Data set from Key stage 4 destination measures

Key stage 4 leavers destinations

Latest data
API data set version 1.0
Published
Last updated
Key stage 4 study leavers destinations data by student characteristics (including sex, disadvantaged status and ethnicity), education establishment and destination at all available aggregated geographic levels

Data set details

Theme
Destination of pupils and students
Publication
Key stage 4 destination measures
API data set ID
019d4f41-22d1-71b2-a1a7-f3b91026815b
How do I use this ID?
Release
Academic year 2023/24
Release type
Number of rows
1,435,139
Geographic levels
Local authority, Local authority district, National, Parliamentary constituency, Regional
Indicators
  • Number of institutions
  • Number of pupils completing key stage 4
  • Number of pupils sustaining a destination
Filters
  • Destination measure
  • Establishment type
  • Sex
Time period
2009/10 to 2022/23

Data set preview

Table showing first 5 rows, from underlying data
time_periodtime_identifiergeographic_levelcountry_codecountry_nameregion_coderegion_nameold_la_codenew_la_codela_namepcon_codepcon_namelad_codelad_namelocal_authority_selection_statusschool_laestabschool_urnschool_nameadmission_policyentry_genderestablishment_type_groupestablishment_typesexethnicity_majorethnicity_minordisadvantage_statusbreakdown_topicbreakdownversioninstitution_countcohort_countdestination_groupdestination_descriptionpupil_countpupil_percent
201516Academic yearNationalE92000001EnglandState-funded mainstream schoolsTotalTotalBlack / African / Caribbean / Black BritishTotalTotalTotalTotalRevisedz27402Overall destinationSustained education, employment & apprenticeships2587894.4
201516Academic yearNationalE92000001EnglandState-funded mainstream schoolsTotalTotalBlack / African / Caribbean / Black BritishTotalTotalTotalTotalRevisedz27402Headline destinationsSustained education destination2518591.9
201516Academic yearNationalE92000001EnglandState-funded mainstream schoolsTotalTotalBlack / African / Caribbean / Black BritishTotalTotalTotalTotalRevisedz27402Education destination breakdownFurther education751627.4
201516Academic yearNationalE92000001EnglandState-funded mainstream schoolsTotalTotalBlack / African / Caribbean / Black BritishTotalTotalTotalTotalRevisedz27402Education destination breakdownSchool sixth form1260146
201516Academic yearNationalE92000001EnglandState-funded mainstream schoolsTotalTotalBlack / African / Caribbean / Black BritishTotalTotalTotalTotalRevisedz27402Education destination breakdownSixth form college485517.7

Variables in this data set

Table showing first 5 of 10 variables
Variable nameVariable description
breakdownStudent characteristics
cohort_countNumber of pupils completing key stage 4
destination_descriptionDestination measure
disadvantage_statusDisadvantage Status
establishment_typeEstablishment type

Footnotes

  1. Disadvantaged pupils include pupils known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM) in any spring, autumn, summer, alternative provision or pupil referral unit census from year 6 to year 11, or that are looked after children for at least one day, or are adopted from care.
  2. Non-selective school in highly selective area includes all non-selective schools in local authorities with a high level of selection (where 25% or more of state-funded secondary places are in state-funded selective schools). These local authorities are Bexley, Buckinghamshire, Kent, Lincolnshire, Medway, Slough, Southend-on-Sea, Sutton, Torbay, Trafford and Wirral. See the Quality and methodology information document for more details.
  3. Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) was added as a new type of need in 2014/15; the previous type of need Behaviour, Emotional and Social Difficulties has been removed although it is not expected that SEMH will be a direct replacement.
  4. Includes state-funded mainstream schools, state-funded and non-maintained special schools, and alternative provision.
  5. At the end of key stage 4 pupils are expected to achieve 'good passes' at grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSEs or selected equivalents. The figures for student achievement of grade 4 or above in both English and maths are shown alongside this measure for transparency and comparability. This measure is chosen because passes in English and maths will continue to be assessed in future years and because passes in these subjects tie closely to conditions for post-16 funding and accountability. Prior to the introduction of the reformed 9 to 1 GCSEs in English and maths in 2016/17, a 'good pass' was classed as an A*-C grade.
  6. Other education destinations include independent schools, specialist post-16 institutions, special schools and education combination destination.
  7. Other non-selective school includes all non-selective schools that are not in highly selective areas, including those in areas with some selection.
  8. Local authority maintained mainstream schools include community schools, voluntary aided schools, voluntary controlled schools and foundation schools.
  9. State place funded alternative provision includes pupil referral units, AP academies, AP free schools and hospital schools.
  10. Following special educational needs and disability (SEND) reforms in 2014/15, SEN pupils are categorised as 'SEN with a statement or Education, health and care (EHC) plan' and 'SEN support'. SEN support replaces school action and school action plus (grouped as SEN without a statement up to and including 2013/14). It was expected that all transfers to this category take place during the 2014/15 academic year but some legacy categories remain in subsequent cohorts. More detailed information on the reforms can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25.
  11. Selective schools admit pupils wholly or mainly with reference to ability. These schools are formally designated as grammar schools.
  12. The state-funded mainstream & special schools total include local authority maintained schools, academies, free schools, city technology colleges, further education colleges with provision for 14- to 16-year-olds, state-funded special schools and non-maintained special schools.
  13. Alternative provision includes state place funded alternative provision (Pupil Referral Units, AP academies, AP free schools, and hospital schools) and other alternative provision (education funded by the local authority outside of state place funded schools, including independent schools, non-maintained special schools, and providers that do not meet the criteria for registration as a school).
  14. Unclassified includes pupils for whom ethnicity or first language was not obtained, refused or could not be determined.
  15. 'First Language other than English' includes 'not known but believed to be other than English'. Pupils are included if their main language is any language other than English regardless of fluency in English.
  16. Since September 2013, general further education colleges and sixth-form colleges have been able to directly enrol 14- to 16-year-olds. Excludes city technology colleges.
  17. Key stage 2 assessments are taken in year 6 at the end of primary school. To be at the expected level pupils must have reached level 4 or above in all three areas and to be considered above the expected standard pupils to have achieved level 5 or 6 in all three areas. Due to a boycott of standardised testing in 2010, a higher proportion of 2015 leavers has no prior attainment recorded.
  18. 'State-funded (inc. non-maintained) special schools' includes all state-funded special schools (including community special schools, foundation special schools, special sponsored academies, special converter academies and special free schools) and non-maintained special schools.
  19. 'Not recorded as a sustained destination' includes pupils who were captured in the source data and had some participation in the academic year but did not complete the required six months sustained participation.
  20. Activity not being captured means the student was not found to have any participation in education, apprenticeship or employment nor recorded as receiving out-of-work benefits at any point in the year. Possible reasons for this could be that the pupil was living, working or studying abroad or was attending a Scottish or Welsh college or school.
  21. Other alternative provision includes education funded by the local authority outside of state place funded schools, including independent schools, non-maintained special schools, and providers who do not meet the criteria for registration as a school.
  22. State-funded mainstream schools include community schools, voluntary aided schools, voluntary controlled schools, foundation schools, academies, free schools, city technology colleges and further education colleges with provision for 14- to 16-year-olds.
  23. The calculation for the prior attainment categories changed in 2020/21 as a consequence of the introduction of Key Stage 2 scaled scores in 2016. The introduction of KS2 scaled scores has had an impact on the distribution of pupils by prior attainment. In summary, the impact has been to reduce the number of pupils in the high prior attainment group and increase the number of pupils in the low and middle prior attainment groups. This means that caution is required when comparing the results over time.
  24. Changes to the data have been implemented from the 2016/17 cohort onwards, so comparisons to earlier years (2010/11 - 2015/16) should be treated with caution

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API data set details

API data set name
Key stage 4 leavers destinations
API data set ID
019d4f41-22d1-71b2-a1a7-f3b91026815b
API data set version
1.0

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Destination measures

Email: Destination.MEASURES@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Daniel Brown