HC Deb 05 February 1968 vol 758 cc26-7W
Mr. Bob Brown

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will state the numbers and percentage of children staying on at school beyond the compulsory leaving age in the Northern Region with comparisons for the other regions of the United Kingdom.

Miss Bacon

The table shows numbers of pupils in maintained secondary schools, in January, 1967, aged 15, 16, 17 and 18, as percentages of 13-year-old pupils 2, 3, 4 and 5 years earlier respectively. For pupils aged 15 the comparison is restricted to those with birthdays between January and August inclusive.

Ages
Regions 15 16 17 18
Northern 36.1 20.4 10.8 3.9
Yorkshire and Humberside 40.6 23.6 12.9 4.5
North Western 40.9 22.5 11.4 3.9
East Midland 39.2 22.4 12.1 4.0
West Midland 42.7 23.3 11.5 3.9
East Anglia 39.7 21.0 10.1 3.3
Greater London 59.7 32.6 16.4 5.3
Other South East 53.9
South Western 51.6 26.8 13.5 4.1
Wales 44.7 30.0 18.3 7.5
England and Wales 46.6 26.5 13.7 4.6

Mr. Bob Brown

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will state the numbers and percentage of children staying on at school beyond the compulsory leaving age in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and in Northumberland compared with Bristol, Leicester, Birmingham, Coventry and London.

Miss Bacon

The table shows numbers of pupils in maintained secondary schools, in January, 1967, aged 15, 16, 17 and 18, as percentages of 13-year-old pupils 2, 3, 4 and 5 years earlier respectively. For pupils aged 15 the comparison is restricted to those with birthdays between January and August inclusive.

Ages
15 16 17 18
Newcastle-upon-Tyne 36.7 20.7 10.7 3.2
Northumberland 37.3 21.4 12.0 4.7
Bristol 56.7 30.0 14.2 3.7
Leicester 40.8 22.1 13.4 4.7
Birmingham 46.6 24.5 11.0 3.5
Coventry 43.3 23.1 10.3 3.4
Inner London 58.8 35.1 16.9 5.7

Mr. Brian Parkyn

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what estimate he has made of the number of children in all types of school in Bedfordshire who leave school before their sixteenth birthday, and the number in the same age group Who stay on; and how this ratio compares with the average for England and Wales as a whole.

Miss Bacon

The figures asked for are not available. However, in January, 1967, the numbers of pupils in maintained secondary schools of age 15 who were staying on voluntarily, as a percentage of the corresponding numbers aged 13 two years earlier, were 42.4 per cent. in Bedfordshire, compared with 46.6 per cent. in England and Wales; although a small proportion of these left at Easter before their 16th birthday.