[holding answer 21 January 2010]: In 2009, there were 26 maintained mainstream secondary schools where more than 50 per cent. of pupils are eligible for free school meals and fewer than 30 per cent of pupils received five A*-C grades at GCSE including English and Mathematics but excluding equivalents.
In 2008, there were 33 maintained mainstream secondary schools where more than 50 per cent. of pupils are eligible for free school meals and fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils received five A*-C grades at GCSE including English and Mathematics but excluding equivalents.
Figures relating to free school meal eligibility were not collected in 1997.
Information regarding pupils eligible for free school meals is not collected from independent schools.
In 2009, 22,721 pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 were entered for GCSE examinations in the combination of English literature, physics, chemistry, biology, history and any modern foreign language.
Of these, 631 pupils were known to be eligible for free school meals, 22,084 were not eligible for free school meals and there were six pupils for whom free school meal eligibility could not be determined.
These figures relate to pupils in maintained schools only, including CTCs and academies. Information collected on free school meals forms part of the School Census which is carried out only in maintained schools. This free school meal information is then linked to attainment data. It relates to those pupils known to be eligible to receive free meals rather than those in receipt of free meals.
The requested information is shown in the following table and relates to pupils in 2009 in maintained schools only, including CTCs and academies.
known to be eligible for free school meals not eligible for free school meals Pupils who entered for GCSEs in: English literature 44,942 399,628 Physics 2,954 64,231 Chemistry 2,985 64,334 Biology 3,525 67,757 History 13,466 160,415 At least one modern foreign language 19,030 220,167
Information collected on free school meals forms part of the School Census which is only carried out in maintained schools. This free school meal information is then linked to attainment data. It relates to those pupils known to be eligible to receive free meals rather than those in receipt of free meals.
In 2009, 17,784 pupils eligible for free school meals gained five GCSEs at A*-C including English and mathematics and excluding equivalents.
In 2009, 248,348 pupils in comprehensive schools gained five GCSEs at A*-C including English and mathematics and excluding equivalents.
These figures were derived from the National Pupil Database (NPD).
[holding answer 1 March 2010]: The information requested is presented in the following table and is for maintained schools only.
Eligible for FSM Not eligible for FSM Eligible for FSM Not eligible for FSM 2003 791 33,538 1.0 6.8 2009 1,257 45,535 1.7 9.0 1 Figures for 2003 are based on pupils aged 15 and 2009 figures are based on pupils at the end of key stage 4. Source: National Pupil Database