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Post-primary Education

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the
 
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differences between post-primary integrated education and controlled secondary schools, with particular reference to the (a) curriculum, (b) ethos and (c) examination results. [224084]

Mr. Gardiner: The information is as follows:

(a) The requirements of the statutory curriculum are the same for all post-primary schools.

(b) The Department of Education does not have an overarching statement on ethos in relation to controlled secondary schools. The managing body of individual schools may, however, express this as a statement of values.

The Department requires schools transforming to integrated status to publish a Transformation Development Plan in which it is suggested that schools may wish to address the issue of ethos. In addition, all integrated schools have the option of signing up to a Statement of Principles prepared and published by the Northern Ireland council for Integrated Education.

(c) The performance in public examinations for all post-primary schools for the period 2001–04 is as follows:
Performance in public examinations by key indicators and management type,2001–02 to 2003–04

Academic year	Key indicator	Controlled non-grammar	Controlled grammar	Total controlled	Integrated non-grammar
2003–04	Percentage of year 12 pupils achieving 5+ GCSEs (or equivalent) at Grades A*-C	35	96	52	47
	Percentage of those entered for A-levels achieving 2+ A Levels (or equivalent) at Grades A-E	82	98	93	83
2002–03	Percentage of year 12 pupils achieving 5+ GCSEs (or equivalent) at Grades A*-C	33	95	49	48
	Percentage of those entered for A-levels achieving 2+ A Levels (or equivalent) at Grades A-E	84	98	94	85
2001–02	Percentage of year 12 pupils achieving 5+ GCSEs (or equivalent) at Grades A*-C	34	95	50	47
	Percentage of those entered for A-levels achieving 2+ A Levels (or equivalent) at Grades A-E	83	99	94	76

Notes:
1.'Integrated' schools include Controlled Integrated and Grant Maintained Integrated schools.
Source:
Summary of Annual Examination Results.

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the likely size of the independently financed secondary school sector after the ending of academic selection between primary and secondary schools in the Province. [221768]

Mr. Gardiner: The size of the independent school sector in Northern Ireland is not expected to change as a result of the new arrangements for post-primary education.

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which (a) parents' groups, (b) principals of secondary and grammar schools and (c) principals of primary schools he has met since the publication of the Burns Report to discuss selection procedures for transfer between primary and secondary schools in the Province. [221770]

Mr. Gardiner: Prior to the suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly, education matters were the responsibility of the devolved Administration. Since then, my predecessor Jane Kennedy and I met with representatives of the Governing Bodies Association on a number of occasions and with representatives of the Association of Headteachers in Secondary Schools and the Secondary Heads Association to discuss new arrangements for post primary education in Northern Ireland. No meetings between Ministers and parents' groups or principals of primary schools have been held.

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost is of implementing the Costello Report in years (a) one, (b) two and (c) three after the ending of academic selection between primary and secondary schools in the Province. [221773]

Mr. Gardiner: As the new post-primary arrangements will largely be developed at local level, it is not yet possible to estimate the implementation costs in the
 
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three years following the ending of academic selection. Over the next three years £24.7 million has been made available to support the preparation for, and the phased introduction of key elements of, the new arrangements in advance of the last transfer tests in 2008.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the proposals in the Costello Report on post-primary education in Northern Ireland were subject to an economic appraisal. [223270]

Mr. Gardiner: A key recommendation is that new arrangements will be developed at local level by schools and school managing authorities working together. As these emerge, individual proposals will be required to
 
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demonstrate value for money and those which involve capital expenditure will be subject to an economic appraisal in the normal way.

Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what percentage of those pupils (a) not entered and (b) eligible for the transfer test for post-primary schools were from disadvantaged backgrounds in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [223742]

Mr. Gardiner: Information on the background of individual pupils at primary schools/preparatory departments is not available. However, the following tables show the number of pupils eligible for the transfer test, and the number of these who were not entered, at grant-aided schools in each Free School Meal band.

	Number of Year 7 pupils who did not sit the test
Free school meal (FSM) band	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04
Schools where the proportion of pupils entitled to FSM was <11 per cent.	1,481	1,727	1,856	1,865	1,943
Schools where the proportion of pupils entitled to FSM was 11 to 20 per cent.	1,938	1,819	1,784	1,985	2,313
Schools where the proportion of pupils entitled to FSM was 21 to 30 per cent.	1,853	1,737	1,779	1,634	1,822
Schools where the proportion of pupils entitled to FSM was 31 to 40 per cent.	900	769	852	800	661
Schools where the proportion of pupils entitled to FSM was 41 to 50 per cent.	667	590	594	598	653
Schools where the proportion of pupils entitled to FSM was >51 per cent.	1,559	1,495	1,352	1,332	1,241

	Total number of Year 7 pupils
Free school meal (FSM) band	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04
Schools where the proportion of pupils entitled to FSM was <11 per cent.	7,365	8,133	8,412	8,313	8,353
Schools where the proportion of pupils entitled to FSM was 11 to 20 per cent.	5,599	5,609	5,512	6,028	6,004
Schools where the proportion of pupils entitled to FSM was 21 to 30 per cent.	5,156	4,559	4,804	4,341	4,572
Schools where the proportion of pupils entitled to FSM was 31 to 40 per cent.	2,882	2,446	2,385	2,137	1,712
Schools where the proportion of pupils entitled to FSM was 41—50 per cent.	1,538	1,324	1,289	1,446	1,393
Schools where the proportion of pupils entitled to FSM was > 51 51 per cent.	3,443	3,104	2,745	2,455	2,271

Pupil Numbers

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the most recent projections of pupil populations in Northern Ireland are for each year in the period 2005 to 2012, broken down by (a) school type and (b) education board area. [223212]

Mr. Gardiner: Projected pupil numbers at grant-aided schools in Northern Ireland are available for the period 2005–06 to 2010–11 and are as follows:

	2005–06	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	2010–11
Nursery schools	6,200	6,200	6,200	6,200	6,200	6,200
Primary schools/preparatory departments	169,000	166,800	165,300	162,300	159,800	157,600
Secondary (non-grammar) schools	87,900	85,700	83,200	81,900	80,700	79,500
Grammar schools (secondary departments)	63,300	63,100	63,100	63,000	62,900	62,900
Special schools	4,800	4,800	4,800	4,800	4,800	4,800

The projected pupils numbers are only produced in respect of Northern Ireland as a whole. However, for education and library board areas, population projections for the relevant age-group i.e. those aged 3–17 (which include children not attending grant-aided schools) are as follows:

	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
Belfast	52,100	50,400	48,900	47,500	46,000	44,500	43,100	41,900
Western	66,800	65,800	64,800	64,000	63,200	62,600	62,200	61,800
North Eastern	84,500	83,800	83,100	82,400	81,800	81,200	80,700	80,200
South Eastern	81,700	80,800	79,800	78,700	77,500	76,300	75,400	74,500
Southern	81,600	80,900	80,300	79,600	78,900	78,400	78,100	77,900

 
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