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15 Nov 2007 : Column 416W—continued

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of pupils gained five A* to Cs at GCSE including a modern language in each year since 1997. [164818]

Jim Knight: The information to answer the question can only be provided at disproportionate cost. However, information on the proportion of pupils entered for a modern foreign language at GCSE and the proportion of those pupils entered who gained an A*-C grade is readily available and given in the following table.

	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007( 2)
Percentage of pupils(1) entered for a modern foreign language at GCSE	74	77	78	79	78	76	73	68	59	51	46
Percentage of pupils(1) entered for a modern foreign language at GCSE gaining A*-C grade	48	48	50	50	51	52	50	53	60	64	66
(1) Figures from 1997 to 2004 are for pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year. Figures from 2004 to 2007 are for pupils at the end of Key Stage 4. (2) Figures for 2007 are provisional.

GCSE: Languages

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what representations (a) his Department and (b) the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has received about grade boundaries for modern language GCSE courses; what steps are being taken in response to those representations; and if he will make a statement. [164133]

Jim Knight: Lord Dearing’s Languages Review, published in March 2007, identified the need to resolve the widely held perception that languages GCSEs are harder than other subjects. The review recognised that there are other reasons pupils do not perform as well in languages as in other subjects, such as the quality of teaching and the motivation of the pupil.

As a result, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), as the regulator with responsibility for standards in GCSE, is looking at the issue. In the course of this work the QCA has received several representations from schools about grade boundaries for modern foreign languages. It is currently finalising its response.

Languages: Primary Education

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what minimum level of qualification is required to teach a modern foreign language in a primary school. [164422]

Jim Knight: To teach in a primary school as a qualified teacher it is necessary to have gained qualified teacher status via one of the undergraduate,
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postgraduate or employment-based routes into teaching. It will be for the head teacher to decide whether a teacher has the necessary knowledge and experience for a particular role in the school.

The law also allows unqualified teachers to work as instructors when they have a specific skill or knowledge, where a qualified teacher is not available and again where the head teacher is satisfied that this person is able to properly fulfil this role.

Mathematics: Teachers

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many qualified (a) mathematics, (b) physics and (c) chemistry teachers there were in maintained schools in England in each year from 1988 to 2007; and if he will make a statement. [163820]

Jim Knight: Information on the number of full-time teachers in service in secondary schools by subject of qualification is available from the Secondary School Curriculum and Staffing Survey (SSCSS), an occasional
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sample survey undertaken in the years 1988, 1992, 1996, 2002 and 2007. 2007 figures are expected to be published in early 2008.

The following table provides the estimated number of full-time secondary school teachers with a post A- level qualification in mathematics, physics and chemistry, irrespective of whether they are teaching the subject, in England for the years available.

Number of full-time teachers( 1) in maintained secondary schools with a post A-level qualification in mathematics, physics and chemistry
	1988	1992	1996	2002
Mathematics	42,000	38,100	27,100	n/a
Physics	17,600	15,900	10,400	n/a
Chemistry	16,600	15,000	10,700	n/a
n/a - not available (1) Teachers are counted once for each subject in which they have a qualification. Source: Secondary School Curriculum and Staffing Survey.

Information for 2002 is not available on the same basis. Figures for the number of teachers teaching each subject area and the level of qualification in that subject are available however and these are provided in the following table.

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Teachers in Service: Full-time teachers in maintained secondary schools—Highest post A-level qualifications( 1) held in the subjects they teach( 2) to year groups 7-13, England
	Percentages
	Degree( 3)	BEd	PGCE	Cert Ed	Other Qual.	No Qual.	Total teachers (Thousand)
Mathematics	42 ± 3	15 ± 2	9 ± 2	7 ± 1	2 ± 1	24 ± 2	28.2
English	51 ± 3	15 ± 2	7 ± 1	6 ± 1	1 ± 1	20 ± 2	29.4
Combined/General science	62 ± 3	12 ± 2	10 ± 2	4 ± 1	1 ± 1	11 ± 2	28.3
Biology(4)	71 ± 5	7 ± 3	11 ± 4	3 ± 2	- ± 1	7 ± 3	5.6
Chemistry(4)	72 ± 5	6 ± 3	12 ± 4	1 ± 1	1 ± 1	7 ± 3	5.2
Physics(4)	63 ± 6	11 ± 4	15 ± 4	3 ± 2	- ± -	8 ± 3	4.7
Other sciences(4)	10 ± 6	4 ± 4	5 ± 4	- ± -	- ± -	80 ± 8	1.6
French	54 ± 3	7 ± 2	10 ± 2	3 ± 1	2 ± 1	23 ± 3	16.0
German	47 ± 5	6 ± 3	13 ± 4	1 ± 1	2 ± 1	30 ± 5	6.9
Spanish	37 ± 7	8 ± 4	19 ± 6	- ± -	3 ± 2	33 ± 7	3.6
Other modern languages	18 ± 8	- ± -	9 ± 7	- ± -	3 ± 4	71 ±10	1.4
Design and technology(5)	26 ± 3	20 ± 3	7 ± 2	21 ± 3	2 ± 1	24 ± 3	20.9
ICT(5, 6)	13 ± 2	6 ± 1	8 ± 2	2 ± 1	3 ± 1	69 ± 3	18.9
Other/Combined technology(5)	30± 1 0	13 ± 8	16 ± 7	18 ± 9	2 ± 3	20 ± 9	1.6
Business studies	30 ± 5	11 ± 4	9 ± 3	4 ± 2	3 ± 2	43 ± 5	6.5
Classics	33 ± 7	- ± -	2 ± 4	2 ± -	- ± -	63 ± 7	1.0
History	57 ± 4	9 ± 2	6 ± 2	6 ± 2	- ± -	23 ± 3	13.7
Religious education	22 ± 3	8 ± 2	8 ± 2	4 ± 1	2 ± 1	57 ± 4	14.2
Geography	53 ± 4	9 ± 2	6 ± 2	5 ± 2	1 ± 1	25 ± 3	13.7
Other social studies	35 ± 5	6 ± 3	2 ± 2	2 ± 1	- ± 1	54 ± 6	4.9
Combined arts/humanities/social studies	5 ± 3	4 ± 2	7 ± 3	1 ± 1	1 ± 1	83 ± 5	5.3
Music	59 ± 5	15 ± 4	5 ± 2	6 ± 3	2 ± 2	13 ± 4	6.3
Drama	25 ± 4	10 ± 3	12 ± 3	6 ± 2	2 ± 1	45 ± 5	8.1
Art and design	54 ± 4	10 ± 3	7 ± 2	9 ± 3	1 ± 1	20 ± 4	9.3
Physical education	25 ± 3	31 ± 3	6 ± 2	13 ± 2	2 ± 1	22 ± 2	21.4
Careers education	2 ± 2	1 ± 2	3 ± 3	4 ± 4	3 ± 4	87 ± 7	1.5
PSHE(6)	1 ± -	1 ± -	2 ± 1	1 ± -	- ± -	95 ± 1	61.4
General studies	1 ± 1	2 ± 1	1 ± 1	- ± 1	- ± -	95 ± 2	7.1
Citizenship	2 ± 1	1 ± 1	2 ± 1	- ± 1	- ± -	94 ± 2	9.0
Other	—	—	—	—	—	—	32.8
Total(2, 7)	33 ± -	10 ±-	7 ± -	5 ± -	1 ± -	44 ± -	388.4
‘—’ = zero or less than 0.5. (1) Where a teacher has more than one post A-level qualification in the same subject, the qualification level is determined by the highest level reading from left (Degree) to right (Other Qual.). For example, teachers shown under PGCE have a PGCE but not a degree or BEd in the subject, while those with a PGCE and a degree are shown only under Degree. (2) Teachers are counted once against each subject which they are teaching. (3) Includes higher degrees but excludes BEds. (4) Teachers qualified in combined/general science are treated as qualified to teach biology, chemistry, or physics. Teachers qualified in biology, chemistry or physics are treated as qualified to teach combined/general science. (5) Teachers qualified in other/combined technology are treated as qualified to teach design and technology or information and communication technology. Teachers qualified in design and technology or information and communication technology are treated as qualified to teach other/combined technology. (6) Information and Communication Technology is abbreviated as ICT and Personal Social and Health Education is abbreviated as PSHE. (7) ‘Other’ not included in total percentages. Source: Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey 2002.

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