§ Mr. Andrew F. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the numbers of pupils remaining in full-time education after 16 years.
Mr. JacksonIn 1988–89, 345,000 16-year-olds were participating in full-time education in England. The details are as follows:
Pupils Maintained schools: 180,000 Maintained further education colleges: 126,750 Independent schools: 38,300 This represents an overall full-time participation rate of 51 per cent.