National Pupil Database
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National Pupil Database Key Stage 5 User Guide 2011 Contents 1. Introduction 3 1.1 Changes to KS5 extracts for 2011 4 2. Variables 5 2.1 Pre-defined ‘standard’ data extract 5 2.2 Student identifiers 5 2.3 School and college identifiers 5 2.4 Student characteristics 6 2.5 Sensitive data items 7 2.6 Duplicated variables 9 2.6.1 Census and attainment variables 9 2.6.2 School and college type variables 10 2.7 Duplicated students 10 2.8 Use of test marks and fine grades 10 2.9 Production rules 11 2.9.1 Data cleaning 11 3. Reproducing published values 13 3.1 Attainment at Key Stage 5 13 3.1.1 Reproducing published results 13 3.2 Student characteristics 14 3.3 Suppression of published figures 15 3.4 Contextual Value Added 15 3.5 Links to publications 16 Annex A: Production rules 17 A1 Key Stage 5 attainment data 17 A2 Key Stage 4 prior attainment data 25 A3 Key Stage 3 prior attainment data 35 A4 Key Stage 2 prior attainment data 40 A5 Key Stage 1 prior attainment data 44 A6 Spring census data 46 Annex B: Trigger variable 49 Annex C: School and college inclusion rules 50 Annex D: Calculating point scores 51 Annex E: Ethnicity codes 52 Annex F: Language codes 55 Annex G: Local Authority areas 56 Annex H: Mode of travel codes 59 Annex I: Key Stage 5 subject variables 60 Annex J: Key Stage 4 Subject variables 62 Annex K: Qualification route 64 Annex L: On roll indicator and exam category 65 Annex M: Calculating GCSE point scores 66 2 1. Introduction The National Pupil Database (NPD) is a longitudinal database for all children in maintained schools in England, linking pupil/student characteristics to school and college learning aims and attainment. It also holds individual pupil level attainment data for pupils in non-maintained and independent schools who partake in the tests/exams. The NPD holds pupil/student and school characteristics e.g. age, gender, ethnicity, attendance and exclusions (sourced from the School Census for maintained schools only), matched to pupil level attainment data (Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP), Key Stage (KS) assessments and external examinations), collected from schools and Local Authorities (LAs) by the Department for Education (DfE) and awarding bodies. Other data on further education (sourced from the Data Service’s Individualised Learner Record (ILR), awarding bodies and NISVQ awards of key skills and vocational qualifications), higher education (sourced from the Higher Education Statistics Agency) and looked after children have also been matched in to the NPD. The pre-defined ‘standard’ extract supplied at KS5 combines attainment achieved at KS5 with prior attainment at KS1, KS2, KS3 and KS4, and spring census data from the current academic year (and previous nine years), undertaken by schools/colleges (unless attainment data on its own is requested). Approximately 150 awarding bodies provide the Performance Tables (PT) contractor with separate datafeeds of results data which are then matched by the contractor from examination level to the individual student. When this has taken place, some additional indicators and flags are calculated by the contractor and added to the data before unamended data is provided for matching into the NPD. After matching is completed, the first, unamended KS5 extract is released in October. At the same time as the data is being matched into the NPD, the PT tables are sent to schools and colleges for checking. After schools and colleges have made any changes, the amended data are matched into the NPD. An amended extract will be made available in January 2012. After the PTs have been published, schools and colleges are given the opportunity to make errata changes. Again, this new data are matched into the NPD. A final KS5 extract will be made available in April 2012. N.B. As unamended data has not been checked by schools, it should only be used by those with a legitimate need to use it for managerial, operational or other appropriate decision-making purposes at an early stage. In addition, it should NOT be used for • Issuing public statements based on the information before the official statistics are published • Supporting direct action on schools or dictating school funding • Publication or public pronouncement of any analyses at aggregate or school level without permission from the DfE 3 In the datafile names, unamended data is denoted by the letter ‘U’, amended by the letter ‘A’ and final by the letter ‘F’. The datafile name will include one of these letters to indicate which version of the data the file contains. If you have any comments on the usefulness of this user guide, or can suggest extra topics to include, please contact [email protected]. 1.1 Main changes to KS5 standard extracts (unamended data) for 2011 - New KS5 indicators relating to achievement of two or more A levels or equivalent and achievement of A*-E grades at A level or Double Award - New 9-digit Local Authority code variables added in addition to the existing 3-digit code versions - Additional Type of Establishment and Institution Type codes for academies - Additional FSM variables in linked 2011 Census data - Source of Service Child and Source of Ethnicity variables removed from linked 2011 Census data as from 2011 these are no longer collected in the School Census 4 2. Variables 2.1 Pre-defined ‘standard’ data extract This user guide focuses on the pre-defined ‘standard’ Key Stage 5 data extract. It may therefore be that not all parts of this user guide are relevant if anything other than the pre-defined data extract was requested and supplied. 2.2 Student Identifiers The primary key used to identify students is KS5_PupilMatchingRefAnonymous (pupil matching reference) which uniquely identifies each student in the dataset. This variable is anonymous. Variables identifying individual students, such as names, addresses and dates of birth will usually have been removed from the extract, and only included in special circumstances (see section 2.5 on identifiable/sensitive variables). Student identifier variables included in the standard KS5 extract are: • KS5_GENDER – the gender of the student; • KS5_AGE_START – the age of the student at the start of the academic year (in full years); • KS5_MONTH_PART – the month part of the age of the student at the start of the academic year; • KS5_YEAROFBIRTH – the year of birth of the student; • KS5_MONTHOFBIRTH – the month of birth of the student; • KS5_ACADYR – the academic year; • KS5_YEARGRP – year group derived from date of birth; and • KS5_ACTYRGRP – the actual national curriculum year group that the student follows. 2.3 School and college Identifiers The school or college that the student attends can be identified using the following variables: • KS5_LA – the Local Authority (LA) that the school/college reports to; • KS5_LA_9CODE – the Local Authority (LA) that the school reports to (new 9-digit code); • KS5_ESTAB – a 4-digit establishment number identifying the individual school/college; • KS5_LAESTAB – a concatenation of the KS5_LA and KS5_ESTAB variables; • KS5_URN – a 6-digit unique school/college identifier number, primarily used by Ofsted; • KS5_TOE_CODE – type of establishment code (see section 2.6.2); • KS5_NFTYPE – institution type (see section 2.6.2); • KS4_NEW_TYPE – SFR institution category (see section 2.6.2); and • KS5_FETYPE – FE institution type. 5 There are also four additional indicators for the type of school: • KS5_MMSCH maintained mainstream schools (i.e. excluding maintained special schools) and academies and CTCs, KS1_NFTYPE is 20-25,50-52; • KS5_MMSCH2 – maintained mainstream schools (i.e. excluding maintained special schools) (KS1_MMSCH2 excludes academies and CTCs), KS1_NFTYPE is 21-24; • KS5_MSCH – maintained schools (including maintained special schools) and academies and CTCs, KS1_NFTYPE is 20-27,50-52; and • KS5_MSCH2 – maintained schools (including maintained special schools) (KS1_MSCH2 excludes academies and CTCs), KS1_NFTYPE is 21-24, 26, 27. N.B. You may notice that the data includes some school establishment numbers of ‘0000’ (Estab). This code is allocated when there are results for a National Centre Number or a vocational centre which cannot be mapped to a specific School and College Data Base institution: the centre’s postcode is used to establish the LA area, and the 0000 is added as a default number for the establishment. These tend to be for ‘Type 45’, ‘Higher Education Institutions’. 2.4 Student characteristics Three termly censuses collecting data on the characteristics of students (in schools only) are carried out by schools at the beginning of the spring, summer and autumn terms. KS5 extracts include characteristics from the main spring census, in both the current academic year, as well as the previous eight years. Data from the summer and autumn Censuses can be provided where requested. For some pupil characteristics, data is also collected with AAT data, but these have not been listed below (see section 2.6 on duplicated variables for more details). The main (non-sensitive) student characteristics collected and provided on the standard extract are: Variable Description ETHNICGROUPMINOR_SPRxx The minor ethnic group of the pupil (aggregated variable from ethnicity) ETHNICGROUPMAJOR_SPRxx The major ethnic group of the pupil (aggregated variable from ethnicity) ETHNICITYSOURCE_SPRxx The source of the student’s recorded ethnic code FSMELIGIBLE_SPRxx An indicator variable for whether the student is entitled to free school meals EVERFSM_3_SPRxx Indicates if the pupil has been recorded