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21 Jan 2008 : Column 1718W—continued
I hope you find this information useful. EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07 and to date in 2007/08 is now also available on the LSC website, at the following address:
Education Maintenance Allowance: Peterborough
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many young people in the Peterborough constituency received the education maintenance allowance in the last year for which figures are available. [174520]
Jim Knight: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), which operates the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and hold the information about take-up and payments made under the scheme. Mark Haysom, the council’s chief executive, will write to the hon. Gentleman with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.
Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 19 December 2007:
I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question that asked:
"How many young people in Peterborough constituency received education maintenance grants in the last year for which figures are available."
Information on the number of young people who have applied, enrolled and received Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is available at Local Authority Level, but not at constituency level.
EMA take-up is defined as young people who have received one or more EMA payments in the academic year. EMA take-up for City of Peterborough Local Authority area is as follows:
2006/07—2,017
I hope you find this information useful. EMA take-up data showing the number of young people who have received one or more EMA payments during 2004/05, 2005/06, 2006/07 and to date in 2007/08 is now also available on the LSC website at the following address:
Further Education: Essex
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of young people in (a) the Colchester constituency and (b) Essex County Council area remained in full-time education in the year after they ended compulsory schooling in each year since 1997. [180361]
Jim Knight: The following table shows the proportion of all academic age 16-year-olds participating in full-time education in Essex local authority in each year since 1997. These figures are not currently available at parliamentary constituency level.
Participation of 16-year-olds in education and training is published in the Statistical First Release: Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16 to 18-year-olds in England: 2005 and 2006 and Participation in Education and Training by 16 and 17-year-olds in each local area in England: 2004 and 2005. See the following link:
Further Education: Staffordshire
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of young people in (a) the Tamworth constituency and (b) Staffordshire County Council area remained in full-time education in the year after they ended compulsory schooling in each year since 1997. [179421]
Jim Knight: The following table shows the proportion of all academic age 16-year-olds participating in full-time education in Staffordshire local authority in each year since 1997. These figures are not currently available at parliamentary constituency level.
Participation of 16-year-olds in education and training is published in the Statistical First Release: Participation in Education, Training and Employment by 16-18 Year Olds in England; 2005 and 2006 and Participation in Education and Training by 16 and 17 Year Olds in each Local Area in England: 2004 and 2005, please see the following link:
| Table 1: Participation of 16-year-olds in full-time education, Staffordshire | ||||||||||
| Percentage | ||||||||||
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 (a) | 2001 (b) | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | |
| (1 )The two figures for Staffordshire are for (a) Staffordshire county council and (b) Staffordshire unitary authority (UA). The former contains both Staffordshire UA and Stoke-on-Trent UA. Notes: 1. Learners in special designated institutes (SDIs) and external institutes (EIs) have been included from 2002 onwards. 2. For 2001 onwards, information for pupils in maintained schools, CTCs and academies is included by the pupil’s residence, rather than the address of the school. The table 2001 (b) provides the figures on the new basis, 2001 (a) on the old basis. | ||||||||||
GCE A-Level
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his policy is on the promotion of A-levels to students at schools. [179822]
Jim Knight [holding answer 17 January 2008]: All young people should receive high-quality information, advice and guidance on learning and careers options from their schools and from other learning providers, and from the Connexions service so that they can make informed choices. We expect this advice to promote the proven benefits of further education and training. However, it is important that information, advice and guidance are impartial, reflecting needs of the learner, not of the institution providing the advice.
It is not the Department’s policy to promote one learning route over another. Our interest in ensuring that each learner is helped into education and training that is the best for that individual and which is most likely to sustain their participation in learning and lead to the highest level of attainment. For many learners A-levels are the most appropriate way forward; for others, different routes will be appropriate.
GCE A-Level: Standards
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of children in the top 5 per cent. in Key Stage Two tests achieved three A grades at A-level in each of the last three years. [175711]
Jim Knight: The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
General Certificate of Secondary Education
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of pupils achieved five A* to C GCSEs (a) including mathematics and English and (b) excluding mathematics and English in (i) the 10 per cent. most deprived neighbourhoods and (ii) the 10 per cent. least deprived neighbourhoods in each year since 1995; and if he will make a statement. [177627]
Jim Knight: The information for the past two years can be found in the Library or on table 21 at the following links:
The information for other years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Laws:
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of secondary schools had 50 per cent. or more pupils failing to secure five A* to C grades in GCSEs (a)
including English and mathematics and (b) excluding English and mathematics in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement. [177628]
Jim Knight: Information for the last four years is in the Library.
Information for further years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
General Certificate of Secondary Education: Standards
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what target his Department has set for the percentage of pupils attaining five passes at grade A* to C GCSE including English and mathematics. [179305]
Jim Knight: As part of the 2007 comprehensive spending review (CSR), a new set of public service agreements and national targets was announced in October 2007. From 2009 onwards there is a dual focus on ensuring that pupils reach the levels expected for their age in both English and mathematics (threshold targets) and improving the rates of progress made by pupils from five to 16 (new progression targets) with increased attention to achieving faster progress for underachieving groups such as children in care and ethnic-minority pupils.
The key stage 4 threshold target is for 53 per cent. of pupils to achieve 5A*-C GCSEs (and equivalent), including GCSEs in both English and maths by 2011.
The progression targets will be a major factor in helping all pupils—regardless of their background and circumstances—to realise their potential in English and mathematics in particular. By 2011 we want to see a 15 percentage point improvement in the number of pupils making two levels of progress in English and a 13 percentage point improvement in those making two levels of progress in mathematics between key stage 3 and key stage 4.
We have also made the commitment that, by 2012, no secondary school should have fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils achieving five GCSEs at grade A*-C including English and mathematics. This children’s plan, launched last month, also sets out the ambition that, by 2020, at least 90 per cent. of young people should achieve the equivalent of five higher GCSEs at age 19.
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