Academic year 2018/19

Key stage 4 destination measures

Data guidance

Published 19 November 2020

Description

This document describes the data included in the ‘KS4 destination measures: 2018/19’ Official Statistics release’s underlying data files. This data is released under the terms of the Open Government License (opens in a new tab) and is intended to meet at least 3 stars for Open Data (opens in a new tab).

The publication methodology, available on the publication report, should be referenced alongside this data. It provides information on the data sources, their coverage and quality as well as explaining methodology used in producing the data.

Coverage

This release provides information on destinations from:

• state-funded mainstream schools
• state-funded special schools (including non-maintained special schools)
• alternative provision

This information is based on data from the National Pupil Database and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes dataset.

File formats and conventions

The Code of Practice for Statistics requires us to take reasonable steps to ensure that our published or disseminated statistics protect confidentiality. Where appropriate we apply disclosure control to protect confidentiality. 

The following symbols have been used in this publication: 

( 0 ) zero 

( c ) small number suppressed to preserve confidentiality or for accountability reasons 

( z ) not applicable 

( ~ ) positive % less than 0.5 

Small cohorts 

At institutional level, where cohorts are less than 6, all data are suppressed. This is to ensure that schools are not held to account for small cohorts of pupils rather than for confidentiality reasons. 

This does not apply to levels of data other than institutional level.

Data files

All data files associated with this releases are listed below with guidance on their content. To download any of these files, please visit our data catalogue.

Headline data key stage 4

• Filename: ks4_dm_ud_201819_nat_sfm_headline_rev.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2018/19
• Content:

  National level destinations headline data for students leaving key stage 4 for different characteristic groups, provider types, and qualification levels.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
all_notsust	Not recorded as a sustained destination
all_unknown	Activity not captured
all_work	Sustained employment destination
appl2	Intermediate apprenticeships (level 2)
appl3	Advanced and Higher apprenticeships (level 3 and above)
appren	Sustained apprenticeships
appru	Alternative provision
cohort	Number of pupils completing key stage 4
edu_combo	Sustained education combination destination
education	Sustained education destination
fe	Further education
he	UK higher education institution
ind	Independent schools
inst_count	Number of institutions
notsust	Education or employment not sustained
notsust_beneet	Education or employment not sustained and known to be NEET
only_beneet	No participation and known to be NEET
other_edu	Other education destination
overall	Sustained education, employment & apprenticeships
sfc	Sixth form college
special	Special school
spi	Specialist post-16 institution
ssf	School sixth form
unknown	Not identified in any data
unknown_id	Identified as DWP/HMRC customer

Footnotes

1. Other education destinations include independent schools, specialist post-16 institutions, special schools and education combination destination.

Key stage 4 local authority level destinations

• Filename: ks4_dm_ud_201819_la_rev.csv
• Geographic levels: Local authority; Local authority district; Opportunity area; Parliamentary constituency; Regional
• Time period: 2010/11 to 2018/19
• Content:

  Destinations data for students leaving key stage 4 by different geography levels.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
all_notsust	Not recorded as a sustained destination
all_unknown	Activity not captured
all_work	Sustained employment destination
appl2	Intermediate apprenticeships (level 2)
appl3	Advanced and Higher apprenticeships (level 3 and above)
appren	Sustained apprenticeships
characteristic	Student characteristic
cohort	Number of pupils completing key stage 4
data_type	Data type
education	Sustained education destination
fe	Further education
institution_group	Institution group
level_methodology	Level based on LEA area or provider location
other_edu	Other education destination
overall	Sustained education, employment & apprenticeships
sfc	Sixth form college
ssf	School sixth form

Footnotes

1. Other education destinations include independent schools, specialist post-16 institutions, special schools and education combination destination.
2. State-funded schools 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.
3. Includes state-funded special schools (community special schools, foundation special schools, special sponsored academies, special converter academies, and special free schools) and non-maintained special schools.
4. Includes pupils for whom free school meal eligibility, pupil premium eligibility, or special educational need (SEN) provision could not be determined.
5. 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
6. 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).
7. 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.

Key stage 4 national level destinations

• Filename: ks4_dm_ud_201819_nat_rev.csv
• Geographic levels: National
• Time period: 2010/11 to 2018/19
• Content:

  National level destinations data for students leaving key stage 4 for different characteristic groups, provider types, and qualification levels.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name	Variable description
all_notsust	Not recorded as a sustained destination
all_unknown	Activity not captured
all_work	Sustained employment destination
appl2	Intermediate apprenticeships (level 2)
appl3	Advanced and Higher apprenticeships (level 3 and above)
appren	Sustained apprenticeships
appru	Alternative provision
characteristic	Student characteristics
cohort	Number of pupils completing key stage 4
data_type	Data type
edu_combo	Sustained education combination destination
education	Sustained education destination
fe	Further education
he	UK higher education institution
ind	Independent schools
inst_count	Number of institutions
institution_type	Institution group
notsust	Education or employment not sustained
notsust_beneet	Education or employment not sustained and known to be NEET
only_beneet	No participation and known to be NEET
other_edu	Other education destination
overall	Sustained education, employment & apprenticeships
sfc	Sixth form college
special	Special school
spi	Specialist post-16 institution
ssf	School sixth form
unknown	Not identified in any data
unknown_id	Identified as DWP/HMRC customer

Footnotes

1. Selective schools admit pupils wholly or mainly with reference to ability. These schools are formally designated as grammar schools.
2. 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.
3. Local authority maintained mainstream schools include community schools, voluntary aided schools, voluntary controlled schools and foundation schools.
4. Other education destinations include independent schools, specialist post-16 institutions, special schools and education combination destination.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. State-funded schools 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.
8. Includes state-funded special schools (community special schools, foundation special schools, special sponsored academies, special converter academies, and special free schools) and non-maintained special schools.
9. Includes pupils for whom free school meal eligibility, pupil premium eligibility, or special educational need (SEN) provision could not be determined.
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. Includes 'not known but believed to be other than English'. Pupils are included if their main language is other than English regardless of fluency in English.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. Sixth-form colleges that have become academies are counted as further education destination. Any large increases in further education destinations seen in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 destination years are likely due to this. See methodology for details.
15. Includes pupils for whom ethnicity or first language was not obtained, refused or could not be determined.
16. Includes state-funded mainstream schools, state-funded and non-maintained special schools, and alternative provision.
17. Includes all non-selective schools that are not in highly selective areas, including those in areas with some selection.
18. 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).
19. State place funded alternative provision includes pupil referral units, AP academies, AP free schools and hospital schools.
20. 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.
21. 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, Poole, Slough, Southend-on-Sea, Sutton, Torbay, Trafford and Wirral. See the Quality and methodology information document for more details.
22. 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.
23. There are now fewer local authority maintained schools and more academies and free schools than at the start of the 2016 to 2017 academic year (when these school types are reported). In the case of some groups of schools, such as University Technical Colleges (UTCs), this means the picture of the sector given in these statistics only includes some of the first schools of this type to open and is based on a relatively small number of schools, many of which only had students joining for the last year of key stage 4 study.