HC Deb 18 November 1986 vol 105 cc137-8W
Mr. Fisher

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students in (a) part-time and (b) full-time higher education in each of the past 10 years were of (i) Asian and (ii) Afro-Caribbean origin; and what percentages of all such students these figures represent.

Mr. Walden

This information is not collected centrally. Discussions are in progress within the Department about means of collecting such data for the future.

Mr. Fisher

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students in (a) part-time and

Pupils receiving free school meals Number of pupils and percentage of pupils present
October 1978 October 1984
Number per cent. Number per cent.
Barking 3,412 13.4 3,278 14.9
Barnet 4,039 9.7 3,690 10.1
Bexley 2,648 7.3 2,515 8.2
Brent 4,392 11.3 5,519 17.9
Bromley 4,255 9.7 2,590 7.3
Croydon 7,186 14.2 3,922 8.9
Ealing 5,619 13.9 5,772 17.6

(b) full-time higher education were registered as physically handicapped in each of the past 10 years; and what percentages of all students in higher education these figures represent.

Mr. Walden

Information on physically handicapped students in higher education is not collected centrally on a routine basis. In 1985 a survey of students with special educational needs was carried out. It covered public sector higher education and non-advanced further education in England. The survey estimated that some 600 students in public sector higher education were recorded as having special educational needs which require additional support or equipment provided by the college. This represents around 15 per 10,000 students in public sector higher education. Almost half of these students had physical or sensory handicaps.

The survey also estimated that there were around 44,000 students with special educational needs in English further education. A full report of the survey findings will be published by the National Bureau of Handicapped Students in early 1987. A copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

The Open university had just over 2,000 disabled students (3 per cent. of all students) in the undergraduate programme at the start of 1986. There were also 150 disabled associate students (1.5 per cent. of all students). There were similar numbers of disabled students in 1984 and 1985.

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