HC Deb 09 January 2002 vol 377 cc941-2W
Stephen Hesford

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to increase participation in higher education. [25532]

Margaret Hodge

Our programmes to raise standards in schools and colleges will have a major impact on increasing participation. The Excellence Challenge programme, including the Aim Higher advertising campaign and roadshow, will encourage more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to enter HE. Foundation degrees will also encourage more people, especially those already in work, to take HE qualifications.

Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils from the Buckingham constituency went on to higher education in each year since 1999. [24863]

Margaret Hodge

Figures for the number of school pupils who go on to higher education are not collated centrally on a constituency basis. The latest available figures for England, showing the number of UK domiciled entrants to undergraduate courses over the past five years, are given in the table. The increase in entrants in 1997–98 related partly to changes in the funding arrangements for higher education, with students choosing to enter HE rather than wait until 1998–99. There was a corresponding reduction in 1998–99 before entrant numbers started to increase again in 1999–2000.

UK domiciled entrants to undergraduate courses, England
Year Entrants1
1996–97 510,000
1997–98 514,500
1998–99 501,500
1999–2000 516,600
2000–01 538,600
1 As at 1 December