ending child poverty by 2020 and (b) halving it by 2010; and if she will make a statement. [219344]


 
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Margaret Hodge [holding answer 2 March 2005]: The Government set out the steps that departments across Government are taking to achieve the targets of ending child poverty by 2020 and halving it by 2010 in the Child Poverty Review, published alongside the 2004 Spending Review and available at

Departmental Accounts

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether Ministers in her Department have issued written instructions to override her Department's accounting officer's objections since 1997. [221108]

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Financial Secretary on 14 March 2005, Official Report, column 80W.

Departmental Dress Code

Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her Department's policy is on the wearing of the Kirpan by Sikh employees. [222539]

Mr. Stephen Twigg [holding answer 18 March 2005]: My Department's commitment not to discriminate unfairly on the grounds of religion or belief is set out clearly in its equal opportunities policy. Accordingly, the Department's policies do permit the wearing of the Kirpan by its Sikh employees.

Engineering (Women Students)

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to increase the number of women students undertaking (a) further education and (b) higher education in engineering. [223227]

Dr. Howells: The details of our plans to increase women's participation in science and engineering across the education sector are set out in the Government's 'Science and Innovation Investment Framework 2004–2014', published jointly last July by my Department, DTI and HM Treasury.

The Government's overall ambitions are to achieve a step change in: the quality of science teachers and lecturers in every school, college and university; the results for students studying science at GCSE level; the numbers choosing SET subjects in post-16 education and in higher education; and the proportion of better qualified students pursuing R and D careers.

English Examinations (Key Stage 3)

Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she has taken to ensure the timely validation of Key Stage 3 examinations in English in 2005. [223199]

Mr. Stephen Twigg [holding answer 21 March 2005]: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority's National Assessment Agency (NAA), which is responsible for test administration, has awarded the 2005 contract for test marking and data collection to Pearson Assessment and Testing. NAA is working
 
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closely with Pearson to ensure that all lessons learnt from 2004 will be fed into improving test delivery in 2005.

However the review of 2004 test delivery conducted by the QCA led them to conclude that extra time is needed to mark Key Stage 3 English tests and validate results. This means that the 2005 Key Stage 3 Achievement and Attainment tables are unlikely to be published before March 2006.
 
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Examination Results

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the examination results were in (a) 2003 and (b) 2004 of the three non-selective state secondary schools nearest to each of the academies opened in (i) September 2002 and (ii) September 2003. [221289]

Mr. Stephen Twigg: The information requested can be found in the following table.
GCSE and equivalent
(percentage)
Post 16
200420032004
2003
School nameDistance from academy (miles)Age range5+ A*-C5+ A*-CAPS per entryAPS per candidateAPS per entryAPS per candidate
Academies opening in school year 2003/04
Walsall Academy11–1850(15)(15)(15)(15)(15)
Frank F Harrison Community School1.211–184825140.052.2124.450.5
Sheffield Sports and Community College1.411–184033246,468.6283.179.1
Sneyd Community School2.011–184135253.567.0242.664.5
Manchester Academy11–168(15)
Trinity CofE High School0.411–166170
Whalley Range 11–18 High School and Business and Enterprise College1.311–185846209.073.8202.271.8
St. Peters RC High School1.611–163734
Djanogly City Academy Nottingham11–1951(15)127.854.8(15)(15)
Ellis Guilford School and Sports College1.111–163929
Elliott Durham School1.211–161815
The Nottingham Bluecoat School and Technology College1.311–185164263.370.1294.473.4
Capital City Academy11–1929(15)81.132.4(15)(15)
Queens Park Community School0.211–194644184.066.2203.965.4
Convent of Jesus and Mary Language College0.511–186463241.876.4260.478.8
Cardinal Hinsley High School0.711–191827135.063.062.127.2
The City Academy of Bristol11–1833(15)97.342.4(15)(15)
Fairfield High School1.111–164355
St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School1.211–164127
Speedwell Technology College1.511–182331159.455.9107.549.6
West London Academy11–1835(15)227.393.4(15)(15)
Northolt High School0.711–183452216.470.1239.271.4
Greenford High School1.011–196363222,169.5219.767.0
The Cardinal Wiseman Roman Catholic School1.811–189093284.575.9249.176.1
City of London Academy (Southwark) 211–19(15)(15)(15)
Aylwin Girls' School0.311–163327
Walworth School0.511–165653
St. Michael's RC School0.711–166553
The Academy at Peckham11–1812(15)(15)
Aylwin Girls' School1.011–163327
Archbishop Michael Ramsey Technology College1.111–183635167.358.4135.849.1
The St. Thomas the Apostle College0.811–165653
The King's Academy11–1834(15)
The Newlands Catholic School FCJ1.411–164348
King's Manor School, Specialist Sports College1.611–163731
St. David's Roman Catholic Technology College1.611–163446
Academies opening in school year 2002/03
Greig City Academy, Haringey11–182535(15)(15)(15)(15)
Hornsey Secondary School for Girls0.411–185349180.871.4147.760.6
Highgate Wood Secondary School0.811–185146222.967.8162.154.4
Park View Academy1.211–183923120.053.363.334,5
The Business Academy Bexley11–183421(15)(15)(15)(15)
Trinity School, Belvedere1.411–184739188.369.3258.584.7
Erith School2.011–183440184.070.4165,362.8
Welling School2.111–183632179.865.4165.754.2
Unity City Academy11–181716(15)(15)(15)(15)
Ormesby School0.911–162124
The Newlands Catholic School FCJ1.511–164348
King's Manor School, Specialist Sports College2.111–163731


(15) For GCSE and Equivalent results this indicates that the institution was not published that year and for Post 16 that there were no entries for that institution.
(16) GCSE/Post 16 results are not available as it had Year 7 pupils only.



 
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