§ 38. Mr. John GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what conclusions his Department has drawn from the results of the GCSE examinations held this summer; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. RumboldThis year's GCSE results support the findings by Her Majesty's inspectors of better teaching and learning in schools following the introduction of the new examination. The GCSE examining groups and the School Examinations and Assessment Council are reviewing syllabuses and procedures in order to make any necessary improvements for next year's courses and examinations.
§ 45. Mr. FisherTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether his Department will fund a study into the relationship between GCSE and staying on rates at 16 years of age.
§ 48. Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether his Department will fund a study into the relationship between GCSE and staying on rates at 16 years of age.
§ Mrs. RumboldThe Department already monitors staying on rates, and is able with the help of advice from Her Majesty's inspectorate and other sources, to deduce causes of changes in such rates. In addition, the Department has been co-funding the youth cohort study, together with the Department of Employment and the Training Agency, which provides evidence from a large sample of 16-year-olds on the factors influencing their subsequent decisions and attainments. My right hon. Friend is at present considering the possible funding of a study of the cohort reaching the age of 16 in 1987–88, which includes the first GCSE award holders.