Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are taking steps to ensure that A-levels in (1) art history, and (2) archaeology, continue to be offered to new students.
Answered by Lord Nash
It is disappointing that AQA has taken the decision to withdraw from offering A levels in History of Art and Archaeology.
We published content for both subjects in January 2016. The option for AQA or another exam board to develop specifications in future will remain open. We are in discussion with the exam boards on this issue.
Neither subject is a pre-requisite for degree level study, and both are taken by a relatively small number of students. In 2015/16, there were 340 entries to A level Archaeology, and 776 entries to A level History of Art[1].
[1] Both figures cover examination results of students aged 16, 17 or 18 at the start of the academic year, i.e. 31 August.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people have taken (a) archaeology and (b) classical civilisation at GCSE and A-level in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Nick Gibb
There has been no GCSE qualification in archaeology since 2009.
In 2015/16, there were 340 entries to A level archaeology, of which 26 were from state-funded schools, 8 were from independent schools and 306 were from FE colleges.
Please see the tables below for the number of entries to A level archaeology from 2006/07 to 2015/16 and for GCSE from 2006/07 to 2008/09.
A level1 entries in Archaeology by institution type |
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Years 2006/07 to 2015/162 |
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Coverage: England |
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| Archaeology A level | Number of entries |
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| State funded schools | Independent schools | FE colleges | Total |
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| 2006/07 | 51 | 26 | 380 | 457 |
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| 2007/08 | 49 | 29 | 326 | 404 |
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| 2008/09 | 37 | 19 | 366 | 422 |
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| 2009/10 | 40 | 22 | 409 | 471 |
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| 2010/11 | 37 | 11 | 324 | 372 |
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| 2011/12 | 44 | 21 | 410 | 475 |
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| 2012/13 | 42 | 10 | 401 | 453 |
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| 2013/14 | 38 | 13 | 317 | 368 |
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| 2014/15 | 36 | 9 | 344 | 389 |
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| 2015/163 (provisional) | 26 | 8 | 306 | 340 |
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Source 2015/16 16-18 attainment data (provisional)
1. Covers examination results of students aged 16, 17 or 18 at the start of the academic year, i.e. 31 August.
2. Figures for 2016 are provisional; figures for all other years are final.
3. From 2016, for accountability purposes results are allocated to the provider where the student has enrolled to take their main programme of study, recorded in the school census or Individual Learner Record (ILR). The ILR has been used as additional data source from 2016, and this leads to very small differences in the student exam results included.
GCSE1 entries in Archaeology, all schools |
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Years 2006/07 to 2008/09 |
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| Archaeology GCSE | Number of entries |
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| 2006/07 | 36 |
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| 2007/08 | 6 |
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| 2008/09 | 3 |
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Source: KS4 attainment data
A levels and GCSEs in classical civilisation will continue to be offered by an exam board other than AQA.
The number of GCSE entries for classical civilisation is published in the GCSE and equivalent results statistical first release (SFR)[1].
The number of A level entries in classical civilisation is published in the A level and equivalent results statistical first releases (SFR)[2]
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/gcse-and-equivalent-results-2015-to-2016-provisional (subject time series tables)
[2]https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/a-level-and-other-level-3-results-2015-to-2016-provisional (table 2a and subject time series tables)
Asked by: John Pugh (Liberal Democrat - Southport)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the potential effect of withdrawal of the archaeology A-level on the number of students taking that subject at undergraduate level.
Answered by Nick Gibb
It is disappointing that AQA has taken the decision to withdraw from offering these subjects at A level. Neither subject, however, is a pre-requisite for degree level study, and both are taken by a relatively small number of students.
The option for AQA or another exam board to develop A level specifications for these subjects in future will also remain open. We are in discussion with the exam boards on this issue.
Asked by: John Pugh (Liberal Democrat - Southport)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the additional workforce requirement of commercial archaeology in England over the next five years.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
The commercial archaeology market supports c.3,000 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) posts annually in England. It is difficult to estimate the additional workforce requirement over the next five years, given the number of unknowns. Historic England is working with employers to support the delivery of the skills required, for example through apprenticeships.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that archaeology continues to be offered as an A-level subject.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The AQA exam board has taken the decision no longer to develop specifications for A and AS level archaeology. Whilst we are disappointed with this outcome, AQA is an independent organisation and is therefore free to make its own decisions on which qualifications to offer. In 2015/16, there were 340 entries for A level archaeology, including 332 in state-funded schools and Further Education colleges.
We published content for archaeology AS/A level in January 2016. The option for AQA or another exam board to develop a specification in future will remain open.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received from the heritage and archaeological communities on the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on those communities; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
The Prime Minister has been clear that the negotiation for Britain's future relationship with Europe will need to begin under a new Prime Minister, and we have now got to look at all the detailed arrangements. In the meantime, Departments continue working to deliver the Government agenda.
Asked by: Gordon Henderson (Conservative - Sittingbourne and Sheppey)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the Government plans to bring forward proposals in the Neighbourhood and Planning and Infrastructure Bill to remove the requirement for developers to carry out archaeological and wildlife surveys before starting housing projects.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
There are no plans to change a Local Authority's ability to propose conditions that meet the policy tests in the National Planning Policy Framework; including conditions related to archaeology and wildlife. The Neighbourhood Planning and Infrastructure Bill will include measures to ensure that pre-commencement planning conditions are only imposed where they are absolutely necessary.
Asked by: Mark Durkan (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support the preservation of cultural sites in Sudan.
Answered by James Duddridge
The UK Government is not directly involved in the preservation of cultural sites in Sudan. However, the British Council has previously sought to increase the awareness and appreciation of Sudan’s cultural heritage, including its cultural sites, amongst Sudanese youth. In addition, the British Museum has long-been involved in the archaeology of Sudan, including the preservation of cultural sites in Sudan, often with the support of the British Council.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what support his Department provides to finds liaison officers to ensure that detected archaeological finds are properly recorded in a speedier manner in order to encourage more finds to be declared to local authorities.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
DCMS funds the Portable Antiques Scheme (PAS) at the British Museum through grant in aid. The scheme offers specifically-trained Finds Liason Officers to local Authorities to record Archaeological finds. In order to record finds quickly, these officers support Finders in self-recording, and run training schemes.
There is a network of 39 Finds Liaison Officers, based in museums and county councils throughout England and Wales and six National Finds Advisers. The data gathered by the Scheme is published on an online database (www.finds.org.uk).
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of guidelines in national planning guidance on archaeology and heritage in managing heritage assets.
Answered by Tracey Crouch
Historic England is currently exploring ways of assessing the effectiveness of heritage-related planning policy and law in practice.Its assessment of nearly 200 heritage-related planning appeal decisions, its own experience, and its discussions with practitioners all suggest that the application of national policy in relation to the historic environment appears to be broadly effective, and maintains an appropriate degree of protection.