§ Mr. Cohenasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the latest percentage of 18-year-olds entering full-time education.
§ Mr. WaldenThe Department's usual way of monitoring participation in higher education is the age participation index. This is defined as the number of full-time and sandwich home domiciled initial entrants to higher education aged under 21 expressed as a percentage of the average population of 18 and 19-year-olds. Initial entrants are those entering a higher education course for the first time. The provisional age participation index for Great Britain in 1985 was 13.9.