Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

David Amess Excerpts
Monday 9th September 2013

(11 years, 2 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Michael Gove Portrait Michael Gove
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I am grateful that the right hon. Gentleman wishes me no ill. The one thing that I would take comfort from would be if the school had been ranked good or outstanding by Ofsted. I am pleased that the national health service is adopting our method of grading schools and applying it to hospitals, and I am pleased that under this Government, according to the chief inspector today, we have seen an unprecedented rate of school improvement.

David Amess Portrait Mr David Amess (Southend West) (Con)
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6. What assessment he has made of the 2013 GCSE results in the south Essex area.

Elizabeth Truss Portrait The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Elizabeth Truss)
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There have been some very good results at GCSE in south Essex. In common with the rest of the country, we have seen a big rise in the number of students doing core academic subjects, thanks to the English baccalaureate. We have seen a 16% rise in modern languages and a record number of girls taking chemistry and physics as GCSEs.

David Amess Portrait Mr Amess
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So will my hon. Friend join me in congratulating Belfairs academy in my constituency on a staggering 21% increase in the number of pupils obtaining more than five A* to C grades and a 23% increase overall? Will she congratulate all Southend West schools on their wonderful results, which underline why Southend should have been named city of culture 2017?

Elizabeth Truss Portrait Elizabeth Truss
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I congratulate the students and teachers at the school, and across Southend, on their excellent results. I hope that some of those students will be the upwardly mobile political giants that my hon. Friend wants in the House of Commons in future.