Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by John Robertson (Labour). It was answered by Alan Johnson (Labour) on Thursday, 12 October 2006 on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills.

Educational Attainment

Question: What additional measures his Department has considered in order to reduce the number of school leavers not attaining basic standards of literacy and numeracy.

Answer: Since 1997, the number of children achieving five or more A* to C GCSEs, including English and mathematics, has increased by almost nine percentage points. We are determined to ensure that every child masters the basics. From this year we will measure the proportion of children achieving five A* to C grades, including English and mathematics. We are investing £990 million in personalised learning to provide more catch-up lessons in English and maths. The key stage 3 curriculum and English and maths GCSEs are being reviewed to emphasise functional skills.

Secondary information