The schools report
The Government yesterday unveiled a five-year blueprint for schools. But what is the state of education under Labour?
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Your support makes all the difference.* In 1997, 63 per cent of 11-year-olds could read and add up properly. Today the figure is 75 per cent.
Standards* In 1997, 63 per cent of 11-year-olds could read and add up properly. Today the figure is 75 per cent.
* Labour set a target of 80 per cent reaching the required standard for English and 75 per cent for maths by 2002 - and has still failed to reach it.
* At GCSE level, the percentage of pupils getting at least five top grade passes has increased from 45 per cent in 1997 to 53 per cent last year. * The A-level pass rate has risen from 82 per cent of pupils getting at least two passes in 1997 to 88 per cent today.
* A survey by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development put the UK 27th out of 30 countries for the percentage of youngsters in full-time education after the age of 16.
Britain vs the World* At age 10, the OECD put England third out of 35 countries for reading standards; only Sweden is significantly better.
* At age 15, English youngsters are fourth out of 31 countries for science (only Korea and Japan were much better) and 7th and 8th respectively in literacy and maths.
* The proportion of 17-year-olds in education and training was fourth lowest in a survey of 30 nations.
* The UK is 18th out of 30 countries for the percentage of adults with at least five good GCSE grade passes or its foreign equivalent.
* Seven million adults in the UK do not have the average standard of an 11-year-old in reading and adding up.
* There are still 164 grammar schools but pupil numbers are up 10,000 since 1999.
* There were 240 specialist schools in 1997. By September there will be 1,952.
* There were no city academies - schools run by private sponsors with state aid - in 1997. There are now 12, with 200 expected by 2010.
* 70,000 parents appealed against their allocated school last year - 10 per cent of all parents.
Funding* Funding has risen from £35bn in 1997 to £51bn in 2004-05.
* Spending in real terms per pupil has risen 31 per cent, with average spend per pupil expected to rise to £5,500 by 2006.
* By comparison, education funding rose by 11.4 per cent between 1990 and 1994 and by 3.4 per cent in the next four years.
* 28,500 more teachers have been taken on, along with 105,000 support staff.
Under 5s* Next year, for the first time, every three-and four-year-old will have the offer of a free part-time nursery place.
* Re-registrations on the child protection register have dropped from 20 per cent in 1997-98 to 13 per cent in 2002-03.
* Since 1997, the Government has offered 'Sure Start' places to 400,000 under fives - the first time that day-care and nursery provision have been combined in the same place.
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