Data Stories
UK Data
Insight into the UK's education system through data
- Consistent with 2017 and 2018 findings, 1 in 2 disadvantaged pupils and around 4 in 5 (78%) of pupils from affluent backgrounds reach the English and Maths benchmark by age 19.
- Therefore, across the year years, advantaged students are 55% more likely to attain a 4/C in their GCSE Maths and English.
- In several LEAs, advantaged pupils were twice as likely to achieve the two qualifications than their less affluent peers: Blaby; Bromsgrove; Copeland; Mole Valley; North Warwickshire and South Bucks.
Proportion of students with a Level 2 qualification in English and Maths by age 19 across Local Education Authority (LEA) in England.
- The proportion of students who reached the age of 19 with a level 2 (e.g., GCSE or Functional Skills qualification) in Maths and English, as of 2017.
- On average, around 4 in 5 (78%) of advantaged pupils passed (i.e., attained a C/4 or higher) the two subjects by the time they exited compulsory education.
- By contrast, 1 in 2 disadvantaged students met this benchmark. This is consistent with recorded outcomes in 2017.
- As was the case the previous year, the Isles of Scilly was the only LEA where disadvantaged pupils were more likely to pass their Level 2 Maths and English than their more affluent peers.
Proportion of students with a Level 2 qualification in English and Maths by age 19 across Local Education Authority (LEA) in England.
- The proportion of students who reached the age of 19 with a level 2 (e.g., GCSE or Functional Skills qualification) in Maths and English in 2017.
- On average, 4 in 5 (78%) of advantaged pupils passed (i.e., attained a C/4 or higher) the two subjects by the time they exited compulsory education.
- By contrast, typically 1 in 2 disadvantaged students met this benchmark.
- The Isles of Scilly was the only local authority where disadvantaged students were more likely to attain a C/4 or higher in both subjects at Level 2 than their more affluent peers.
Proportion of students with a Level 2 qualification in English and Maths by age 19 across Local Education Authority (LEA) in England.
- The number of individuals recorded as being in education, employment or training by local authority over the time period 2014 to 2018.
- There is significant variation in five-year changes to the % of FE leavers identified as in Sustained Positive Destinations across local authorities, ranging between -71% (East Herefordshire) and 107% (Sedgemoor)
- Sustained positive destinations refer to those FE leavers recorded as being in education, employment or both.
*2016 entries excluded due to data gaps.
Variation in the proportion of Further Education (FE) leavers recorded as being in education, employment or training after course completion by local authority.
- On average, slightly below 3 in 4 (72.48%) of A Levels across the listed regions were accredited an A*-C in 2018/19.
- The percentage of top awards regionally varied between 60% in Sandwell to 87% observed in York (rounded to the nearest whole number).
- A*-B regional performance is a statistically significant predictor for the regional variation of A-Levels accredited an A*-C (p<0.001).
- Schools in London, the South East and West Midlands typically outperform those in the East of England and South West. However, higher performance is only statistically significant in Yorkshire and the Humber and the North East (p<0.05).
*Data not available for Knowsley.
A Level Entries graded A*-C by region
- On average, slightly under 1 in 2 (46.15%) of A Levels across the listed regions were accredited an A*, A or B in 2018/19.
- The percentage of awards graded higher than a C regionally varied between 30% in Sandwell to 67% observed in Trafford (rounded to the nearest whole number).
- The percentage of qualifications awarded an A* or A is a statistically significant predictor of A*-B attainment (p<0.001). Therefore, those areas that had a higher percentage of A*-As typically observed a comparatively higher percentage of A*B awards.
- The North West and South West typically outperformed other regions in the percentage of A-Level qualifications awarded as A*, A or B. However, this is not statistically significant (p>0.05).
*Data not available for Knowsley.
A Level Entries graded A*-B by region
- On average, 1 in 5 (20.33%) of A Levels across the listed regions were accredited an A or A* in the 2018/19 during the 2018/2019 examination series.
- The percentage of top awards regionally varied between 10% in Sandwell to 43% observed in Reading (rounded to the nearest whole number).
*Data unavailable for Knowsley.
A Level Entries graded A*-A by region
- A-Level Subjects include: Maths; Further Maths; Biology; Chemistry; Physics and Computing.
- Nationally, there were more were more provisional female than male entrants into STEM subjects across the 2020/2021 year group (56.45% versus 43.55%).
- Follows 2019 trends, when female students first overtook male students in STEM A-Level subjects.
- Female entries into Computing and Further Maths are notably low compared to other STEM subjects. Over 19 times more female students take Biology than Computing, on average.
- Students from the North West, South East, West Midlands and London are statistically more likely to take STEM subjects at A Level compared to pupils studying at schools in the North East, South West and East Midlands (p<0.001).
Percentage of female entries for STEM A-Level subjects based on Provisional Entries Data
- On average 49.9% students achieve a grade 5+ in both English and Maths
- Results vary significantly by constituency
- Over 70% students achieve these grades in 5 constituencies – Altrincham and Sale West, Wycombe, Hitchin and Harpenden, Southend West and Chipping Barnet
- In 4 constituencies, 27% or below achieve these grades – Great Grimsby, Knowsley, Nottingham North and Bootle
Proportion of GCSE students achieving 5+ in both English and Maths in 2020 by Constituency
- On average, 49.9% of pupils in England achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and Maths.
- Performance by Local Education Authority varies significantly.
- In Trafford LEA, 68% of students reached this level; in Knowsley, 30 miles away, the figure was 27%.
Proportion of GCSE students achieving grade 5+ in both English and Maths in 2020 by LEA
Could girls be the secret to boosting the UK’s growth as a technology superpower?
What if women played a more central role in responding to the rapid technological changes in our world? Girls in England outperform boys at every grade level but disproportionately don’t take Computer Science at GCSE.
What can this year’s GCSE entries tell us to look for in tomorrow’s results?
With GCSE Results published on 22nd August, Dr Chinwe Njoku looks into the underlying data on what subjects this year's cohort took and how this has changed from previous years.
A-level maths students hit six figures – what’s behind its popularity?
On Thursday, more than 100,000 A-level maths students in England will find out their results – 11.4% more than last year. Why the upturn? Dr Chinwe Njoku, AQA Education Insights Lead and former maths teacher, was heartened by the news and keen to look at the story behind the data.
What comes after ‘urgent’ for the new Education Secretary?
After the burning issues are addressed, what should come next for the new Education Secretary?
Labour’s oracy plans: They need clear goals
Sir Keir Starmer has said he wants to boost students’ confidence by raising the importance of speaking skills – oracy. In this previously published blog, Reza Schwitzer, AQA’s director of external affairs, applauds the ambition but warns there needs to be clear goals
Through the looking glass: How polling the public can help policymakers learn about themselves
Public attitude data is key to effective policymaking. Proper polling can reveal what people think about existing policies and what they want for the future. But, if looked at from a different angle, it can also help policymakers question themselves and their assumptions about the public. In this blog, AQA’s Policy and Evidence Manager Adam Steedman-Thake, reveals the lessons he learned about himself while reading a recent public attitude survey.
Assessing oracy: Is Comparative Judgement the answer?
Oracy skills are vital to success in school and life. And yet, for many children, opportunities to develop them are missed. Educationalists are engaging in a growing debate about where oracy fits into the school system. Labour has put it at the heart of its plans to improve social mobility and an independent commission is looking at how it is taught in the classroom. This renewed focus on oracy means it is more important than ever that teachers have a way to reliably assess and understand their students’ attainment and progression. Amanda Moorghen of oracy education charity Voice 21 explains how Comparative Judgement can help with that and why it may be a game changer.
TV subtitles as an aid to literacy: What does the research say?
Jack Black is probably best known in educational circles for playing a renegade substitute teacher in School of Rock. But the Hollywood star has made a more conventional foray into education by backing the use of TV subtitles to improve child literacy. Stephen Fry and the World Literacy Foundation also want parents to use their TV remotes to get children reading. So, could this simple click of a button be a solution to boost pupils’ reading skills? AQA’s resident expert on language teaching, Dr Katy Finch, casts her eye over the research to see whether it stacks up.
What is left behind now education’s Data Wave has receded?
Is data the solution to all education’s issues? About a decade ago the prevailing wisdom said it was. Advocates of this Data Wave argued that harvesting internal statistics would help schools solve issues such as teacher accountability and attainment gaps. As with all waves, after crashing onto the beach they recede, leaving space for another to roll in. In this blog, teacher, author and data analyst Richard Selfridge looks at the legacy of the Data Wave to see what schools can take from it.
Finland & PISA – A fall from grace but still a high performer?
Finland was once recognised as one of the most successful educational systems in the world. At the turn of the millennium, it topped the PISA rankings in reading, maths and science. But by 2012, decline set in. The last set of results showed performances in maths, reading and science were at an all-time low. In this blog Dr Jonathan Doherty of Leeds Trinity University outlines some reasons that may account for the slide.