Outcomes for children in need, including children looked after by local authorities in England
Reporting year 2023

Description

This document describes the data included in the ‘Outcomes for children in need, including children looked after by local authorities in England: 2023' National Statistics underlying data files. This data is released under the terms of the Open Government License and is intended to meet at least three stars for Open Data.

The methodology should be referenced alongside this release. It provides information on the data sources, their coverage and quality and how the data is produced.

Coverage

This statistical release provides data on outcomes measures for children in need (CIN), including children looked after (CLA) by local authorities in England. Data is provided at national, regional, and local authority level.

Children in need data is not available for Hackney local authority for both the 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022 collection years. Hackney were unable to provide a return for both the 2021 and 2022 children in need census collections, due to a cyberattack which had a significant impact on their management information systems.

The outcome measures cover:

- special education needs
- educational attainment (at Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4)
- educational progress (between Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, and between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4)
- destinations from school
- absence from school
- permanent exclusions and suspensions from school
- free school meal eligibility
- type of school attended.

Detailed information on the social care groups and all pupils comparisons is provided in the methodology.

Abbreviations of social care group names used throughout this release:

- CIN - children in need, including children on a child protection plan and children looked after. Children in need includes children on child in need plans as well as other types of plan or arrangements. Children in need also includes children awaiting a referral to be considered, an assessment to start or, for an assessment which has started, for the assessment to be completed.
- CINO - children in need, excluding children on a child protection plan and children looked after.
- CPPO - children on a child protection plan, excluding children looked after.
- CLA - children looked after (excludes children who are in respite care in their most recent episode during the reporting year).

Social care groups

Social care groups included within this release are:

- All pupils comparison - from the national publications.
- CIN at 31 March
- CINO at 31 March
- CPPO at 31 March
- CLA for 12 months at 31 March
- CLA less than 12 months at 31 March
- CIN at any point - ‘any point’ means at any point during the reporting year (including at 31 March).
- CINO at any point
- CPPO at any point
- CLA at any point
- Ever CIN - last 6 years - children in need, at any point in the last 6 reporting years (including at 31 March).

Note that local authority level data only includes CINO at 31 March, CPPO at 31 March and CLA for at least 12 months  at 31 March and FSM data does not include CLA.

At key stage 4 there are additional groups in the national level data on previously looked after arrangements (PLAA). These are Official Statistics on arrangements for previously looked after children.

- ‘PLAA - Adoption’ - previously looked after children who left care through an adoption.
- 'PLAA - SGO' - previously looked after children who left care through a special guardianship order (SGO).
- ‘PLAA - CAO’ - previously looked after children who left care through a child arrangements order (CAO).
- ‘PLAA - Total’ - previously looked after children who left care through an adoption, SGO or CAO.

File formats and conventions

Rounding and suppression is applied to the data. The Code of Practice for Statistics requires that reasonable steps should be taken to ensure that all published or disseminated statistics produced by the DfE protect confidentiality. The publications follow the  DfE policy statement on confidentiality (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-official-statistics-published-by-the-department-for-education).

National and regional numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Local authority numbers are unrounded.

Where a denominator is shown as zero, the original figure submitted was zero.

Percentages are rounded to one decimal place (except for permanent exclusions and suspensions, where they are rounded to two decimal places).

Average Attainment 8 scores are rounded to one decimal place. EBacc average point scores, Key Stage 2 progress measures and Progress 8 measures are rounded to two decimal places.

As a result of rounding components may not sum to totals and percentages may not sum to 100.

For all attainment measures, values of 0 (zero) are suppressed to protect confidentiality. For all other measures, values of 0 (zero) are not primary suppressed. Prior to 2021, values of 0 (zero) were suppressed for all measures.

The following symbols have been used:

‘c’ to protect confidentiality - secondary suppression may also be applied to figures to protect confidentiality
‘z’ for not applicable
‘x’ for not available (updated in 2021 from a colon in 2020)
‘k’ used when a result that is not 0 (zero) would appear as 0 (zero) due to rounding

Data files

All data files associated with this release are listed below with guidance on their content. To download any of these files, please visit our  data catalogue (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-catalogue/outcomes-for-children-in-need-including-children-looked-after-by-local-authorities-in-england/2023).

Data files

National - Suspensions and permanent exclusions

Filename: permanent_exclusions_and_suspensions_national.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016/17 to 2021/22
Content summary: Suspensions and permanent exclusions by social care group.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  --------------------------------------------------
pt_one_plus_sus    |  Percentage of pupils with one or more suspension
pt_perm_excl       |  Percentage of pupils permanently excluded
school_type        |  School type - Filter by school type
social_care_group  |  Social care group - Filter by social care group
t_one_plus_sus     |  Total number of pupils with one or more suspension
t_perm_excl        |  Total number of pupils permanently excluded
t_pupils           |  Total number of pupils

Footnotes:

1. The all pupils comparison figures taken from the national publication are produced using a different methodology based on enrolments and the school type is allocated in a different way. As a result of this, the all pupils comparison is not provided by school type as it is not appropriate to compare. More detailed information on the suspensions and permanent exclusions data published within this release is available in the accompanying methodology.
2. State-funded alternative provision (AP) schools include pupil referral units, alternative provision academies and alternative provision free schools (in previous years this school type was labelled as 'Pupil referral unit' but the inclusion criteria is the same).
3. While suspensions and permanent exclusions were possible throughout the 2019/20 and 2020/21 academic years, national restrictions will have had an impact on the numbers presented and caution should be taken when comparing across years.


National - Special educational needs (SEN)

Filename: sen_national.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016/17 to 2022/23
Content summary: Special educational need and primary type of special educational need by social care group.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name             |  Variable description
------------------------  |  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
pt_all_SEN                |  Percentage of pupils with SEN
pt_ASD_se                 |  Percentage of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Autistic Spectrum Disorder
pt_ASD_ss                 |  Percentage of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Autistic Spectrum Disorder
pt_HI_se                  |  Percentage of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Hearing Impairment
pt_HI_ss                  |  Percentage of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Hearing Impairment
pt_MLD_se                 |  Percentage of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Moderate Learning Difficulty
pt_MLD_ss                 |  Percentage of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Moderate Learning Difficulty
pt_MSI_se                 |  Percentage of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Multi- Sensory Impairment
pt_MSI_ss                 |  Percentage of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Multi- Sensory Impairment
pt_no_identified_SEN      |  Percentage of pupils with no identified SEN
pt_NSA_se                 |  Percentage of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need
pt_NSA_ss                 |  Percentage of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need
pt_OTH_se                 |  Percentage of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Other Difficulty/Disability
pt_OTH_ss                 |  Percentage of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Other Difficulty/Disability
pt_PD_se                  |  Percentage of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Physical Disability
pt_PD_ss                  |  Percentage of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Physical Disability
pt_PMLD_se                |  Percentage of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Profound & Multiple Learning Difficulty
pt_PMLD_ss                |  Percentage of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Profound & Multiple Learning Difficulty
pt_SEMH_se                |  Percentage of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Social, Emotional and Mental Health
pt_SEMH_ss                |  Percentage of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Social, Emotional and Mental Health
pt_SEN_support            |  Percentage of pupils with SEN support
pt_SLCN_se                |  Percentage of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Speech, Language and Communications needs
pt_SLCN_ss                |  Percentage of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Speech, Language and Communications needs
pt_SLD_se                 |  Percentage of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Severe Learning Difficulty
pt_SLD_ss                 |  Percentage of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Severe Learning Difficulty
pt_SPLD_se                |  Percentage of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Specific Learning Difficulty
pt_SPLD_ss                |  Percentage of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Specific Learning Difficulty
pt_statement_or_EHC_plan  |  Percentage of pupils with statement or EHC plan
pt_VI_se                  |  Percentage of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Visual Impairment
pt_VI_ss                  |  Percentage of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Visual Impairment
social_care_group         |  Social care group - Filter by social care group
t_all_SEN                 |  Total number of pupils with SEN
t_ASD_se                  |  Total number of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Autistic Spectrum Disorder
t_ASD_ss                  |  Total number of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Autistic Spectrum Disorder
t_HI_se                   |  Total number of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Hearing Impairment
t_HI_ss                   |  Total number of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Hearing Impairment
t_MLD_se                  |  Total number of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Moderate Learning Difficulty
t_MLD_ss                  |  Total number of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Moderate Learning Difficulty
t_MSI_se                  |  Total number of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Multi- Sensory Impairment
t_MSI_ss                  |  Total number of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Multi- Sensory Impairment
t_no_identified_SEN       |  Total number of pupils with no identified SEN
t_NSA_se                  |  Total number of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need
t_NSA_ss                  |  Total number of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need
t_OTH_se                  |  Total number of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Other Difficulty/Disability
t_OTH_ss                  |  Total number of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Other Difficulty/Disability
t_PD_se                   |  Total number of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Physical Disability
t_PD_ss                   |  Total number of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Physical Disability
t_PMLD_se                 |  Total number of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Profound & Multiple Learning Difficulty
t_PMLD_ss                 |  Total number of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Profound & Multiple Learning Difficulty
t_pupils                  |  Total number of pupils
t_SEMH_se                 |  Total number of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Social, Emotional and Mental Health
t_SEMH_ss                 |  Total number of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Social, Emotional and Mental Health
t_SEN_support             |  Total number of pupils with SEN support
t_SLCN_se                 |  Total number of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Speech, Language and Communications needs
t_SLCN_ss                 |  Total number of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Speech, Language and Communications needs
t_SLD_se                  |  Total number of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Severe Learning Difficulty
t_SLD_ss                  |  Total number of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Severe Learning Difficulty
t_SPLD_se                 |  Total number of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Specific Learning Difficulty
t_SPLD_ss                 |  Total number of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Specific Learning Difficulty
t_statement_or_EHC_plan   |  Total number of pupils with statement or EHC plan
t_VI_se                   |  Total number of pupils with statement or EHC plan having primary type of need: Visual Impairment
t_VI_ss                   |  Total number of pupils with SEN support having primary type of need: Visual Impairment

Footnotes:

1. Special educational needs (SEN) status and primary type of SEN data is taken from both the school census and the alternative provision census. For 2016/17 primary type of SEN is not available on the alternative provision census. More detailed information on the SEN data published within this release is available in the accompanying methodology.


National - Free school meals (FSM)

Filename: fsm_national.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016/17 to 2022/23
Content summary: Free school meal eligibility of children in need by social care group.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  ------------------------------------------------------
pt_FSM_eligible    |  Percentage of pupils with free school meal eligibility
social_care_group  |  Social care group - Filter by social care group
t_FSM_eligible     |  Number of pupils with free school meal eligibility
t_pupils           |  Number of pupils

Footnotes:

1. Free school meal (FSM) eligibility is taken from both the school census and the alternative provision census. More detailed information on the FSM data published within this release is available in the accompanying methodology.


National - School type

Filename: school_type_national.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016/17 to 2022/23
Content summary: Type of school by social care group.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
social_care_group  |  Social care group - Filter by social care group
t_ap               |  Total number of pupils in state-funded alternative provision (AP) school
t_primary          |  Total number of pupils in state-funded primary school
t_pupils           |  Total number of pupils
t_secondary        |  Total number of pupils in state-funded secondary school
t_special          |  Total number of pupils in special school

Footnotes:

1. State-funded alternative provision (AP) schools include pupil referral units, alternative provision academies and alternative provision free schools (in previous years this school type was labelled as 'Pupil referral unit' but the inclusion criteria is the same).
2. The all pupils comparison figures taken from the national publication have school type allocated in a different way. As a result of this, the all pupils comparison is not provided by school type as it is not appropriate to compare. More detailed information on the school type data published within this release is available in the accompanying methodology.


National - Key Stage 1 (KS1)

Filename: ks1_national.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016/17 to 2022/23
Content summary: Key Stage 1 attainment by special educational need, ethnicity, placement (children looked after only) and social care group.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name                    |  Variable description
-------------------------------  |  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ethnicity_major                  |  Ethnicity - Filter by ethnicity
placement                        |  Placement - Filter by placement
pt_matta_met_expected_standard   |  Percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in maths TA
pt_readta_met_expected_standard  |  Percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading TA
pt_scita_met_expected_standard   |  Percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in science TA
pt_writta_met_expected_standard  |  Percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in writing TA
pupil_sen_status                 |  Special Educational Needs status - Filter by Special Educational Needs status
social_care_group                |  Social care group - Filter by social care group
t_matta_eligible_pupils          |  Number of eligible pupils in maths TA
t_matta_met_expected_standard    |  Number of pupils meeting the expected standard in maths TA
t_readta_eligible_pupils         |  Number of eligible pupils in reading TA
t_readta_met_expected_standard   |  Number of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading TA
t_scita_eligible_pupils          |  Number of eligible pupils in science TA
t_scita_met_expected_standard    |  Number of pupils meeting the expected standard in science TA
t_writta_eligible_pupils         |  Number of eligible pupils in writing TA
t_writta_met_expected_standard   |  Number of pupils meeting the expected standard in writing TA

Footnotes:

1. Writing teacher assessment measures from 2018 onwards and reading, mathematics and science teacher assessment measures from 2019 onwards are not directly comparable to previous years due to changes in the teacher assessment frameworks.


National - Destinations

Filename: destinations_national.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016/17 to 2020/21
Content summary: Destinations after completing Key Stage 4 by social care group.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
pt_all_notsust     |  Percentage not recorded as a sustained destination
pt_all_unknown     |  Percentage with activity not captured
pt_all_work        |  Percentage in sustained employment destination
pt_appl2           |  Percentage in intermediate apprenticeships (level 2)
pt_appl3           |  Percentage in advanced and Higher apprenticeships (level 3 and above)
pt_appren          |  Percentage in sustained apprenticeships
pt_appru           |  Percentage in alternative provision
pt_edu_combo       |  Percentage in sustained education combination destination
pt_education       |  Percentage in sustained education destination
pt_fe              |  Percentage in further education
pt_he              |  Percentage in UK higher education institution
pt_ind             |  Percentage in independent schools
pt_notsust         |  Percentage in education or employment not sustained
pt_notsust_ben     |  Percentage in education or employment not sustained and known to be NEET
pt_only_ben        |  Percentage with no participation and known to be NEET
pt_other_edu       |  Percentage in other education destination
pt_overall         |  Percentage in sustained education, employment & apprenticeships
pt_sfc             |  Percentage in sixth form college
pt_special         |  Percentage in special school
pt_spi             |  Percentage in specialist post-16 institution
pt_ssf             |  Percentage in school sixth form
pt_unknown         |  Percentage not identified in any data
pt_unknown_id      |  Percentage identified as DWP/HMRC customer
social_care_group  |  Social care group - Filter by social care group
t_all_notsust      |  Total number of pupils not recorded as a sustained destination
t_all_unknown      |  Total number of pupils with activity not captured
t_all_work         |  Total number of pupils in sustained employment destination
t_appl2            |  Total number of pupils in intermediate apprenticeships (level 2)
t_appl3            |  Total number of pupils in advanced and Higher apprenticeships (level 3 and above)
t_appren           |  Total number of pupils in sustained apprenticeships
t_appru            |  Total number of pupils in alternative provision
t_edu_combo        |  Total number of pupils in sustained education combination destination
t_education        |  Total number of pupils in sustained education destination
t_fe               |  Total number of pupils in further education
t_he               |  Total number of pupils in UK higher education institution
t_ind              |  Total number of pupils in independent schools
t_notsust          |  Total number of pupils in education or employment not sustained
t_notsust_ben      |  Total number of pupils in education or employment not sustained and known to be NEET
t_only_ben         |  Total number of pupils with no participation and known to be NEET
t_other_edu        |  Total number of pupils in other education destination
t_overall          |  Total number of pupils in sustained education, employment & apprenticeships
t_pupils           |  Total number of pupils at the end of key stage 4
t_sfc              |  Total number of pupils in sixth form college
t_special          |  Total number of pupils in special school
t_spi              |  Total number of pupils in specialist post-16 institution
t_ssf              |  Total number of pupils in school sixth form
t_unknown          |  Total number of pupils  not identified in any data
t_unknown_id       |  Total number of pupils identified as DWP/HMRC customer

Footnotes:

1. The destinations figures in this release are not directly comparable to the all pupils figures in the national publication as the social care destination figures include additional institutions. For example, other institutions include: independent schools, independent special schools and secure units. More detailed information on the destinations data published within this release is available in the accompanying methodology.


National - Key Stage 2 (KS2)

Filename: ks2_national.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016/17 to 2022/23
Content summary: Key Stage 2 attainment and progress by special educational need, ethnicity, placement (children looked after only) and social care group.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name                       |  Variable description
----------------------------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
avg_mat_progress_score              |  Average progress score for maths
avg_mat_progress_score_lower_ci     |  Lower confidence interval for maths progress
avg_mat_progress_score_upper_ci     |  Upper confidence interval for maths progress
avg_read_progress_score             |  Average progress score for reading
avg_read_progress_score_lower_ci    |  Lower confidence interval for reading progress
avg_read_progress_score_upper_ci    |  Upper confidence interval for reading progress
avg_writta_progress_score           |  Average progress score for writing TA
avg_writta_progress_score_lower_ci  |  Lower confidence interval for writing TA progress
avg_writta_progress_score_upper_ci  |  Upper confidence interval for writing TA progress
ethnicity_major                     |  Ethnicity - Filter by ethnicity
placement                           |  Placement - Filter by placement
pt_gps_met_expected_standard        |  Percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling
pt_mat_met_expected_standard        |  Percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in maths
pt_read_met_expected_standard       |  Percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading
pt_rwm_met_expected_standard        |  Percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (combined)
pt_scita_met_expected_standard      |  Percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in science TA
pt_writta_met_expected_standard     |  Percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in writing TA
pupil_sen_status                    |  Special Educational Needs status - Filter by Special Educational Needs status
social_care_group                   |  Social care group - Filter by social care group
t_gps_eligible_pupils               |  Number of eligible pupils in grammar, punctuation and spelling
t_gps_met_expected_standard         |  Number of pupils meeting the expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling
t_mat_eligible_pupils               |  Number of eligible pupils in maths
t_mat_met_expected_standard         |  Number of pupils meeting the expected standard in maths
t_mat_progress_eligible_pupils      |  Total number of pupils at the end of key stage 2 included in the maths progress scores
t_mat_progress_score                |  Total number of pupils progress scores for maths
t_read_eligible_pupils              |  Number of eligible pupils in reading
t_read_met_expected_standard        |  Number of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading
t_read_progress_eligible_pupils     |  Total number of pupils at the end of key stage 2 included in the reading progress scores
t_read_progress_score               |  Total number of pupils progress scores for reading
t_rwm_eligible_pupils               |  Number of eligible pupils in reading, writing and maths
t_rwm_met_expected_standard         |  Number of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths
t_scita_eligible_pupils             |  Number of eligible pupils in science TA
t_scita_met_expected_standard       |  Number of pupils meeting the expected standard in science TA
t_writta_eligible_pupils            |  Number of eligible pupils in writing TA
t_writta_met_expected_standard      |  Number of pupils meeting the expected standard in writing TA
t_writta_progress_eligible_pupils   |  Total number of pupils at the end of key stage 2 included in the writing TA progress scores
t_writta_progress_score             |  Total number of pupils progress scores for writing TA

Footnotes:

1. 'All pupils comparison' includes all state-funded schools, alternative provision, and non-maintained special schools with pupils eligible for assessment at Key Stage 2. Participation by independent schools is voluntary, therefore the figures for all pupils includes results from independent schools that chose to submit data and met the requirements for assessment and moderation.
2. Writing teacher assessment and reading, writing and maths (combined) measures from 2018 onwards are not directly comparable to previous years due to changes in the writing teacher assessment frameworks.


National - Absence (six half terms)

Filename: absence_six_half_terms_national.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016/17 to 2022/23
Content summary: Full-year absence by type of school and social care group. Data for 2019/20 is not available.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name          |  Variable description
---------------------  |  -----------------------------------------------
pt_overall             |  Overall absence percentage
pt_pupils_pa_10_exact  |  Persistent absentees percentage
pt_pupils_pa_50_exact  |  Severe absentees percentage
pt_sess_authorised     |  Authorised absence percentage
pt_sess_unauthorised   |  Unauthorised absence percentage
school_type            |  School type - Filter by school type
social_care_group      |  Social care group - Filter by social care group
t_pupils               |  Total number of pupils or enrolments
t_pupils_pa_10_exact   |  Number of persistent absentees
t_pupils_pa_50_exact   |  Number of severe absentees
t_sess_authorised      |  Number of authorised absence sessions
t_sess_overall         |  Number of overall absence sessions
t_sess_possible        |  Number of sessions possible
t_sess_unauthorised    |  Number of unauthorised absence sessions

Footnotes:

1. The all pupils comparison figures taken from the national publication are produced using a different methodology based on enrolments and the school type is allocated in a different way. As a result of this, the all pupils comparison is not provided by school type as it is not appropriate to compare. More detailed information on the absence data published within this release is available in the accompanying methodology.
2. With increased demand for statistics and data to measure the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department for Education changed its data gathering and release practices, focussing efforts on priority analysis and statistics.  Therefore, no absence data relating to the full 2019/20 academic year is available.


National - Key Stage 4 (KS4)

Filename: ks4_national.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016/17 to 2022/23
Content summary: Key Stage 4 attainment and progress by special educational need, ethnicity, placement (children looked after only), period of care length (children looked after only) and social care group.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
avg_att8           |  Average Attainment 8 score of all pupils
avg_ebaccaps       |  Average EBacc APS score per pupil
avg_p8score        |  Average Progress 8 score of all pupils
ethnicity_major    |  Ethnicity - Filter by ethnicity
p8score_CI_low     |  Progress 8 lower 95% confidence interval
p8score_CI_upp     |  Progress 8 upper 95% confidence interval
placement          |  Placement - Filter by placement
poc_length         |  Length of period of care - Filter by length of period of care
pt_ebacc_94        |  Percentage of pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate (grades 4 or above in English and maths, A*-C in unreformed subjects)
pt_ebacc_95        |  Percentage of pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate (grades 5 or above in English and maths, A*-C in unreformed subjects)
pt_ebacc_e_ptq_ee  |  Percentage of pupils entering the English Baccalaureate
pt_l2basics_94     |  Percentage of pupils achieving grades 4 or above in English and mathematics GCSEs
pt_l2basics_95     |  Percentage of pupils achieving grades 5 or above in English and mathematics GCSEs
pupil_sen_status   |  Special Educational Needs status - Filter by Special Educational Needs status
social_care_group  |  Social care group - Filter by social care group
t_att8             |  Total sum of pupils Attainment 8 scores
t_ebacc_94         |  Total number of pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate (grades 4 or above in English and maths, A*-C in unreformed subjects)
t_ebacc_95         |  Total number of pupils achieving the English Baccalaureate (grades 5 or above in English and maths, A*-C in unreformed subjects)
t_ebacc_e_ptq_ee   |  Total number of pupils entering the English Baccalaureate
t_ebaccaps         |  Total EBacc APS score of pupils
t_inp8calc         |  Total number of pupils included in Progress 8 measure
t_l2basics_94      |  Total number of pupils achieving grades 4 or above in English and mathematics GCSEs
t_l2basics_95      |  Total number of pupils achieving grades 5 or above in English and mathematics GCSEs
t_p8score          |  Total sum of pupils Progress 8 scores
t_pupils           |  Total number of pupils at the end of key stage 4

Footnotes:

1. Special educational needs (SEN) status is taken from both the school census and the alternative provision census. The Key Stage 4 data includes pupils for whom SEN status could not be determined. More detailed information on the SEN data published within this release is available in the accompanying methodology.
2. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer examination series was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021, and alternative processes set up to award grades. The method to award grades was different in 2021 to that in 2020. The changes to the way GCSE grades were awarded in these two years means 2019/20 and 2020/21 pupil attainment data should not be directly compared to pupil attainment data from previous or later years for the purposes of measuring year on year changes in pupil performance. More detailed information on the Key Stage 4 data published within this release is available in the accompanying methodology.
3. In 2022/23 there was a return to pre-pandemic standards for GCSEs, with protection built into the grading process to recognise the disruption that students have faced. Throughout this release, comparisons are made with 2022 and with 2019. The more meaningful comparison is with 2019, the last year that summer exams were taken before the pandemic, as 2023 saw a return to pre-pandemic grading, with some protections. In 2022 outcomes broadly reflected a mid-point between 2019 and 2021, to take account of the impact of the pandemic and in line with Ofqual’s approach to grading in 2022. It is expected that performance in 2023 will generally be lower than in 2022. Users need to exercise extreme caution when considering comparisons over time, as they may not reflect changes in pupil performance alone. More detailed information on the Key Stage 4 data published within this release is available in the accompanying methodology.
4. For children looked after (CLA) for at least 12 months, due to definitional differences, there can be a small number where the period of care length at 31 March is less than 12 months (where the period of care start date is 1 April).


LA - Free school meals (FSM)

Filename: fsm_la.csv
Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
Time period: 2016/17 to 2022/23
Content summary: Free school meal eligibility for children in need (excluding children on a child protection plan and children looked after), children on a child protection plan (excluding children looked after).

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  ------------------------------------------------------
pt_FSM_eligible    |  Percentage of pupils with free school meal eligibility
social_care_group  |  Social care group - Filter by social care group
t_FSM_eligible     |  Number of pupils with free school meal eligibility
t_pupils           |  Number of pupils

Footnotes:

1. Free school meal (FSM) eligibility is taken from both the school census and the alternative provision census. More detailed information on the FSM data published within this release is available in the accompanying methodology.


LA - Absence (six half terms)

Filename: absence_six_half_terms_la.csv
Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
Time period: 2016/17 to 2022/23
Content summary: Full-year absence by type of school and social care group for children in need (excluding children on a child protection plan and children looked after), children on a child protection plan (excluding children looked after) and children looked after. Data for 2019/20 is not available.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name          |  Variable description
---------------------  |  -----------------------------------------------
pt_overall             |  Overall absence percentage
pt_pupils_pa_10_exact  |  Persistent absentees percentage
pt_pupils_pa_50_exact  |  Severe absentees percentage
pt_sess_authorised     |  Authorised absence percentage
pt_sess_unauthorised   |  Unauthorised absence percentage
school_type            |  School type - Filter by school type
social_care_group      |  Social care group - Filter by social care group
t_pupils               |  Total number of pupils or enrolments
t_pupils_pa_10_exact   |  Number of persistent absentees
t_pupils_pa_50_exact   |  Number of severe absentees
t_sess_authorised      |  Number of authorised absence sessions
t_sess_overall         |  Number of overall absence sessions
t_sess_possible        |  Number of sessions possible
t_sess_unauthorised    |  Number of unauthorised absence sessions


LA - School type

Filename: school_type_la.csv
Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
Time period: 2016/17 to 2022/23
Content summary: Type of school for children in need (excluding children on a child protection plan and children looked after), children on a child protection plan (excluding children looked after) and children looked after.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
social_care_group  |  Social care group - Filter by social care group
t_ap               |  Total number of pupils in state-funded alternative provision (AP) school
t_primary          |  Total number of pupils in state-funded primary schools
t_pupils           |  Total number of pupils
t_secondary        |  Total number of pupils in state-funded secondary schools
t_special          |  Total number of pupils in special schools


LA - Suspensions and permanent exclusions

Filename: permanent_exclusions_and_suspensions_la.csv
Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
Time period: 2016/17 to 2021/22
Content summary: Suspensions and permanent exclusions for children in need (excluding children on a child protection plan and children looked after), children on a child protection plan (excluding children looked after) and children looked after.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  --------------------------------------------------
pt_one_plus_sus    |  Percentage of pupils with one or more suspension
pt_perm_excl       |  Percentage of pupils permanently excluded
social_care_group  |  Social care group - Filter by social care group
t_one_plus_sus     |  Total number of pupils with one or more suspension
t_perm_excl        |  Total number of pupils permanently excluded
t_pupils           |  Total number of pupils


LA - Key Stage 4 (KS4)

Filename: ks4_la.csv
Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
Time period: 2016/17 to 2022/23
Content summary: Key Stage 4 attainment and progress for children in need (excluding children on a child protection plan and children looked after), children on a child protection plan (excluding children looked after) and children looked after.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
avg_att8           |  Average Attainment 8 score of all pupils
avg_ebaccaps       |  Average EBacc APS score per pupil
avg_p8score        |  Average Progress 8 score of all pupils
p8score_CI_low     |  Progress 8 lower 95% confidence interval
p8score_CI_upp     |  Progress 8 upper 95% confidence interval
pt_ebacc_e_ptq_ee  |  Percentage of pupils entering the English Baccalaureate
pt_l2basics_94     |  Percentage of pupils achieving grades 4 or above in English and mathematics GCSEs
pt_l2basics_95     |  Percentage of pupils achieving grades 5 or above in English and mathematics GCSEs
social_care_group  |  Social care group - Filter by social care group
t_att8             |  Total sum of pupils Attainment 8 scores
t_ebacc_e_ptq_ee   |  Total number of pupils entering the English Baccalaureate
t_ebaccaps         |  Total EBacc APS score of pupils
t_inp8calc         |  Total number of pupils included in Progress 8 measure
t_l2basics_94      |  Total number of pupils achieving grades 4 or above in English and mathematics GCSEs
t_l2basics_95      |  Total number of pupils achieving grades 5 or above in English and mathematics GCSEs
t_p8score          |  Total sum of pupils Progress 8 scores
t_pupils           |  Total number of pupils at the end of key stage 4
version            |  Version - Filter by version


LA - Key Stage 2 (KS2)

Filename: ks2_la.csv
Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
Time period: 2016/17 to 2022/23
Content summary: Key Stage 2 attainment and progress for children in need (excluding children on a child protection plan and children looked after), children on a child protection plan (excluding children looked after) and children looked after.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name                       |  Variable description
----------------------------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
avg_mat_progress_score              |  Average progress score for maths
avg_mat_progress_score_lower_CI     |  Lower confidence interval for maths progress
avg_mat_progress_score_upper_CI     |  Upper confidence interval for maths progress
avg_read_progress_score             |  Average progress score for reading
avg_read_progress_score_lower_CI    |  Lower confidence interval for reading progress
avg_read_progress_score_upper_CI    |  Upper confidence interval for reading progress
avg_writta_progress_score           |  Average progress score for writing TA
avg_writta_progress_score_lower_CI  |  Lower confidence interval for writing TA progress
avg_writta_progress_score_upper_CI  |  Upper confidence interval for writing TA progress
pt_gps_met_expected_standard        |  Percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling
pt_mat_met_expected_standard        |  Percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in maths
pt_read_met_expected_standard       |  Percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading
pt_rwm_met_expected_standard        |  Percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (combined)
pt_scita_met_expected_standard      |  Percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in science TA
pt_writta_met_expected_standard     |  Percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in writing TA
social_care_group                   |  Social care group - Filter by social care group
t_gps_eligible_pupils               |  Number of eligible pupils in grammar, punctuation and spelling
t_gps_met_expected_standard         |  Number of pupils meeting the expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling
t_mat_eligible_pupils               |  Number of eligible pupils in maths
t_mat_met_expected_standard         |  Number of pupils meeting the expected standard in maths
t_mat_progress_eligible_pupils      |  Total number of pupils at the end of key stage 2 included in the maths progress scores
t_mat_progress_score                |  Total number of pupils progress scores for maths
t_read_eligible_pupils              |  Number of eligible pupils in reading
t_read_met_expected_standard        |  Number of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading
t_read_progress_eligible_pupils     |  Total number of pupils at the end of key stage 2 included in the reading progress scores
t_read_progress_score               |  Total number of pupils progress scores for reading
t_rwm_eligible_pupils               |  Number of eligible pupils in reading, writing and maths
t_rwm_met_expected_standard         |  Number of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths
t_scita_eligible_pupils             |  Number of eligible pupils in science TA
t_scita_met_expected_standard       |  Number of pupils meeting the expected standard in science TA
t_writta_eligible_pupils            |  Number of eligible pupils in writing TA
t_writta_met_expected_standard      |  Number of pupils meeting the expected standard in writing TA
t_writta_progress_eligible_pupils   |  Total number of pupils at the end of key stage 2 included in the writing TA progress scores
t_writta_progress_score             |  Total number of pupils progress scores for writing TA


LA - Special education needs (SEN)

Filename: sen_la.csv
Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
Time period: 2016/17 to 2022/23
Content summary: Special educational need and primary type of special education need for children in need (excluding children on a child protection plan and children looked after), children on a child protection plan (excluding children looked after) and children looked after.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name             |  Variable description
------------------------  |  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
pt_all_SEN                |  Percentage of pupils with SEN
pt_ASD                    |  Percentage of pupils with having primary type of need: Autistic Spectrum Disorder
pt_HI                     |  Percentage of pupils with having primary type of need: Hearing Impairment
pt_MLD                    |  Percentage of pupils with having primary type of need: Moderate Learning Difficulty
pt_MSI                    |  Percentage of pupils with having primary type of need: Multi- Sensory Impairment
pt_no_identified_SEN      |  Percentage of pupils with no identified SEN
pt_NSA                    |  Percentage of pupils with having primary type of need: but no specialist assessment of type of need
pt_OTH                    |  Percentage of pupils with having primary type of need: Other Difficulty/Disability
pt_PD                     |  Percentage of pupils with having primary type of need: Physical Disability
pt_PMLD                   |  Percentage of pupils with having primary type of need: Profound & Multiple Learning Difficulty
pt_SEMH                   |  Percentage of pupils with having primary type of need: Social, Emotional and Mental Health
pt_SEN_support            |  Percentage of pupils with SEN support
pt_SLCN                   |  Percentage of pupils with having primary type of need: Speech, Language and Communications needs
pt_SLD                    |  Percentage of pupils with having primary type of need: Severe Learning Difficulty
pt_SPLD                   |  Percentage of pupils with having primary type of need: Specific Learning Difficulty
pt_statement_or_EHC_plan  |  Percentage of pupils with statement or EHC plan
pt_VI                     |  Percentage of pupils with having primary type of need: Visual Impairment
social_care_group         |  Social care group - Filter by social care group
t_all_SEN                 |  Total number of pupils with SEN
t_ASD                     |  Total number of pupils with having primary type of need: Autistic Spectrum Disorder
t_HI                      |  Total number of pupils with having primary type of need: Hearing Impairment
t_MLD                     |  Total number of pupils with having primary type of need: Moderate Learning Difficulty
t_MSI                     |  Total number of pupils with having primary type of need: Multi- Sensory Impairment
t_no_identified_SEN       |  Total number of pupils with no identified SEN
t_NSA                     |  Total number of pupils with having primary type of need: but no specialist assessment of type of need
t_OTH                     |  Total number of pupils with having primary type of need: Other Difficulty/Disability
t_PD                      |  Total number of pupils with having primary type of need: Physical Disability
t_PMLD                    |  Total number of pupils with having primary type of need: Profound & Multiple Learning Difficulty
t_pupils                  |  Total number of pupils
t_SEMH                    |  Total number of pupils with having primary type of need: Social, Emotional and Mental Health
t_SEN_support             |  Total number of pupils with SEN support
t_SLCN                    |  Total number of pupils with having primary type of need: Speech, Language and Communications needs
t_SLD                     |  Total number of pupils with having primary type of need: Severe Learning Difficulty
t_SPLD                    |  Total number of pupils with having primary type of need: Specific Learning Difficulty
t_statement_or_EHC_plan   |  Total number of pupils with statement or EHC plan
t_VI                      |  Total number of pupils with having primary type of need: Visual Impairment
