My Lords, we wish to see improvements, which is why we have asked Mr Rose to conduct his inquiry. However, we do not accept that there have not been improvements at GCSE and at secondary level. We do not recognise the figures that were quoted in the Sunday Times article this week. In fact, since 1997 there has been a six percentage point improvement in the good pass rates in GCSE English and a 6.9 per cent improvement in mathematics. We see that as building on the success of the literacy and numeracy strategies.

There has been an even larger improvement in the tests that 14 year-olds now take, where, since 1997, there has been a 14 percentage point improvement in English and a 13 percentage point improvement in mathematics. We are not in any way complacent about the further improvements that are required, which is why we are also looking to reform the curriculum for 14 to 19 year-olds in particular to promote vocational pathways that will further motivate young people and lead in to apprenticeships and other vocational courses. We have made great progress, and we pay tribute to our teachers, who have achieved that increase in results.