To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils of each age are entered for the 14 to 19 diploma examinations. (268496)

Data gathered from local authorities in September 2008 told us that 12,072 young people had started a diploma course. This figure comprises 8,568 pre-16 and 3,504 post-16 learners. We collected this information for funding purposes, and we have not collected revised figures subsequently.

Because the diploma is a composite qualification consisting of several different elements, centres will not enter their learners for just a single examination. We will know exactly how many diploma awards have been made in the first year when the results are made available on 27 August 2009. However, most diplomas are taken as two-year courses, and we therefore expect the majority of awards from the first phase of teaching to be made in summer 2010. We do not normally expect to know how many learners have been entered for a particular examination before results are collected from awarding organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many days work-based training pupils have completed on average in each level of each of the 14 to 19 diplomas. (268498)

Young people began diploma programmes for the first time in September 2008. At this early stage, in one or two year programmes, detailed data on the number of days they have completed in work based training is not available.

However, each diploma learner must complete a minimum of 10 days work experience during their programme. In addition, as part of their diploma programme, they will have opportunities to undertake work related learning in a range of settings beyond the classroom, to equip them with the knowledge and skills for employment and further study.