To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families at how many (a) secondary schools and (b) maintained mainstream secondary schools at which more than 50 per cent. of pupils were eligible for free school meals fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils received five A*-C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics but excluding equivalents in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available. (312247)

[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.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils (a) eligible and (b) not eligible for free school meals were entered for GCSEs in English literature, physics, chemistry, biology, history and a foreign language in 2009. (315522)

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.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils (a) eligible and (b) not eligible for free school meals were entered for (i) English literature, (ii) physics, (iii) chemistry, (iv) biology, (v) history and (vi) a foreign language GCSE in 2009. (315523)

The requested information is shown in the following table and relates to pupils in 2009 in maintained schools only, including CTCs and academies.

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.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils (a) eligible for free school meals and (b) in comprehensive schools gained five GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics and excluding equivalents in 2009. (315525)

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).

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils (a) eligible and (b) not eligible for free school meals at the end of Key Stage 4 achieved five A* or A grades at GCSE including English and mathematics but excluding equivalents in (i) 2003 and (ii) 2009. (318966)

[holding answer 1 March 2010]: The information requested is presented in the following table and is for maintained schools only.