§ Mr. WorthingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress he has made in incorporating a value added element into the assessment of schools. [2490]
§ Mr. AncramIt will not be possible for value added to be determined until the assessment outcomes for a cohort of pupils at consecutive key stages can be compared. Assessment of pupils' attainments at the end of key stages 1, 2 and 3 became a statutory requirement from 1 September 1996; it will be a further three years before the best means of establishing value added measures can be determined.