Academic year 2019/20

Key stage 4 destination measures

Data guidance

Published

Description

This document describes the data included in the ‘KS4 destination measures: 2019/20’ 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 

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.

Key stage 4 headline data

Filename
ks4_dm_ud_201920_nat_sfm_rev_headline.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2019/20
Content

National level destinations headline data for students leaving 16 to 18 study for different characteristic groups, provider types, and qualification levels.

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
all_notsustNot recorded as a sustained destination
all_unknownActivity not captured
all_workSustained employment destination
appl2Intermediate apprenticeships (level 2)
appl3Advanced and Higher apprenticeships (level 3 and above)
apprenSustained apprenticeships
appruAlternative provision
cohortNumber of pupils completing key stage 4
edu_comboSustained education combination destination
educationSustained education destination
feFurther education
heUK higher education institution
indIndependent schools
inst_countNumber of institutions
notsustEducation or employment not sustained
notsust_beneetEducation or employment not sustained and known to be NEET
only_beneetNo participation and known to be NEET
other_eduOther education destination
overallSustained education, employment & apprenticeships
sfcSixth form college
specialSpecial school
spiSpecialist post-16 institution
ssfSchool sixth form
unknownNot identified in any data
unknown_idIdentified as DWP/HMRC customer
Footnotes
  1. 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 local authority level destinations

Filename
ks4_dm_ud_201920_la_rev.csv
Geographic levels
Local authority; Local authority district; Opportunity area; Parliamentary constituency; Regional
Time period
2010/11 to 2019/20
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 nameVariable description
all_notsustNot recorded as a sustained destination
all_unknownActivity not captured
all_workSustained employment destination
appl2Intermediate apprenticeships (level 2)
appl3Advanced and Higher apprenticeships (level 3 and above)
apprenSustained apprenticeships
characteristicStudent characteristic
cohortNumber of pupils completing key stage 4
data_typeData type
educationSustained education destination
feFurther education
institution_groupInstitution group
level_methodologyLevel based on LEA area or provider location
other_eduOther education destination
overallSustained education, employment & apprenticeships
sfcSixth form college
ssfSchool sixth form
Footnotes
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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
  4. Includes pupils for whom free school meal eligibility, pupil premium eligibility, or special educational need (SEN) provision could not be determined.
  5. 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).
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Other education destinations include independent schools, specialist post-16 institutions, special schools and education combination destination.

key stage 4 national level destinations

Filename
ks4_dm_ud_201920_nat_rev.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2010/11 to 2019/20
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 nameVariable description
all_notsustNot recorded as a sustained destination
all_unknownActivity not captured
all_workSustained employment destination
appl2Intermediate apprenticeships (level 2)
appl3Advanced and Higher apprenticeships (level 3 and above)
apprenSustained apprenticeships
appruAlternative provision
characteristicStudent characteristics
cohortNumber of pupils completing key stage 4
data_typeData type
edu_comboSustained education combination destination
educationSustained education destination
feFurther education
heUK higher education institution
indIndependent schools
inst_countNumber of institutions
institution_typeInstitution group
notsustEducation or employment not sustained
notsust_beneetEducation or employment not sustained and known to be NEET
only_beneetNo participation and known to be NEET
other_eduOther education destination
overallSustained education, employment & apprenticeships
sfcSixth form college
specialSpecial school
spiSpecialist post-16 institution
ssfSchool sixth form
unknownNot identified in any data
unknown_idIdentified as DWP/HMRC customer
Footnotes
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Includes pupils for whom ethnicity or first language was not obtained, refused or could not be determined.
  4. 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.
  5. Includes state-funded mainstream schools, state-funded and non-maintained special schools, and alternative provision.
  6. 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.
  7. 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
  8. Includes all non-selective schools that are not in highly selective areas, including those in areas with some selection.
  9. 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.
  10. Includes pupils for whom free school meal eligibility, pupil premium eligibility, or special educational need (SEN) provision could not be determined.
  11. Local authority maintained mainstream schools include community schools, voluntary aided schools, voluntary controlled schools and foundation schools.
  12. State place funded alternative provision includes pupil referral units, AP academies, AP free schools and hospital schools.
  13. 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. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  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. 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.
  19. Other education destinations include independent schools, specialist post-16 institutions, special schools and education combination destination.
  20. Selective schools admit pupils wholly or mainly with reference to ability. These schools are formally designated as grammar schools.
  21. 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.
  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.