HC Deb 11 March 2004 vol 418 cc1745-6W
Chris Ruane

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the estimated cost to public funds was of students dropping out of higher and further education courses in the latest year for which figures are available. [156309]

Alan Johnson

The Higher Education Funding Council for England's (HEFCE) teaching funding method provides funding for students who complete their course of study. Students who do not complete their course are not fundable. Figures for the public costs of student support for higher education students who do not complete their courses are not available.

Further education funding for institutions is based on learners' attendance on termly census dates. If students finish their studies before the planned end of their course no further funding is provided. Thus if a student attends for one term of a one year course, the college gets 30 per cent. of the funding for the whole course. The Learning and Skills Council estimates that around £319 million is spent on teaching students who attend only part of their course. This does not include any Learner Support Funds received by these learners as this information is not available centrally.

Chris Ruane

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the percentage drop-out rate for students from higher education institutions whose home residence is in the(a) 100 poorest wards in England and Wales and (b) 100 richest wards in England and Wales was in the last academic year. [156311]

Alan Johnson

Non-completion rates are not calculated at ward level.

The figures produced by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in the publication 'Performance Indicators in Higher Education in the UK' give non-completion rates for UK domiciles as a whole at each UK HE institution. A copy of the publication is held in the House Library.