To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils did not gain one or more GCSEs, excluding equivalents, at grade (a) G, (b) E, (c) D and (d) C or above in 2009. (316407)

The information required is given in the following table:

The data for 1997 relate to pupils aged 15 and for 2009 relate to pupils at the end of Key Stage 4.

The figures are cumulative, in that if a pupil is included as not gaining G or above, they will also be included in the data as not receiving E or above, D or above and C or above.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many (a) maintained schools and (b) comprehensive schools in each local authority area entered no students for GCSE examinations for (i) physics, (ii) chemistry, (iii) biology and (iv) all three in the most recent year for which figures are available. (318672)

[holding answer 25 February 2010]: The requested figures are given in the following table 2009.

This answer has been derived from the achievement and attainment tables data.

The majority of pupils take Science GCSE (also referred to as core science) and Additional Science GCSE. This combination of science GCSEs provides a perfectly good foundation for further study of physics, chemistry and biology at A level.

The number of maintained schools that had pupils that were entered for all three sciences has increased from just over 600 in 2002 to just over 1,500 in 2009.

The Government have introduced a statutory entitlement for all pupils in maintained schools to be able to study at least two science GCSEs, specifically this includes core and additional science or the three separate science GCSEs of physics, chemistry and biology.

There is a further non-statutory entitlement that those pupils who have achieved at least level 6 at key stage 3 will be given the opportunity to study triple science at GCSE either at their own school or through collaborative arrangements with other schools and colleges.

Since September 2008 all specialist science schools have to offer triple science to at least all pupils achieving level 6+ at the end of key stage 3. Since September 2009 we have expected all engineering and technology colleges to offer triple science, and expect all mathematics and computing colleges to do so from September 2010.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of pupils in each local authority area did not attain any GCSEs above grade D in the most recent year for which figures are available. (318898)

The information requested for pupils attending maintained schools (including city technology colleges and academies) has been placed in the Libraries.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils not eligible for free school meals attended schools at which fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics but excluding equivalents in 2009. (318962)

[holding answer 1 March 2010]: In 2009, there were 242,990 pupils not known to be eligible for free school meals attending schools at which fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils achieved five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics but excluding equivalents¹ (includes post 16 pupils).

¹ Includes maintained mainstream schools (including academies) with more than 10 pupils that were published in the 2009 Achievement and Attainment tables. Qualifications include GCSEs, GCSE short courses, GCSE double awards, vocational single and double GCSEs and AS levels.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department has made an assessment for benchmarking purposes of educational attainment at GCSE in England in comparison with attainment of children of the same age in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. (321321)

The Department does not benchmark educational attainment for England against that for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

The Department does publish data on educational attainment at GCSE across the UK and for England. Equivalent data for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of, and published by, the respective devolved Administrations.

The following table gives a breakdown of educational attainment at GCSE across the UK since 2005:

The following table gives a breakdown for England: