§ 30. Vera BairdTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of changes in standards of achievement in excellence in cities areas. [14660]
§ Mr. TimmsThere are strong indications that the extra support for city schools—not least learning mentors, learning support units and enhanced opportunities for gifted and talented children—is making an impact on children's attainment, on inclusion, and on allowing teachers in those schools to concentrate on teaching. This year's performance tables show that, overall, the 750 secondary schools in Excellence in Cities areas, where the programme has been in place for at least a year, continue to show faster than average improvements in terms of the percentage of pupils achieving 5 or more GCSE/GNVQ results at A*-C.