To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the contextual value added scores were of each school which achieved fewer than 30 per cent. five A* to C grades including English and mathematics at GCSE in 2008. (259154)

The information is published in the achievement and attainment tables on the Department's website at the following link:

http://www/dcsf.gov.uk/performancetables/schools_08.shtml

This has also been placed in the House Libraries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools in each local authority are participating in the Gaining Ground initiative; which local authorities have entered schools for the initiative; and if he will make a statement. (268676)

The Department does not hold a list of the schools that are participating in the Gaining Ground Initiative. To date LAs have held negotiations with schools on the basis that the details of schools that express an interest in the strategy will be held by National Strategies. It has been left to LAs to determine which schools could benefit from the support on offer, taking into account the criteria and their local knowledge of the schools. It is therefore for the LAs to decide whether or not to publish a list as part of their local accountability mechanism.