Education and Skills In Your Area

National Summary

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Literacy and numeracy at age 11

Final figures for 2007 show that 80 per cent of 11 year olds reached the required standard in English up from 63 per cent in 1997. In Mathematics 77 per cent of 11 year olds reached the required standard up from 62 per cent in 1997. In Science 88 per cent of 11 year olds reached the required standard up from 68 per cent in 1997.

In 2007 the number of schools where fewer than 55 per cent of pupils achieve level 4 or above in both English and Maths at Key Stage 2 was 1,797. This compares with 2,283 in 2005.

In 2007 83.6 per cent of pupils progressed by 2 levels in English between Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. This compares with 78.0 per cent in 2005.

In 2007 75.9 per cent of pupils progressed by 2 levels in Mathematics between Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. This compares with 73.3 per cent in 2005.

Literacy and numeracy at age 14

Revised figures for 2007 show that 74 per cent of 14 year olds reached the required standard in English up from 57 per cent in 1997. In Mathematics 76 per cent of 14 year olds reached the required standard up from 60 per cent in 1997. In Science 73 per cent of 14 year olds reached the required standard up from 60 per cent in 1997.

In 2007 the number of schools where fewer than 50 per cent of pupils achieve level 5 or above in both English and Maths at Key Stage 3 was 395, this compares with 433 in 2006.

In 2007 67 per cent of pupils achieved level 5 or above in both English and Mathematics at Key Stage 3, this compares with 66 per cent in 2005.

In 2007 27.4 per cent of pupils progressed by 2 levels in English between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3, this compares with 29.6 per cent in 2005.

In 2007 58.6 per cent of pupils progressed by 2 levels in Mathematics between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3, this compares with 54.8 per cent in 2005.

GCSE/GNVQ results

Revised figures for 2007 show that in maintained schools 62.0 per cent of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 achieved 5 or more GCSE and equivalents at grades A*-C up from 45.1 per cent of 15 year olds in 1997. Revised figures for 2007 show that 91.7 per cent of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 achieved 5 or more GCSE and equivalents at grades A*-G up from 87.0 per cent of 15 year olds in 1997.

In 2006/07 the number of schools where fewer than 30% of pupils achieve 5 or more A* - C grades at GCSE and equivalent including GCSEs in English and Maths was 631, down from 912 in 2004/05.

In 2006/07 the percentage of pupils achieving of 2 or more A* - C grades in Science GCSEs or equivalent was 46.2 per cent up from 45.5 per cent in 2005/06.

In 2007 55.5 per cent of pupils progressed by 2 levels in English between Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. This is up from 54 per cent in 2005.

In 2007 27.9 per cent of pupils progressed by 2 levels in Mathematics between Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. This is up from 25.6 per cent in 2005.

Pupils with Special Educational Needs

Maintained Primary Schools - the percentage of pupils with Special Educational Needs, with statements, was 1 per cent in 2007 down from 1.4 per cent in 1997. The percentage of pupils with Special Educational Needs, without statements, was 18 per cent in 2007 up from 17.1 per cent in 1997.

Maintained Secondary Schools - the percentage of pupils with Special Educational Needs, with statements, was 2 per cent in 2007 down from 2.3 per cent in 1997. The percentage of pupils with Special Educational Needs, without statements, was 16 per cent in 2007 up from 15 per cent in 1997.

School Initiatives

Number of Specialist Schools - in September 2007 there were 2,799 operational specialist schools up from 228 in September 1997.

Number of Leading Edge Partnerships - in 2003 there were 107 leading edge partnerships.

Number of Full Service Extended Schools - in 2004/05 there were 137 full service extended schools.

Number of Operational Academies - in September 2007 there were 83 operational academies.

School Workforce

Teaching Assistants - in 2007 there were 165,380 teaching assistants in Maintained Schools up from 61,260 in 1997.

Other Support Staff - in 2007 there were 147,000 full time equivalent other support staff in Maintained Schools up from 75,000 in 1997.

Numbers of Teachers - in 2007 there were 188,860 full time equivalent teachers in Maintained Primary Schools up from 183,930 in 1997. In Maintained Secondary Schools there were 214,270 full time equivalent teachers in 2007 up from 184,330 in 1997.

Pupil Teacher Ratios - in 2007 the pupil : teacher ratio for Maintained Primary Schools was 21.8 down from 23.4 in 1997. For Maintained Secondary Schools the pupil : teacher ratio in 2007 was 16.4 down from 16.7 in 1997.

The average salary of full-time regular qualified teachers, in service in the maintained sector, in 2006 was £34,010 (provisional) up from £23,000 in 1997.

School Funding and Resources

Funding per pupil - in 2005/06 the real terms funding per pupil aged 3-19 was £4,360 up from £3,120 in 1997/98. This is a real terms increase of £1,240 or 39.7 per cent per pupil.

ICT in schools - in 2004/05 the total funding allocation, in £000's, for ICT in Schools was £593,793 up from £102,009 in 1998/99.

The number of schools receiving the Leadership Incentive Grant in 2004/05 was 1,426.

Children' Social Services

Children looked after by local authorities - in 2006 the rate per 10,000 children aged under 18 years was 55 up from 46 per 10,000 in 1997.

The percentage of children who ceased to be looked after during the year ending 31 March 2006 aged 16 or over, attaining 1 or more GCSE/GNVQ was 43 per cent up from 31 per cent in 2000.

The percentage of care leavers in education, training or employment in 2006 was 63 per cent up from 46 per cent in 2002.

Children and Young People on Child Protection Registers - in 2007 the rate per 10,000 children aged under 18 years was 25.

The percentage of children looked after adopted during the year who were placed for adoption within 12 months of a local authority deciding that the child should be placed for adoption (and were subsequently adopted in that placement), has fallen from 80.4% in 2003 to 75.0% in 2007.

The percentage of children looked after at 31 March with three or more placements during the year ending 31 March, has fallen from 14.8% in 2003 to 12.3% in 2007.

The percentage of children looked after aged under 16 at 31 March who had been looked after continuously for at least 2.5 years who were living in the same placement for at least 2 years, or are placed for adoption and their adoptive placement together with their previous placement together last for at least 2 years, has risen from 62.7% in 2003 to 65.5% in 2007.

The percentage of children looked after cases which should have been reviewed during the year ending 31 March that were reviewed on time during the year, has risen from 78.9% in 2006 to 85.3% in 2007.

The percentage of former care leavers aged 19 who were looked after on 1 April in their 17th year, who were in suitable accommodation, has risen from 74.5% in 2003 to 87.3% in 2007.

The percentage of former care leavers aged 19 who were looked after on 1 April in their 17th year, who were in education, employment or training, has risen from 48.6% in 2003 to 63.0% in 2007.

Early Years

In 2008 the number of free part-time early education places taken up by three and four year olds in maintained, private, voluntary and independent providers was 1,098,090 up from 790,350 in 1997.

In 2007 46% of children achieved at least 78 points across the Foundation Stage Profile with a least 6 in each of the scales Personal, Social and Emotional Development and Communication, Language and Literacy.

The gap in Foundation Stage Profile achievement between the lowest achieving quintile of children and the median child in England fell by 1.1 percentage points from 38.3% to 37.2% between 2006 and 2007.