The information required is given in the following table:
1997 2009 Grades Number Proportion (percentage) Number Proportion (percentage) G or above 45,074 7.7 19,867 3.1 E or above 65,329 11.1 37,813 6.0 D or above 101,822 17.4 65,429 10.3 C or above 173,197 29.5 119,687 18.9 Source: Achievement and Attainment Tables.
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.
[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.
LA name Biology Chemistry Physics All three separate sciences Biology Chemistry Physics All three separate sciences City of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Camden 2 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 Greenwich 6 7 7 7 6 7 7 7 Hackney 4 6 6 6 4 6 6 6 Hammersmith and Fulham 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Islington 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Kensington and Chelsea 2 3 4 4 2 3 4 4 Lambeth 2 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 Lewisham 4 4 5 5 4 4 5 5 Southwark 5 7 6 8 5 7 6 8 Tower Hamlets 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Wandsworth 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Westminster 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Barking and Dagenham 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Barnet 7 9 9 9 9 11 11 11 Bexley 4 4 4 4 9 9 9 9 Brent 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Bromley 5 5 4 5 5 5 4 5 Croydon 9 10 10 10 10 11 11 11 Ealing 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Enfield 8 9 9 9 9 10 10 10 Haringey 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Harrow 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Havering 10 9 10 10 10 9 10 10 Hillingdon 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Hounslow 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 Kingston upon Thames 0 0 0 0 3 4 3 4 Merton 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Newham 10 10 11 11 10 10 11 11 Redbridge 3 5 5 5 3 5 5 5 Richmond upon Thames 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Sutton 4 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 Waltham Forest 12 12 12 13 12 12 12 13 Birmingham 38 38 38 39 38 38 38 39 Coventry 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 Dudley 14 13 13 14 14 13 13 14 Sandwell 12 11 12 12 12 11 12 12 Solihull 6 7 7 7 6 7 7 7 Walsall 7 8 8 9 7 8 8 9 Wolverhampton 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 13 Knowsley 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 Liverpool 14 14 13 14 14 14 13 14 St. Helens 6 7 7 7 6 7 7 7 Sefton 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14 Wirral 4 4 4 4 7 7 7 7 Bolton 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Bury 9 8 8 9 9 8 8 9 Manchester 14 16 16 16 14 16 16 16 Oldham 7 7 7 8 7 7 7 8 Rochdale 10 10 9 11 10 10 9 11 Salford 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Stockport 6 7 7 7 6 7 7 7 Tameside 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 Trafford 0 0 0 0 9 9 10 10 Wigan 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Barnsley 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 Doncaster 8 9 9 9 8 9 9 9 Rotherham 6 6 6 7 6 6 6 7 Sheffield 13 14 12 14 13 14 12 14 Bradford 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 17 Calderdale 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 Kirklees 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 Leeds 16 17 16 17 16 17 16 17 Wakefield 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Gateshead 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Newcastle upon Tyne 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 North Tyneside 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 South Tyneside 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 Sunderland 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Bath and North East Somerset 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Bristol, City of 7 7 8 8 7 7 8 8 North Somerset 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 South Gloucestershire 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 Hartlepool 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Middlesbrough 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Redcar and Cleveland 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Stockton-on-Tees 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 Kingston upon Hull, City of 11 10 10 11 11 10 10 11 East Riding of Yorkshire 6 6 6 7 6 6 6 7 North East Lincolnshire 6 6 5 6 6 6 5 6 North Lincolnshire 5 5 3 5 5 5 3 5 North Yorkshire 20 20 21 21 21 23 24 24 York 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Luton 5 6 6 6 5 6 6 6 Bedford 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Central Bedfordshire 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Buckinghamshire 0 0 0 0 19 20 20 20 Milton Keynes 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Derbyshire 21 23 23 23 21 23 23 23 Derby 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Dorset 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 Poole 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 Bournemouth 2 2 2 2 4 7 7 7 Durham 27 27 26 27 27 27 26 27 Darlington 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 East Sussex 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 Brighton and Hove 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Hampshire 24 25 25 25 24 25 25 25 Portsmouth 5 6 6 7 5 6 6 7 Southampton 7 7 6 7 7 7 6 7 Leicestershire 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Leicester 8 8 8 8 9 9 9 9 Rutland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Staffordshire 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24 Stoke-on-Trent 8 8 8 9 8 8 8 9 Wiltshire 10 10 10 10 14 14 14 14 Swindon 2 5 5 5 2 5 5 5 Bracknell Forest 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 Windsor and Maidenhead 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 West Berkshire 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Reading 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Slough 1 1 1 1 7 8 8 8 Wokingham 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Cambridgeshire 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Peterborough 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Halton 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Warrington 5 5 5 6 5 5 5 6 Devon 13 16 16 16 13 16 16 16 Plymouth 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Torbay 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 Essex 29 29 29 30 29 29 29 30 Southend-on-sea 4 5 4 5 6 7 6 7 Thurrock 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 Herefordshire 8 9 9 10 8 9 9 10 Worcestershire 13 13 14 14 13 13 15 15 Kent 8 12 12 12 38 52 49 52 Medway 1 1 1 1 9 10 11 12 Lancashire 31 36 36 38 32 37 37 39 Blackburn with Darwen 7 7 6 7 7 7 6 7 Blackpool 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 Nottinghamshire 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 Nottingham 10 11 12 12 10 11 12 12 Shropshire 13 14 14 14 13 14 14 14 Telford and Wrekin 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 Cheshire East 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 Cheshire West and Chester 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 Cornwall 11 12 12 12 11 12 12 12 Cumbria 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 Gloucestershire 17 16 16 17 18 17 17 18 Hertfordshire 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 31 Isle of Wight 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 Lincolnshire 8 9 9 10 26 28 29 30 Norfolk 24 26 26 26 24 26 26 26 Northamptonshire 12 11 11 12 12 11 11 12 Northumberland 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Oxfordshire 15 16 16 16 15 16 16 16 Somerset 14 15 14 15 14 15 14 15 Suffolk 14 17 17 17 14 17 17 17 Surrey 14 17 16 17 14 17 16 17 Warwickshire 9 10 10 10 12 13 14 14 West Sussex 15 16 16 16 15 16 16 16
The information requested for pupils attending maintained schools (including city technology colleges and academies) has been placed in the Libraries.
[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.
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:
Percentage of pupils achieving GCSE or equivalent2 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 5 or more grades A*-C3 59.0 61.3 64.4 5 or more grades A*-C including English and maths — — 47.7 1 Pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year; pupils in Year S4 in Scotland. From 2004/05, pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in England. 2 From 2007/08 data are for 5+ A*-C, 5+ A*-C including English and Maths and Any Passes. 3 Standard Grades 1-3/Intermediate 2 A-C/Intermediate 1 A in Scotland. Source: Education and Training Statistics for the United Kingdom 2009
The following table gives a breakdown for England:
Percentage of pupils achieving GCSE or equivalent 2005/06 2006/07 2007/08 2008/09 5 or more grades A*-C 59.0 61.4 65.3 70.0 5 or more grades A*-C including English and maths 45.6 46.3 47.6 49.8