Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of progress 8 performance measures since their introduction in secondary schools.

Progress 8 will be the headline secondary school performance measure from 2016. This will be based on qualifications which schools will begin teaching in the autumn term of 2014. The new performance measures aim to encourage schools to offer a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils.

More schools than ever are entering pupils for the English Baccalaureate, which encourages the study of science, a language and a humanities subject alongside maths and English.