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School Value Added Measures

Lord Lucas asked Her Majesty's Government:

What correlation they observe between the key stage 2 to key stage 3 value added measure and the key stage 3 to GCSE value added measure published in the pilot value added tables last month.[HL1986]

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The correlation between the key stage 2 to key stage 3 value added measures and the key stage 3 to GCSE/GNVQ value added measure for the 200 pilot schools with both measures was +0.26.

Any interpretation of this correlation should take into account that the value added measures have been calculated for two separate cohorts of pupils.

Lord Lucas asked Her Majesty's Government:

What correlation they observe between the key stage 2 to GCSE value added measures published in the pilot value added measures last month and (a) raw GCSE results, (b) measures of social deprivation, (c) selection on the basis of ability or aptitude and (d) selection on the basis of ability or aptitude in neighbouring schools.[HL1987]

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The available information is shown in the following table. It shows the correlations between the school value added measures and:

(a) raw GCSE/GNVQ results; and

(b) for maintained mainstream schools only, the percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.

VA measure	% 5 or more grades A*–C	Average GCSE/GNVQ point score	% eligible for free school meals
KS2 to KS3	0.72	0.66	0.61
KS3 to GCSE/ GNVQ	0.40	0.46	0.16




The pilot covered only a sample of schools and included only a very small number of schools that were selective or had neighbouring selective schools. It would therefore be inappropriate to calculate correlations separately for these schools.

Lord Lucas asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the average improvement per pupil, in terms of National Curriculum levels to an accuracy of two decimal places, by pupils whose results were included in the pilot value added tables (a) from key stage 2 to key stage 3 and (b) from key stage 3 to GCSE.[HL1988]

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Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The average improvement per pupil in terms of National Curriculum levels to an accuracy of two decimal places by pupils whose results were included in the pilot value added tables were:

(a) from key stage 2 to key stage 3: 1.36 levels

(b) from key stage 3 to GCSE/GNVQ: it is not possible to calculate an average improvement in terms of National Curriculum levels because there is no equivalency between National Curriculum levels and the GCSE/GNVQ point scoring system.

Lord Lucas asked Her Majesty's Government:

For pilot value added tables, where the key stage 2 results have been taken from, for those pupils who did not take the key stage 2 test at the schools included in the value added pilot (particularly those pupils at independent schools not participating in key stage 2 tests) and whether those key stage 2 results were measured as whole National Curriculum levels or at a finer level of definition.[HL1989]

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Most pupils change schools between key stage 2 (KS2) and key stage 3 (KS3) since KS2 tests are usually taken during the last year of primary education. The KS2 information for each pupil used in the value added calculations would therefore relate to the tests taken in their particular feeder primary school. The pilot developed and tested systems to trace the key stage 2 prior attainment information for all pupils eligible for key stage 3 assessment in 2001, using the KS2 results from 1998, i.e. three years previously.

Any pupils for whom KS2 prior attainment information could not be traced were excluded from the value added calculations except where the current school could provide the missing details. If a pupil did not take KS2 tests and therefore had no input measure, they were also excluded from the value added calculation for their school.

KS2 performance was measured as an average level across the three subjects of English, mathematics and science. Whole National Curriculum levels were used in the calculation of the average level.

Faith Schools

Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:

When developing their policy on state funding for faith schools in England and Wales, they will have regard to the system obtaining in France, where such funding is available on condition both that the admission of pupils is not restricted on religious grounds and that the core curriculum is taught to pupils.[HL1995]

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Decisions on funding the establishment of new voluntary-aided faith schools will continue to be based on a range of factors and the merits of each individual case. We have, however, made

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it clear that promoters of new faith schools will have to demonstrate how they will be inclusive and work in partnership with other schools when proposals come before the local school organisation committee, or schools adjudicator, for final decision. All maintained schools are required to teach the core National Curriculum. Responsibility for education policy and the funding of schools in Wales is devolved to the National Assembly for Wales.

Special Schools

Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many special schools for children with a mental handicap (severe learning disabilities) existed in (a) 1997 and (b) now; and how many such children attended them in (a) 1997 and (b) now.[HL2010]

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: In January 1997 there were 348 special schools in England that were approved to make provision for pupils with severe learning difficulties, compared with 449 in January 2001.

Information on individual pupils' disabilities is not collected centrally so there is no way of determining how many pupils with severe learning difficulties are attending special schools. These schools often make provision for pupils with several different disabilities and may not have pupils with severe learning difficulties enrolled at the school at the time of the Annual School's Census.

Foot and Mouth: Contiguous Cull in Yorkshire

Lord Jopling asked Her Majesty's Government:

(a) in which parishes in Thirsk to which the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs referred on 12 November (HC Deb, col. 578) were 55 appeals lodged against the contiguous cull for foot and mouth disease;

(b) in which parishes were the 29 appeals upheld by the divisional veterinary manager and the nine cases where infection was subsequently revealed;

(c) how many cases and in which parishes in Thirsk was additional contiguous culling triggered; and involving how many animals;

(d) where were the parishes where two infected premises were found following the rejection of appeals by the Government's veterinary staff; and

(e) in which parishes did they lead to further culling on additional farms.(HL1487)

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty): Since my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spoke on 12 November, more work has been done to clarify and tidy up the databases from which

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the information she provided was taken. The 55 appeals that she quoted were in the whole of North Yorkshire, rather than in the Thirsk area. The number of appeals upheld by the divisional veterinary manager is 26 and not 29. The following is the correct information in relation to these appeals.

(a) The parishes where the 55 appeals were lodged against the contiguous cull were Bainbridge, Belbusk, Bishopdale, Boltby, Bolton by Bowland, Burnside, Cracoe, East/West Barnby, Embsay, Felixkirk, Fryup, Giggleswick, Gisburn, Great Fryupdale, Halton West, Hawnby, Hebden, Hetton, Hutton Mulgrave, Kepwick, Kirby Knowle, Kirby Malham, Lealholm, Linton, Lythe, Malham, Nether Silton, Over Silton, Rathmell, Rimington, Silsden, Sowerby, Sutton under Whitestonecliff, Thornton in Craven, Ugthorpe, West Bradford and Wigglesworth.

(b) 26 appeals were upheld by the divisional veterinary manager. These were in the parishes of Bellbusk, Bishopdale, Boltby, Bolton by Bowland, Cracoe, Gisburn, Great Fryupdale, Halton West, Hebden, Kepwick, Kirby Knowle, Lealholm, Linton, Lythe, Nether Silton, Over Silton, Rathmell, Silsden, Sowerby, West Bradford and Wigglesworth.

Of these appeals there were seven cases where infection was subsequently diagnosed and infected premises declared. These were in the parishes of Belbusk, Bishopdale, Halton West, Kepwick, Lealholm, Linton and Nether Silton.

(c) In three of these seven cases there were no dangerous contacts or contiguous premises. In relation to the other four cases, culling was triggered in the parishes of Bainbridge, Bishopdale, Cracoe, Fryup, Glaisdale, Grassington, Kirby Sigston, Knayton, Linton, Nether Silton, Over Silton and Thoralby and a total of 581 cattle and 7,839 sheep were culled.

(d) Infection was confirmed in four cases following the rejection of appeals by the Government's veterinary staff in North Yorkshire and infected premises were confirmed in the parishes of Felixkirk, Kepwick, Lealholm and Sutton under Whitestonecliff.

(e) Two of these four cases led to further culling on farms in the parishes of Bagby, Borrowby, Felixkirk, Great Fryupdale, Lealholm, Sandhutton, South Kilvington, Sowerby and Sutton.

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