§ Mr. DunnachieTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals his Department has to promote full-time participation in education after the age of 16 years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. EggarFull-time participation in post-compulsory education has increased substantially over recent years. For 16-year-olds in England, it has increased by about 15 percentage points, from 40 per cent. in 1978–79 to over 55 per cent. in 1989–90. Between 1987–88 and 1989–90 alone, the improvement has been seven percentage points, mainly attributable to the introduction of the GCSE.
As my right hon. and learned Friend said on 13 November, Official Report, column 484, he will strive to achieve further increases in the number of young people receiving some form of education and training. Our examination reforms are raising standards in schools, giving more young people the qualifications and motivation to stay on. As the Education Reform Act comes increasingly into effect, we can expect standards to continue to rise and more young people to choose to stay on. The Government will keep under review whether more needs to be done.