House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 28 Jan 2008 (pt 0037)

28 Jan 2008 : Column 165W—continued

Gifted Children

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teachers have been trained as lead teachers for gifted and talented education in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [177214]

Jim Knight: The training programme for lead teachers in gifted and talented education began to be rolled out in September 2007. It is intended that every secondary school will have a lead teacher and that small groups of primary schools will share a lead teacher, though they can choose to have one of their own.

Data on numbers undertaking the initial face-to-face sessions will not be available until March 2008. Survey evidence suggests training is under way in over 80 per cent. of local authorities, though with some variation in the proportion of schools so far engaged.

The national strategies are monitoring participation carefully and, through local authorities, will strongly encourage all schools to participate.

ICT: National Vocational Qualifications

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils sat a GNVQ in information technology in each year since 1997. [182231]

Jim Knight: The information available can be found in the following table, which is also published in the SFR “GCSE and Equivalent Examination Results in England 2006/07 (Revised)”, which is available on the Department's website here:

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000768/index.shtml

These figures are based on results in GNVQs rather than attempts. Information on the number of pupils attempting these qualifications is not held centrally.

28 Jan 2008 : Column 166W

Time series of results in GNVQs in information technology 1996-97 to 2006-07
	Part I GNVQ		Full GNVQ
	Intermediate	Full	Intermediate	Full
1996-97	—	—	15	31
1997-98	756	93	24	3
1998-99	1,270	245	199	22
1999-2000	1,909	277	294	41
2000-01	3,003	425	490	21
2001-02	17,174	2,278	10,825	316
2002-03	26,498	2,527	24,485	50
2003-04	—	—	34,681	938
2004-05	—	—	44,769	1,059
2005-06	—	—	54,476	924
2006-07	—	—	44,125	548
Note: 1. Figures from 2004-05 based on pupils at the end of Key Stage 4; figures for earlier years are based on 15-year-old pupils (age at start of academic year). 2. All figures are final, except 2005-06 and 2006-07, which are revised, figures for earlier years are based on 15-year-old pupils (age at start of academic year).

GNVQs represent a very limited percentage of the overall A* to C grades. Their contribution to the national overall pass rate in 2007 (60.3 per cent.) was just 3.3 percentage points. The contribution of academic GCSEs was 51.9 percentage points. The contribution of all GCSEs (including vocational GCSEs and short courses) was 53.9 percentage points. GNVQs have now been phased out. The last cohort sat the examination last summer. GNVQs will disappear from the Achievement and Attainment Tables from 2008.

Literacy

Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of 11 and 16 year olds who were functionally illiterate in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [180786]

Jim Knight: We do not have a measure of functional literacy. Although level 4 is the target that we expect children to reach by the end of primary school, at level 3 pupils can read a range of texts accurately and independently; and their writing is organised, legible and clear. Figures show that 93 per cent. of 11-year-olds achieved at least level 3 in English in 2007. Of the 7 per cent. of children not reaching level 3, many will have special educational needs which make the achievement of level 3 or level 4 in English a very challenging target.

Information on the attainment of pupils in Key Stage 2 English tests is shown in the table:

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	Percentage of pupils at each l evel
Date	A	T/D	B	N	W	1	2	3	4	5	6	Total	Percentage at l evel 4 or above	Percentage at l evel 5 or above
1996	4	0	^(—)	0	0	1	7	39	41	7	0	100	49	7
1996	3	0	—	2	0	1	6	30	45	12	0	100	57	12
1997	3	0	4	2	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	1	26	48	16	0	100	63	16
1998	2	0	4	2	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	1	26	48	17	0	100	65	17
1999	2	0	3	2	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	1	20	48	22	0	100	71	22
2000	2	0	3	2	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	1	17	46	29	0	100	75	29
2001	1	1	3	2	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	1	17	46	29	0	100	75	29
2002	1	1	3	2	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	1	17	46	29	0	100	75	29
2003	1	1	3	2	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	1	16	48	27	⁽¹⁾—	100	75	27
2004	1	0	4	2	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	1	14	50	27	⁽¹⁾—	100	78	27
2005	1	0	4	2	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	1	14	52	27	⁽¹⁾—	100	79	27
2006	1	0	4	1	⁽¹⁾—	⁽¹⁾—	1	14	47	32	⁽¹⁾—	100	79	32
2007	1	0	4	1			1	13	47	34	⁽¹⁾—	100	80	34
^{(1 )}Levels W and 1 were valid in 1995 and 1996 only, Level 6 was valid from 1995-2002 only. A—represents pupils who were absent T—represents pupils working at the level of the assessment but unable to access the test D—represents pupils disapplied from teacher assessment B—represents pupils who were assessed by teacher assessment only. N—represents pupils who took the tests but failed to register a Level W—represents pupils who are “working towards” Level 1 but have not yet achieved the standards needed for Level 1. Data cover all schools entering pupils for KS2 tests

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