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Dept for Education and Skills

Answer

Mr. Sedgemore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Witney constituency, the effects on Witney of her Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [216019] Mr. Stephen Twigg: The Witney constituency lies within Oxfordshire local education authority. The most recent Key Stage 2 and GCSE and equivalents Achievement for pupils attending schools in Witney are given in the following tables. Key Stage 2 Achievements of 11-year-old pupils attending schools in the Witney constituency. _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Percentage of pupils gaining level 4 and above 1997 2004 Percentage point improvement 1997-2004 Witney--English1 71 80 9 Witney--maths1 66 79 13 National average--English2 63 78 15 National average--maths2 61 74 13 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1 Pupils attending schools in Witney constituency. 2 The average for all schools in England (including independent schools). GCSE and equivalents1 Achievement of 15-year-old pupils2 attending schools in the Witney constituency. _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Percentage of 15-year-olds gaining 1997 2004 Percentage point improvement 1997-2004 Witney--5 + A*-C 53.3 60.3 7.0 Witney--5 + A*-G 91.9 93.6 1.7 National average--5+ A*-C 45.1 53.7 8.6 National average--5+ A*-G 87.0 88.8 1.8 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1 For 2004 only results incorporate GCSEs, GNVQs and a wide range of other qualifications approved pre-16. Prior to 2004 results are based on GCSEs and GNVQs only. 2 As standard the results reported relate to pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year i.e. 31 August and therefore reaching the end of compulsory education at the end of the school year. At national level, standards have improved across all key stages. The Primary and Key Stage 3 National Strategies, together with the measures we have taken to help schools in the toughest areas are continuing to deliver better results. Further information by constituency, is provided within the Department's "In Your Area" website available at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/inyourarea. Where information is not available at the constituency level it has been provided at local education Authority level. This website allows users to access key facts and local information about education and skills based on postcodes. The data available within the site offers comparisons between 1997 and the latest available year and covers five geographies. These are Parliamentary constituency, Ward, Local Authority District, Local Education Authority, Government Office Region. England figures are also provided. The information available within the website is grouped in a number of broad categories including Literacy and Numeracy at age 11, Literacy and Numeracy at age 14, GCSE / GNVQ results, Pupils with Special Educational Needs, School Initiatives, School Workforce, School Funding and Resources, Children's Social Services, Early Years, Class Sizes, Post 16, Higher Education and Adult Education. Additional information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, my Department is investigating ways in which we can disseminate more information about the effects of our policies at a local level. The In Your Area website will be further developed over the coming months to include additional information about Adult Education, School Funding, School Initiatives, School Performance, School Workforce and Post 16.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

216019; 431 c271-2W;431 c270-1W

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Government departments Policy Department for Education and Skills Witney

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk