Improving education under Labour

     

EDUCATION – KEY ACHIEVEMENTS since 1997

 

Per pupil spending, doubled  from £2,500 to well over £5,000!

 

Results:

 

· Primary: English up from 65% to 79% since 1998 and Maths up from 59% to 76%. 95,000 more 11-year olds now achieving the target level in English and 83,000 more in Maths at KS2 compared to 1997.

· Since 1998 primary schools in the areas of highest poverty have improved at nearly twice the rate of schools in the most affluent areas.

· In 1997 nearly half of primary schools were achieving below 65% in English and mathematics – now four out of five primary schools are achieving above this level. 

· Over 58% of pupils achieve 5 good GCSEs compared to 45% in 1997.

· The number of all-ability secondaries with fewer than a quarter of pupils gaining 5 good GCSEs down from 616 in 1997 to 62 in 2006; in 2005 the number of all-ability secondaries where 70% or more pupils gain 5 good GCSEs has risen six-fold to 517, up from 83

· Only 1 London borough now has fewer than 46% of pupils achieving five good GCSEs, whereas in 1997 nearly two thirds (23) of London boroughs were achieving below this level.

· Academies have seen a 4.2%pt improvement in the proportion of 15 year olds gaining 5 good GCSEs (up to 41%) – over twice the national average.

 

Schools:

 

· Record teacher numbers - 36,400 more since 1997 with 287,100 support staff

· As much new school building since 2001 as there was in the preceding 25 years. Renewing or rebuilding every state secondary school

· 46 Academies open as of Sept 2006; 200 by 2010

· 82% of secondary schools are now specialist with over 2.6 million pupils attending

· More than 1,500 failing schools turned around.

 

Early Years:

 

· Doubled the number of registered childcare places stood at over 1.26 million (almost double the 1997 level).

· 1,000 Children’s Centres open with one in every community by 2010

£3bn investment in Sure Start

 

Further/Higher:

 

· Since 1997/98, the number of young people from low participation neighbourhoods going to University is up by 7,000 (+26%).

· 255,000 young people on Apprenticeship programmes (compared to 75,000 in ‘97)

· Since April 2000 launch, nearly 2.1 million learners have enrolled on nearly 5 million learndirect courses

email:  stephenladymanmp@souththanetlabour.org.uk

South Thanet delivery since 1997