House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 14 Nov 2005 (pt 22)

14 Nov 2005 : Column 937W—continued

Foreign Language Teaching

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what steps her Department is taking to promote best practice in the teaching of foreign languages; [28299]

(2) what research has been conducted by her Department into best practice in foreign language teaching. [28300]

Jacqui Smith: The most recent research on foreign language teaching has focused on practice in primary schools—this includes research led by Christ Church University College Canterbury, published in 2004, and research led by the University of Warwick and published last month on the evaluation of our Key Stage 2 Language Pathfinder programmes. The outcomes of this research have informed the development of new

14 Nov 2005 : Column 938W

materials, and most importantly the Key Stage 2 Framework for Languages which was launched on 27 October. The Framework includes learning objectives, advice on delivering language programmes, and from early 2006 it will be accompanied by a website hosting good practice video clips and planning tools.

At secondary level, a separate modern foreign languages programme forms part of the Secondary National Strategy. It includes a Framework of objectives, accompanied by guidance materials, based on good practice and aimed at strengthening provision. We are also currently tendering for a research project at Key Stage 3, which will look at provision and practice in language learning, in order to understand better the impact of the Key Stage 3 Framework and other current initiatives on the curriculum, and to guide future policy.

Free School Meals

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many pupils in (a) city academies, (b) city technology colleges, (c) foundation schools and (d) all other types of school in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by local authority, were entitled to free school meals; [25554]

(2) what proportion of students in (a) city academies and (b) other schools were entitled to free school meals in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by local authority area. [25555]

Jacqui Smith: [holding answer 7 November]: The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many children in (a) England and (b) Tamworth are eligible for free school meals; and what the take-up rate has been in each of the last five years; [26165]

(2) how many children in (a) England, (b) Staffordshire and (c) Tamworth receive free school meals. [26166]

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is shown in the tables.
Maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools⁽¹³⁾: school meal arrangements⁽¹⁴⁾, position in January each year: 2001 to 2005—Tamworth parliamentary constituency

Maintained nursery and primary

Number on roll Pupils taking free school meals⁽¹⁵⁾ Percentage taking free school meals⁽¹⁵⁾ Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals

2001 8,860 1,173 13.2 1,390 15.7

2002 8,752 1,116 12.8 1,333 15.2

2003 8,470 914 10.8 1,132 13.4

2004 8,254 888 10.8 1,086 13.2

2005 8,171 868 10.6 1,041 12.7

14 Nov 2005 : Column 939W

Maintained secondary

Number on roll Pupils taking free school meals⁽¹⁵⁾ Percentage taking free school meals⁽¹⁵⁾ Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals

2001 6,079 491 8.1 753 12.4

2002 6,086 481 7.9 720 11.8

2003 6,243 547 8.8 671 10.7

2004 6,191 467 7.5 636 10.3

2005 6,056 396 6.5 587 9.7

⁽¹³⁾ Includes middle schools as deemed
⁽¹⁴⁾ Prior to 2003 'Number on roll' includes all full and part time pupils who are solely registered, excluding boarding pupils. Due to underlying changes in data collection, this coverage was extended to also include all pupils with dual (main) registration and boarding pupils from 2003.
⁽¹⁵⁾ Based upon school level numbers of pupils who had a free school meal on 20 January 2005.
Source:
Annual schools' census

Maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools⁽¹⁶⁾: school meal arrangements⁽¹⁷⁾, position in January each year: 2001 to 2005—Staffordshire local authority

Maintained nursery and primary

Number on roll Pupils taking free school meals⁽¹⁸⁾ Percentage taking free school meals⁽¹⁸⁾ Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals

2001 70,610 7,038 10.0 8,509 12.1

2002 69,530 6,756 9.7 8,146 11.7

2003 68,166 6,291 9.2 7,560 11.1

2004 66,862 6,068 9.1 7,333 11.0

2005 65,976 5,694 8.6 7,007 10.6

Maintained secondary

Number on roll Pupils taking free school meals⁽¹⁸⁾ Percentage taking free school meals⁽¹⁸⁾ Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals

2001 60,934 3,841 6.3 5,625 9.2

2002 61,272 3,851 6.3 5,622 9.2

2003 62,290 3,789 6.1 5,418 8.7

2004 62,381 3,744 6.0 5,310 8.5

2005 61,382 3,644 5.9 4,993 8.1

⁽¹⁶⁾ Includes middle schools as deemed
⁽¹⁷⁾ Prior to 2003 'Number on roll' includes all full and part time pupils who are solely registered, excluding boarding pupils. Due to underlying changes in data collection, this coverage was extended to also include all pupils with dual (main) registration and boarding pupils from 2003.
⁽¹⁸⁾ Based upon school level numbers of pupils who had a free school meal on 20 January 2005.
Source:
Annual schools' census

14 Nov 2005 : Column 940W

Maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools⁽¹⁹⁾: school meal arrangements⁽²⁰⁾, position in January each year: 2001 to 2005England

Maintained nursery and primary

Number on roll Pupils taking free school meals⁽²¹⁾ Percentage taking free school meals⁽²¹⁾ Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals

2001 4,451,220 631,640 14.2 783,510 17.6

2002 4,405,640 616,630 14.0 754,510 17.1

2003 4,350,260 604,910 13.9 731,610 16.8

2004 4,293,180 608,760 14.2 741,150 17.3

2005 4,243,110 568,350 13.4 717,230 16.9

Maintained secondary

Number on roll Pupils taking free school meals⁽²¹⁾ Percentage taking free school meals⁽²¹⁾ Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals

2001 3,226,970 353,470 11.0 509,680 15.8

2002 3,260,930 354,260 10.9 486,350 14.9

2003 3,308,490 349,780 10.6 478,920 14.5

2004 3,326,800 351,380 10.6 477,290 14.3

2005 3,317,590 335,140 10.1 465,520 14.0

⁽¹⁹⁾ Includes middle schools as deemed.
⁽²⁰⁾ Prior to 2003 'Number on roll1 includes all full and part time pupils who are solely registered, excluding boarding pupils. Due to underlying changes in data collection, this coverage was extended to also include all pupils with dual (main) registration and boarding pupils from 2003
⁽²¹⁾ Based upon school level numbers of pupils who had a free school meal on 20 January 2005.
Note:
Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
Source:
Annual schools' census

		Maintained nursery and primary
	Number on roll	Pupils taking free school meals⁽¹⁵⁾	Percentage taking free school meals⁽¹⁵⁾	Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals	Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals
2001	8,860	1,173	13.2	1,390	15.7
2002	8,752	1,116	12.8	1,333	15.2
2003	8,470	914	10.8	1,132	13.4
2004	8,254	888	10.8	1,086	13.2
2005	8,171	868	10.6	1,041	12.7

		Maintained secondary
	Number on roll	Pupils taking free school meals⁽¹⁵⁾	Percentage taking free school meals⁽¹⁵⁾	Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals	Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals
2001	6,079	491	8.1	753	12.4
2002	6,086	481	7.9	720	11.8
2003	6,243	547	8.8	671	10.7
2004	6,191	467	7.5	636	10.3
2005	6,056	396	6.5	587	9.7

		Maintained nursery and primary
	Number on roll	Pupils taking free school meals⁽¹⁸⁾	Percentage taking free school meals⁽¹⁸⁾	Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals	Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals
2001	70,610	7,038	10.0	8,509	12.1
2002	69,530	6,756	9.7	8,146	11.7
2003	68,166	6,291	9.2	7,560	11.1
2004	66,862	6,068	9.1	7,333	11.0
2005	65,976	5,694	8.6	7,007	10.6

		Maintained secondary
	Number on roll	Pupils taking free school meals⁽¹⁸⁾	Percentage taking free school meals⁽¹⁸⁾	Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals	Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals
2001	60,934	3,841	6.3	5,625	9.2
2002	61,272	3,851	6.3	5,622	9.2
2003	62,290	3,789	6.1	5,418	8.7
2004	62,381	3,744	6.0	5,310	8.5
2005	61,382	3,644	5.9	4,993	8.1

		Maintained nursery and primary
	Number on roll	Pupils taking free school meals⁽²¹⁾	Percentage taking free school meals⁽²¹⁾	Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals	Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals
2001	4,451,220	631,640	14.2	783,510	17.6
2002	4,405,640	616,630	14.0	754,510	17.1
2003	4,350,260	604,910	13.9	731,610	16.8
2004	4,293,180	608,760	14.2	741,150	17.3
2005	4,243,110	568,350	13.4	717,230	16.9

		Maintained secondary
	Number on roll	Pupils taking free school meals⁽²¹⁾	Percentage taking free school meals⁽²¹⁾	Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals	Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals
2001	3,226,970	353,470	11.0	509,680	15.8
2002	3,260,930	354,260	10.9	486,350	14.9
2003	3,308,490	349,780	10.6	478,920	14.5
2004	3,326,800	351,380	10.6	477,290	14.3
2005	3,317,590	335,140	10.1	465,520	14.0

GCSEs

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of (a) boys, (b) girls and (c) all children aged 15 years at the end of the 2004/05 academic year achieved five A*-C grades at GCSE including mathematics and English, broken down by type of school. [21692]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 25 October 2005]: The information requested can be found in the following table. This is compiled from the provisional data used for Statistical First Release 46/2005 (published on 20 October) and is currently in the process of being checked by schools.

This year a higher volume of GNVQ results were missing from the data initially supplied to the Department. This may affect the GCSE and equivalent indicators—for this reason the provisional nature of these figures should be emphasised and any conclusions drawn from the figures, including comparisons between school types, should be treated with caution.

14 Nov 2005 : Column 941W

GCSE and equivalent attempts and achievements of 15-year-old pupils⁽²²⁾ by school type

1998/99⁽²³⁾
2004/05⁽²³⁾

Percentage who achieved at GCSE/
GNVQ
Percentage who achieved at GCSE
and equivalent

School type⁽²⁴⁾ Number of 15-year-old pupils⁽²²⁾ 5+ A*-C grades 5+ A*-C grades inc. English and mathematics Number of 15-year-old pupils⁽²²⁾ 5+ A*-C grades 5+ A*-C grades inc. English and mathematics

Community Schools
Boys 174,574 36.9 28.6 186,377 45.6 34.3

Girls 173,459 48.2 36.7 185,952 56.3 43.1

Total 348,033 42.5 32.6 372,329 51.0 38.7

Voluntary Aided Schools

Boys 37,589 50.2 42.1 41,384 59.3 48.1

Girls 36,755 58.4 46.8 41,021 67.4 54.0

Total 74,344 54.3 44.4 82,405 63.3 51.1

Voluntary Controlled Schools

Boys 9,597 51.4 43.5 10,648 57.8 48.8

Girls 9,248 60.7 49.5 9,707 67.3 56.2

Total 18,845 56.0 46.5 20,355 62.3 52.3

Foundation Schools

Boys 42,100 48.8 40.2 49,263 57.4 46.5

Girls 38,329 59.5 47.7 46,483 65.3 53.2

Total 80,429 53.9 43.8 95,746 61.2 49.7

City Technology Colleges

Boys 1,162 65.1 50.4 1,234 82.7 65.0

Girls 1,232 69.0 52.7 1,255 86.0 66.5

Total 2,394 67.1 51.6 2,489 84.3 65.7

Academies

Boys — — — 1,071 32.9 14.1

Girls — — — 1,030 37.8 16.7

Total — — — 2,101 35.3 15.4

Community Special Schools

Boys 6,503 0.2 0.1 6,500 0.4 0.2

Girls 3,011 0.2 0.2 3,014 0.6 0.3

Total 9,514 0.2 0.1 9,514 0.5 0.3

Foundation Special Schools

Boys 113 0.0 0.0 133 0.0 0.0

Girls 58 0.0 0.0 60 0.0 0.0

Total 171 0.0 0.0 193 0.0 0.0

Non Maintained Special Schools

Boys 419 5.3 3.8 436 5.7 3.2

Girls 178 10.1 9.6 175 10.9 6.9

Total 597 6.7 5.5 611 7.2 4.3

Independent Special Schools4

Boys 561 3.0 1.8 526 10.6 7.4

Girls 99 2.0 2.0 96 4.2 3.1

Total 660 2.9 1.8 622 9.6 6.8

Independent Schools

Boys 21,514 81.1 76.5 23,000 82.9 72.0

Girls 20,054 85.5 80.5 22,696 86.3 79.0

Total 41,568 83.2 78.5 45,696 84.6 75.5

Hospital Schools and PRUs5

Boys 2,975 0.6 0.4 3,665 0.6 0.4

Girls 1,442 1.4 1.2 1,468 2.2 1.4

Total 4,417 0.9 0.7 5,133 1.1 0.7

All Schools

Boys 297,107 42.8 35.0 324,237 50.8 40.0

Girls 283,865 53.4 42.5 312,957 60.8 48.4

Total 580,972 47.9 38.6 637,194 55.7 44.1

⁽²²⁾ Number of pupils on roll aged 15 at the start of the academic year, ie 31 August.
⁽²³⁾ Including attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years.
⁽²⁴⁾ Institution type as recorded through Secondary School Achievement and Attainment tables.
⁽²⁵⁾ Independent Special School approved to take pupils with special educational needs.
⁽²⁶⁾ Including community and foundation hospital schools and pupil referral units.

14 Nov 2005 : Column 943W

	1998/99⁽²³⁾	2004/05⁽²³⁾
		Percentage who achieved at GCSE/ GNVQ		Percentage who achieved at GCSE and equivalent
School type⁽²⁴⁾	Number of 15-year-old pupils⁽²²⁾	5+ A*-C grades	5+ A*-C grades inc. English and mathematics	Number of 15-year-old pupils⁽²²⁾	5+ A*-C grades	5+ A*-C grades inc. English and mathematics
Community Schools
Boys	174,574	36.9	28.6	186,377	45.6	34.3
Girls	173,459	48.2	36.7	185,952	56.3	43.1
Total	348,033	42.5	32.6	372,329	51.0	38.7

Voluntary Aided Schools
Boys	37,589	50.2	42.1	41,384	59.3	48.1
Girls	36,755	58.4	46.8	41,021	67.4	54.0
Total	74,344	54.3	44.4	82,405	63.3	51.1

Voluntary Controlled Schools
Boys	9,597	51.4	43.5	10,648	57.8	48.8
Girls	9,248	60.7	49.5	9,707	67.3	56.2
Total	18,845	56.0	46.5	20,355	62.3	52.3

Foundation Schools
Boys	42,100	48.8	40.2	49,263	57.4	46.5
Girls	38,329	59.5	47.7	46,483	65.3	53.2
Total	80,429	53.9	43.8	95,746	61.2	49.7

City Technology Colleges
Boys	1,162	65.1	50.4	1,234	82.7	65.0
Girls	1,232	69.0	52.7	1,255	86.0	66.5
Total	2,394	67.1	51.6	2,489	84.3	65.7

Academies
Boys	—	—	—	1,071	32.9	14.1
Girls	—	—	—	1,030	37.8	16.7
Total	—	—	—	2,101	35.3	15.4

Community Special Schools
Boys	6,503	0.2	0.1	6,500	0.4	0.2
Girls	3,011	0.2	0.2	3,014	0.6	0.3
Total	9,514	0.2	0.1	9,514	0.5	0.3

Foundation Special Schools
Boys	113	0.0	0.0	133	0.0	0.0
Girls	58	0.0	0.0	60	0.0	0.0
Total	171	0.0	0.0	193	0.0	0.0

Non Maintained Special Schools
Boys	419	5.3	3.8	436	5.7	3.2
Girls	178	10.1	9.6	175	10.9	6.9
Total	597	6.7	5.5	611	7.2	4.3

Independent Special Schools4
Boys	561	3.0	1.8	526	10.6	7.4
Girls	99	2.0	2.0	96	4.2	3.1
Total	660	2.9	1.8	622	9.6	6.8

Independent Schools
Boys	21,514	81.1	76.5	23,000	82.9	72.0
Girls	20,054	85.5	80.5	22,696	86.3	79.0
Total	41,568	83.2	78.5	45,696	84.6	75.5

Hospital Schools and PRUs5
Boys	2,975	0.6	0.4	3,665	0.6	0.4
Girls	1,442	1.4	1.2	1,468	2.2	1.4
Total	4,417	0.9	0.7	5,133	1.1	0.7

All Schools
Boys	297,107	42.8	35.0	324,237	50.8	40.0
Girls	283,865	53.4	42.5	312,957	60.8	48.4
Total	580,972	47.9	38.6	637,194	55.7	44.1

Figures for 1998/99 have been provided for comparison (1998/99 is the earliest that this classification of school types can be provided).

Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what further progress has been made on the functional skills aspect of GCSEs. [28378]

Jacqui Smith: Achieving functional skills in English, maths and ICT underpins all the reforms for the education of 14 to 19-year-olds. We have been working since the publication of the White Paper with our partners towards a clear definition of what we expect the new functional skills units to cover. We will set out this definition in our forthcoming Implementation Plan.

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority have prepared a draft set of standards that set out their recommendations for the content of each skill at each level and they will be consulting on these draft standards in December 2005. The agreed definition and standards for functional skills will then inform the development of new units in functional skills.

Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions she has had with schools about the introduction of the new science GCSE in September 2006. [28379]

Jacqui Smith: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the National Foundation for Educational Research carried out widespread consultation on proposals to introduce a revised programme of study at Key Stage 4. The science and science education communities and a sample of schools, colleges and universities were included in the consultation. The majority of respondents supported the changes.

The QCA has also recently issued guidance to schools on the Key Stage 4 and GCSE changes and has run, together with other delivery partners, various dissemination conferences. Reactions to the changes have been very positive.

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