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7 Feb 2007 : Column 988W—continued
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for what reasons the figure given for the percentage of children leaving school with no key stage 4 qualification in England in 2005 in the data set published by his Department on 19 January 2006 is different from that given in the answer of 30 January 2007, Official Report, column 212W, on educational attainment; and if he will make a statement. [119464]
Jim Knight: The figure published on 19 January 2006 in the 2005 Secondary School Achievement and Attainment tables for the proportion of pupils achieving at least one pass at GCSE and equivalent is based on revised data and is for pupils at the end of key stage 4 (97.4 per cent.). The figure given on 30 January 2007, Official Report, column 212W, is based on final data and is for pupils aged 15 (96.4 per cent.).
GCE A-Level: Standards
Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students attained at least three As at (a) AS and (b) A-level in the years 2004-05 and 2005-06, broken down by school or further education college. [118913]
Jim Knight [holding answer 5 February 2007]: The requested figures are in the following table.
GCSEs
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of 15-year-olds attending (a) independent schools and (b) maintained schools achieved five or more GCSEs at A* to C including (a) English and mathematics, (b) English, mathematics and science and (c) English, mathematics and science and a modern foreign language in each year since 1997. [110497]
Jim Knight: The information requested can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of children in each local education authority attained five A*-C GCSEs including (a) English and mathematics, (b) English, mathematics and a science, (c) English, mathematics and a modern language and (d) English, mathematics, a modern language and a science in each year from 1997 to 2006. [116987]
Jim Knight: The information requested can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
GCSE: Hendon
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of secondary school students in Hendon achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C in (a) 1997 and (b) 2006; and if he will make a statement. [118493]
Jim Knight: The information requested is set out in the following table:
| GCSE and equivalent results, percentage of pupils in maintained secondary schools | ||||
| Hendon constituency | Barnet LA | London region | England( 1) | |
| n/a = not available (1) England figures are based on all schools. (2) Revised data. Notes: 1. From 2004 includes GCSEs and other equivalent qualifications approved for use pre-16. 2. From 2006 figures are for pupils at the end of Key Stage 4. | ||||
As a result of our reforms, GCSE results nationally are at their highest level ever.
Headteachers: Morecambe and Lunesdale
Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many vacancies for head teachers there are in Morecambe and Lunesdale. [118547]
Jim Knight: The information requested is not available at constituency level.
In Lancashire local authority, which incorporates Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency, there were nine full-time head teacher vacancies in local authority maintained schools in January 2006, the latest information available.
Independent Schools
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what action his Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Consultation in relation to the consultation on the Definition of Full-Time Education in Independent Schools; and if he will make a statement; [111793]
(2) what informal consultation with stakeholders took place prior to the publication of the consultation document on the Definition of Full-Time Education in Independent Schools; and if he will make a statement; [111794]
(3) why a draft Regulatory Impact Assessment was not attached to the consultation paper on the Definition of Full-Time Education in Independent Schools; and if he will make a statement. [111795]
Jim Knight: The consultation on the Definition of Full-Time Education in Independent Schools has been undertaken in full adherence with the Cabinet Office’s Code of Practice on Consultations. All major stakeholders, identified prior to the consultation, were sent a copy of the consultation on the day it was launched and invited to respond. The consultation is available on the Department’s website.
The consultation will not result in any changes in Primary or Secondary legislation. The establishments which will be required to register as Independent Schools, should the new guidance be implemented, will already be operating and will only incur costs relating to implementing the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003, amended 2004 and the Education (Independent School Inspection Fees and Publication) (England) Regulations 2003. These regulations were subject to a full consultation and Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) prior to their introduction. The RIA is available on the Department’s website.
Language Training
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teachers of English for Speakers of Other Languages are employed in each local learning and skills council area. [110934]
Phil Hope: The information requested is not collected so a breakdown of ESOL teachers by Learning and Skills Councils area cannot be provided.
National Curriculum: Equality Act 2006
Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the regulations made under Part Three of the Equality Act 2006 will contain provisions exempting the National Curriculum. [119384]
Jim Knight: Following the response to the public consultation, the Sexual Orientation Regulations are currently being developed by the Department for Communities and Local Government, and are yet to be finalised.
Primary Education: Hendon
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many primary schools in Hendon offer teaching in modern languages; and if he will make a statement. [118469]
Jim Knight: This information is not held centrally.
Qualifications: Darlington
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of pupils at state schools in Darlington achieved five or more A* to C grades in GCSEs in each of the last 10 years. [118543]
Jim Knight: The information can be found in the following table.
| GCSE and equivalent achievements in Darlington local authority( 1) ,1996-97 to 2005-06( 2) | |||
| Number of 15 year old pupils( 3) | Number of 15 year olds gaining 5+ GCSEs or equivalent at grades A*-C | Percentage of 15 year old pupils gaining 5+ GCSEs or equivalent at grades A*-C | |
| (1 )Local authority figures include pupils in maintained schools only. These figures are adjusted for those recently arrived from overseas. (2 )Including achievements in previous academic years (3 )Number of pupils on roll aged 15 at the start of the academic year. (4 )Figures for 2005-06 are revised, all other figures are final. (5 )Percentages from 1996-97 include GCSEs and GNVQs (6 )Percentages from 2003-04 include GCSEs and other equivalent qualifications approved for use pre-16. | |||
Reading
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to encourage reading among children over the next five years. [119359]
Jim Knight:
Providing children with the basic skills that allow them to read with fluency and confidence is
a crucial first step for them to develop an enthusiasm for reading. Our renewed primary literacy framework draws on the recommendations of Jim Rose’s review of the teaching of early reading, and the systematic use of phonics as the prime strategy for the teaching of reading, and will help improve reading levels amongst all pupils. The national roll-out of the “Every Child a Reader” initiative will help those children who experience difficulties in learning to read.
We recognise that reading for pleasure is critical to improving children's life chances and we are taking action on several fronts to promote this. This includes providing a range of materials to support teachers, school librarians and others to ensure that schools both provide high-quality teaching and learning in reading, and promote an environment which encourages children's enthusiasm for reading. We encourage schools to develop study support activities which focus on literacy, including reading and book clubs. Our “Playing for Success” study support centres which open out of school hours use sport as a theme in their reading activities to encourage children to read.
We continue to work with a number of partners to promote reading in schools and the wider community. This includes working with the National Literacy Trust to run the National Reading Campaign (NRC). Key strands are Reading Connects, which supports schools in building whole-school reading communities; and Reading Champions, which finds and celebrates positive male role models and seeks to change boys’ attitudes to reading. A third strand of work, the Family Reading Campaign, launched earlier this year, is working in partnership with key organisations to promote the benefits of reading in the home and show parents and other family members how easily they can support their children.
Our wider work to help to foster children’s enthusiasm for reading includes funding the delivery of the Bookstart programme which encourages parents and carers to read with their children from when they are babies and offers free books to every child and advice to every parent. In addition, the 2006 pre-Budget report announced funding to provide every child making the transition to both primary and secondary school—including all children entering schools in the independent sector, special schools, or any other kind of school—with a free book, from autumn 2007.
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