HC Deb 26 July 1989 vol 157 cc716-8W
Mr. Straw

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the latest information relating to school closures for the current year to date on a basis consistent with the table in his answer to the hon. Member for Blackburn,Official Report, of 29 June, column 536.

Mrs. Rumbold

The information is given in the table.

The proportion of the age group on first year A-level courses in schools has risen by 3 percentage points to just under 24 per cent.; again, the highest figure ever.

These are encouraging figures, particularly given the decline in the age cohort. They represent a 10 per cent. increase in the staying-on rate, the highest increase ever. In particular they strengthen the earlier evidence that the GCSE has raised the sights of many pupils and encouraged them to stay on for more advanced study.

Comparable figures for enrolments in further education are not yet available.

The following tables set out the relevant information.

Table 1
Pupils aged 16 and over in maintained secondary and independent schools
1987–88 actual 1988–89 estimated Percentage change
Pupils 16 to 18
Boys 182,138 190,187 +4
Girls 178,553 189,686 +6
Total 360,691 379,873 +5
Pupils by age
16 212,427 218,251 +3
17 132,313 145,150 +10
18 15,951 16,472 +3
16 to 18 360,691 379,873 +5
19 plus 2,378 2,497 +5
Total 363,069 382,370 +5
Pupils by course of study1
'A' level 291,474 313,872 +8
GCSE 53,556 49,810 -7
AS' level2 481 968 —
All other 17,558 17,720 +1
Total 363,069 382,370 +5

1 Pupils may be taking more than one course but they are only counted once at the highest level course.

2 One year group in 1987–88. Two year groups in 1988–89.

Staying on rates at maintained secondary schools1
January each year 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 (provisional)
Pupils aged 16
Boys 25.4 25.2 25.5 25.0 25.4 27.8
Girls 29.4 28.3 28.3 27.5 27.9 31.2
Total 27.4 26.7 26.9 26.3 26.6 29.5
Pupils aged 17
Boys 16.6 16.0 15.9 15.9 15.7 16.7
Girls 18.0 17.2 16.7 16.8 16.4 17.9
Total 17.3 16.6 16.3 16.3 16.0 17.3
1 Ages at previous 31 August. The number of pupils aged 16 and 17 expressed as a percentage of the 15 year olds one and two years earlier.

Table 3
Participation of 16 year olds in full-time education 1983–84 to 1988–89—Place and type of study—Males and Females Percentage of estimated population aged 16
England
Academic year 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89
Place and type of study
A-level study
Maintained secondary and independent schools1 19.7 19.4 19.4 19.4 20.8 23.8
Tertiary colleges 0.5 0.7 0.7 0.8 1.1 n/a
Total 20.2 20.1 20.1 20.2 22.0 n/a
Other establishments 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.8 1.8 n/a
All establishments 21.8 21.6 21.7 21.9 23.7 n/a
O-level study2
Maintained secondary and independent schools1 7.8 8.0 7.9 7.4 6.6 6.5
Tertiary colleges 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 n/a
Total 8.0 8.3 8.3 7.8 7.1 n/a
Other establishments 2.0 1.8 1.8 1.9 1.8 n/a
All establishments 10.0 10.2 10.1 9.7 8.9 n/a
Other non-advanced study
Maintained secondary and independent schools1 2.0 1.7 1.9 1.8 2.0 2.1
Special schools3 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 n/a
Tertiary colleges 0.8 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.6 n/a
Total 3.4 3.5 3.8 3.7 4.2 n/a
Other establishment 12.6 11.6 11.8 11.4 11.6 n/a
All establishments 16.1 15.1 15.6 15.1 15.8 n/a
All types of non-advanced study
Maintained secondary and independent schools1 29.5 29.1 29.2 28.6 29.4 32.4
Special schools 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 n/a
Tertiary colleges 1.6 2.2 2.4 2.5 3.2 n/a
Total 31.7 31.9 32.2 31.7 33.2 n/a
Other establishments 16.2 15.0 15.2 15.1 15.2 n/a
All establishments 47.9 46.9 47.4 46.8 48.4 n/a
Population aged 16 (thousands) 759.6 742.7 733.7 713. 9 722.6 673. 2

Notes:

1 Estimated as no age split is available.

2 Including those on CSE, GCSE and CEE courses.

3 No details by type of course are available for special schools. n/a =Not available.

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