§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what measures he is taking to improve the educational attainment of school pupils; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. EggarThe national curriculum is central to the Government's drive to raise standards of achievement in schools. It will provide pupils with a framework of clear objectives, matched with regular assessment against national standards. We have already introduced the first national curriculum requirements for English, maths, science and technology, and early feedback from Her Majesty's inspectorate is encouraging. Preparatory work on the remaining national curriculum subjects is well in hand.