HC Deb 05 November 2003 vol 412 cc702-4W
Mr. Gibb

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the trends in the percentage of Year 10 and 11 lessons inspected by Ofsted and recorded as set by ability in (a) history, (b) geography, (c) modern languages, (d) science and (e) English between 1996 and 2002. [133829]

Mr. Miliband

The following tables show the percentages of lessons that inspectors recorded as setted by ability by subject in each year for pupils in years 10 and 11. These data are among the background information which are collected by inspectors to assist them in making judgments about standards achieved in schools and are not part of a representative survey of the use of setting by schools.

The table figures provide a useful indicative picture of the use of setting across subjects, with setting being used in the vast majority of schools in mathematics, more than three-quarters of schools in science, and between half and three quarters of schools in English and modern foreign languages. A more detailed study, undertaken over a number of years with a consistent sample of schools, would be needed to enable secure judgments to be made about trends.

Year 10 Year 11
History
1996 27 27
1996/97 23 22
1997/98 24 23
1998/99 21 24
1999/2000 21 23
2000/01 23 25
2001/02 20 19
1996–2002 23 23
Geography
1996 34 37
1996/97 30 29
1997/98 28 32
1998/99 30 32
1999/2000 35 33
2000/01 29 31
2001/02 24 23
1996–2002 30 30
Modern Languages
1996 66 67
1996/97 69 65
1997/98 67 66
1998/99 69 69
1999/2000 68 67
2000/01 70 70
2001/02 70 69
1996–2002 69 67
Science
1996 70 68
1996/97 77 69
1997/98 76 76
1998/99 76 76
1999/2000 77 77
2000/01 85 82
2001/02 85 86
1996–2002 78 76
English
1996 45 54
1996/97 55 50
1997/98 56 58
1998/99 51 49
1999/2000 52 56
2000/01 59 61
Year 10 Year 11
2001/02 56 59
1996–2002 54 54
Mathematics
1996 85 83
1996/97 90 86
1997/98 91 89
1998/99 90 91
1999/2000 89 89
2000/01 93 92
2001/02 92 92
1996–2002 90 89