Woodward:To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of young people in [...] St. Helens, (b) Merseyside and (c) the North West achieved one or more A Level passes in (i) 1992, (ii) 1997, (iii) 2001 and (iv) the last year for which figures are available. [141278]
§ Mr. Miliband:The proportion of 16 to 18-year-old students in (a) St. Helens, (b) Merseyside, and (c) the North West region who achieved one or more A Level (an equivalent) passes in 1992, 1997, 2001 and 2003 in all maintained schools and further education sector colleges are:
1992 1997 2001 2003 (a) [...]t. Helens 86.9 91.8 96.2 93.1 (b) Merseyside 85.5 92.9 93.7 94.5 (c) North West 88.3 93.7 94.6 95.4 Figures for 2003 are provisional. Revised figures will be published in January 2004. Qualifying for Success reforms were introduced in September 2000, thus A Level results for 2001 were the first year in which the impact of these reforms became apparent. Further information about the effect of the Qualifying for Success reforms can be found in the Statistical Bulletin "GCSE/GNVQ and GCE A/AS/VCE/AGNVQ Examination Results 2000/01—England", published on the Department's website in May 2002 (http://www. dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SBU/b000334/index.shtml).
§ Mr. Woodward:To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of children in (a) St. Helens, (b) the North West and (c) England remained in education after completion of their GCSEs in each year since 1997. [141467]
§ Mr. Miliband:The percentage of 16-year-olds participating in full-time education, and in education and training, in St. Helens local education authority, the 89W North West Region and in England for end 1997 to end 2000, the latest available year, are shown in the following table:
Participation by 16-year-olds End 1997
End 1998
End 1999
End 2000
Full-time education St. Helens 73 72 73 75 North West 65 65 67 68 England 70 70 71 71 Education and training St. Helens 1n/a 88 84 86 North West 84 82 82 82 England 84 83 83 83 1Education and training figures by LEA were first published for 1998. Participation rates by LEA for 16 and 17-year-olds are published in an annual statistical bulletin, "Participation in Education and Training by Young People Aged 16 and 17 in Each Local Area and Region, England".