GENERAL

Population 513,100 Unemployment 4.2% (3.1% nationally, Liverpool 6.5%, )

POLITICS

City Council : Lab 43, Lib Dem 42, Con 2

MPs : Lab 5, Lib Dem 1

FAMILY

Average household income: pound;22,000 (NOMIS pound;343.18 gross weekly)

Average house price: pound;74,300

Free school meals: 6.8% Housing: 227,145 dwellings - council-owned: 60,948.

EDUCATION

Overall Budget pound;218.4m (87.5% delegated to schools). Delegated funding per pupil: primary pound;1,999, secondary (without 6th forms) pound;2,545, special schools pound;12,954.

Schools: nursery 5, primary 142, secondary 27, special 14, referral units 1.

Teachers: 4,106. Non-teaching staff in schools: 4,630. Central support staff: 751.

Unauthorised absences: primary 0.8% (0.5%) secondary 2.2% (1.1%)

Staying on rates (2002 - collected by Sheffield Futures)

16-plus staying on: 84.3% (students going into further education or training) 64.8% (students going into further education, not training)

Exam Passes 2002

KS1 LEVEL 2+

Reading 79% (84%)

Writing 80% (86%)

Spelling 73% (78%)

Maths 86%(90%)

Science 86% (89%)

KS2 LEVEL 4+

English 67% (75%)

Maths 69% (73%)

Science 83% (86%)

KS3 LEVEL 5+

English 61% (66%)

Maths 61% (67%)

Science 60% (66%)

GCSE 5+ A*-Cs 41% (51%)