1 million people

65% of land is dedicated to agriculture

87% live in communities bigger than 3,000

At 634 square miles, it is most densely populated county in England

Every day, 137,000 commuters travel outside the county, mainly to London;

85,000 commute into Hertfordshire for work

1.9% unemployed (3.5% nationally)

40% of workforce have degree or equivalent

12% of workforce have no qualifications

POLITICS

Council: Conservative 40 Labour 26, Liberal

Democrat 10, one vacant MPs: Conservative 6 Labour 5

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Budget 2000-2001

CSF: pound;546m

School-related: pound;478m

Direct to schools: pound;406m

Children (0-17): 220,032

Statemented: 4,709 (2.1%)

Looked after children: 3.361,000

On child protection register: 2.241,000

Ethnic minority: 7.6%

Free school meals: 8.8%

Unauthorised absence: 0.44%

Schools: 17 nursery; 425 (7 foundation);

86 secondary (17 foundation, 9 middle); 26 special; 9 pupil-referral units

Family centres: 9

Children’s homes: 10

Staff in multi-professional teams: 594

Teachers: 8,842

Pupil-teacher ratio: 23:1 (primary); 16.7:1 (secondary)

Classes with fewer than 31 pupils: 83%

KS2 Level 4 (1997-2000: national average in brackets)

English 71.4-80.3 (75%)

Maths 67.8-76.2 (72%)

Science 75.8-88.8 (85%)

GCSE (5 A-C)

50.7 - 55.4 (49.2)

GCSE (5 A-G)

94.2-95.8 (94.4)

Great expectations

VI local focus: hertfordshire

TESJjune 22J2001

17 = Town profile: Stevenage It has been dogged from the start by its

London overspill status, but

found a new town, 50 years on, looking to schools to trigger a renaissance

local focus: hertfordshire VII

On gong: a pupil discovers the mysteries of the

gamelan, an Indonesian orchestra, at Stevenage music centre

photographs: joel chant

photograph: neil turner

pauline nield

K

Neil - Here’s Stevenage! I’m out until about 5pm today Thursday. I’ve

sacrificed the history for the quotes but can easily lob some of it back

in.

Cheers.

Jill Parkin - 01273-488098.

STATISTICS

Hertfordshire’s south quadrant may be only one quarter of the county, but

the teams working out of the Langleybury campus are responsible for an area

as large as some London boroughs, with a population larger than many

unitary authorities

CUT VERSION

Population 268,915

SCHOOLS Primary Secondary Special

95 18 5

Pupils Primary Secondary Special Total

20,543 13,920 336 34,799

PERMANENT Exclusions Primary Secondary

3 19

UNAUTHORISED ABSENCE Primary Secondary

0.4% 0.9%

Herts 0.3% Herts 0.6%;

national 0.5% national 1.0%

OVERALL ABSENCE Primary Secondary

5.0% 7.5%

Herts 4.8% Herts 7.3%

national 6.7% national 8.4%

Primary Secondary Special Total

SCHOOLS 95 18 5

Pupils 20,543 13,920 336 34,799

PERMANENT Exclusions 3 19

UNAUTHORISED ABSENCE 0.4% 0.9%

Herts 0.3% Herts 0.6%;

national 0.5% national 1.0%

OVERALL ABSENCE 5.0% 7.5%

Herts 4.8% Herts 7.3%

national 6.7% national 8.4%

Population 268,915

Population 268,915

SCHOOLS

Primary 95

Secondary 18

Special 5

Pupils

Primary 20,543

Secondary 13,920

Special 336

Total 34,799

PERMANENT Exclusions

Primary 3

Secondary 19

UNAUTHORISED ABSENCE

Primary 0.4%

Herts 0.3%

national 0.5%

Secondary 0.9%

Herts 0.6%;

national 1.0%)

OVERALL ABSENCE

Primary 5.0%

Herts 4.8%;

national 6.7%

Secondary 7.5%

Herts 7.3%;

national 8.4%

40% of workforce have degree or equivalent

12% of workforce have no qualifications