HC Deb 25 May 2000 vol 350 cc606-7W
Mr. Chaytor

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what recent research he has commissioned on the performance of the upper quartile of 15-year-old pupils in(a) comprehensive schools and (b) selective schools; and if he will make a statement. [123503]

Ms Estelle Morris

[holding answer 24 May 2000]: The Secretary of State has not commissioned any recent research on this topic. Analytical Services have calculated the comparative performance of 15-year-old pupils in (a) comprehensive schools and (b) selective schools and the statement reflects the comparative performance of the two groups.

The first group (a) included the top 25 per cent. (or quartile) of 15-year-old pupils in comprehensive schools—based on their total GCSE/GNVQ point score (in order not to include and exclude some pupils with the same point score, the actual percentage of pupils included was 24.5 per cent.). Their results were:

Percentage/average point score
Percentage achieving 5+ grades A*-C at GCSE/GNVQ 100
Percentage achieving 1+ grades A*-G at GCSE/GNVQ 100
Average point score per 15-year-old pupil 60.9

The second group (b) included all 15-year-olds in selective schools. Their results were:

Percentage/average point score
Percentage achieving 5+ grades A*-C at GCSE/GNVQ 96.4
Percentage achieving 1+ grades A*-G at GCSE/GNVQ 99.6
Average point score per 15-year-old pupil 60.7