HC Deb 18 June 1997 vol 296 c226W
Mr. Flynn

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of(a) female and (b) male children leave school at 16 in Wales, broken down into local authority areas; and if he will make a statement. [3667]

Mr. Hain

The information requested is shown in the following table. The figures include children continuing in full-time education outside the school sector.

Percentage of children leaving school at age 161
Per cent
Leaving rate
Local education authority area Males Females
Blaenau Gwent 71 63
Bridgend 59 53
Caerphilly 75 70
Cardiff 65 65
Carmarthenshire 66 58
Ceredigion 46 35
Conwy 49 41
Denbighshire 60 51
Flintshire 57 57
Gwynedd 79 70
Isle of Anglesey 63 50
Merthyr Tydfil 61 48
Monmouthshire 38 33
Neath Port Talbot 91 89
Newport 58 50
Pembrokeshire 50 43
Powys 54 46
Rhondda, Cynon, Taff 58 53
Swansea 76 77
Torfaen 76 71
The Vale of Glamorgan 57 53
Wrexham 88 84
Wales 65 60
1Includes maintained secondary and special schools and independent schools. The leaving rate is estimated using figures from the Schools' Censuses of 1995 and 1996. It should be noted that the percentage leaving school in a locality will be influenced by the provision for further education in the locality.