§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children have gone on to(a) higher education and (b) further education since leaving secondary school in Burnley in the latest year for which figures are available. [158398]
§ Mr. WicksAt the heart of our drive to improve participation and attainment is the new Connexions Service which is being phased in from this month. The service will provide information, advice, support and access to personal development opportunities for all 13 to 19-year-olds, whatever their needs and circumstances, to keep them learning. Latest figures show that the numbers of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training in England fell by 28,000 from 185,000 in 1998 to 157,000 in 1999.
Data on the percentage of students continuing in post-compulsory education at age 16 are not calculated for areas smaller than LEAs. Participation rates by LEA for 16 and 17-year-olds are published in Statistical Bulletin 11/00: Participation in education and training by young people aged 16 and 17 in each local area and region, England, 1994–95 to 1998–99.
The percentage of 16-year-olds in further education for Lancashire LEA, which includes the constituency of Burnley, was 76 per cent. in 1998–99, the latest year for which figures are available.
Figures for the number of school leavers from Burnley who go on to higher education are not available centrally.