§ 3. Mr. Bob Blizzard (Waveney)What assessment he has made of the effects of pupil mobility on standards in schools. [88966]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment (Mr. Charles Clarke)We are supporting a research project into pupil mobility and its effect on schools, conducted by the migration research unit at University College, London. We expect preliminary results from the project to be available this month. We hope that the outcomes will provide more information on the issue of pupil mobility and the impact on standards in schools. We will keep the House informed of progress.
§ Mr. BlizzardI thank my hon. Friend for that answer. May I give him an example from a primary school in my constituency which highlights the problem? I take the most recent year group to leave that school. During its four-year passage through the school, there were 123 pupils, yet of that number, only 40 were on the roll for the duration of those four years—a 67 per cent. mobility rate. A high proportion of those transient pupils suffer serious under-achievement, given the number who are on records of support, and it is much harder for the school to teach the 40 regulars, if I may call them that.
Will my hon. Friend consider making resources available from the standards fund, once he has evaluated the research, to help schools to develop and to implement strategies to deal with the problem?
§ Mr. ClarkeMy hon. Friend is entirely right. The answer to his question is yes, we shall consider that, once we have evaluated the research. The fact is that mobility is very high in many surprising places: in seaside resorts, such as those in his own constituency; in inner-city areas, where there has been surprisingly high mobility; in places near armed forces, such as schools in Catterick; and in travellers' areas, migration areas, and rural inland areas. We have to understand pupil mobility far better, and then decide how to target resources so that they make a difference.