§ Mr. JamiesonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education on which date the Schools Examinations and Assessment Council informed schools about which Shakespeare plays had been chosen for the key stage 3 English tests for June 1993.
§ Mr. ForthThe Schools Examinations and Assessment Council sent out guidance on the 1993 tests to schools in the second week of September 1992. This guidance included information about the three Shakespeare plays from which teachers could choose one for their pupils to answer questions on as part of the English tests for 14-year-olds in June 1993. Schools would have received the information in the second or third week of September.
§ Mr. JamiesonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the publishers who were told which Shakespeare plays had been selected for the key stage 3 English tests in June 1993, and the date on which each was informed.
§ Mr. ForthNo publishers were so informed. I understand that at least two publishers have sufficient stocks of the Shakespeare plays selected for the English tests for 14-year-olds in June 1993. The selected plays were chosen partly on the basis that most schools had sufficient copies readily available. For those which do not, the Department's grants for education support and training programme support expenditure on buying additional copies.