PLUG Update – Department for Children, Schools and Families

1. PLUG Update – Department for Children, Schools and Families Paul Sinclair – Data Services Group October 29, 2009

2. Agenda • Introductions • What is the NPD? • Development of the NPD since 2002? • Who uses the NPD? • New developments in 2009 • Developments in 2010 • Process for requesting NPD data • Anonymised and Identifiable data • The Legal Environment

3. Introductions • Paul Sinclair – Team Leader, National Pupil Database and Dissemination Unit (NPDDU), Data Services Group • Martin Johnson – Delivery and Maintenance of the NPD • Dave Walton – Dissemination of the NPD (NPD Requests)

4. What is the NPD? • The NPD is a longitudinal database linking pupil/student characteristics to school and college learning aims and attainment information for all children in maintained schools in England. It also holds individual pupil level attainment data for pupils in non-maintained and independent schools. • Individual level attainment information for FSP, KS1, KS2, KS3, KS4 and KS5 since 2002/03 (with some data going back as far as 1995/96) • Individual level information collected in the School Census from the majority of schools for the first time in January 2002 • The first National Pupil Database including matched attainment and School Census information was produced in 2002

5. What is the NPD? – Core Sources • Collections from schools via Local Authorities • Census - Collected on termly basis (Autumn, Spring, Summer) • Foundation Stage Profile - Collected once a year in September • Key Stage 1 - Collected twice a year (October & January) • Carried out by the Department’s Data Services Group (DSG) • Collection mechanism is COLLECT

6. What is the NPD? – Core Sources • Collections from administrative systems • Key Stage 2 & 3 – collected by the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) • Key Stage 4 & 5 – collected by Awarding Bodies • Unamended (provisional) – data direct from admin system, unchecked by schools/colleges • Amended (revised) – data which has been checked by schools/colleges as part of AAT • Final – data which has been signed off as final for that year.

7. What is the NPD? – Other Sources • Collections from other sources • Individual Learner Record (ILR) – collected by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) from Further Education providers (including sixth form colleges) • 2 versions of ILR held in NPD • HESA student record – collected once a year from universities by HESA • Children Looked After (CLA) – collected from the Local Authority

8. Development of the NPD since 2002 • In 2002 NPD held pupil and school characteristics e.g. age, gender, ethnicity sourced from the School Census for maintained schools only matched to pupil level attainment data (Key Stage (KS) assessments and external examinations) collected from schools and Local Authorities. • In 2003 Foundation Stage Profile was included for the first time. This was a 10% sample until 2007, when it became a full collection. • More recently other data on further education (sourced from the Learning and Skills Council’s (LSC) Individualised Learner Record (ILR) and NISVQ awards of key skills and vocational qualifications), higher education (sourced from HESA) and looked after children has also been matched in to NPD. • From 2006 NPD also includes termly attendance and exclusions collected in arrears via the school census for secondary. From 2007 for other schools.

9. Who uses the NPD? • Identifiable data extracts (Name, UPN): • Internal DCSF colleagues • Some OGDs/NDPBs i.e. LSC, BIS • External researchers working on behalf of the SoS i.e. under contract • Sensitive data extracts (full postcode etc…): • Internal DCSF colleagues • Potentially all OGDs/NDPBs • Potentially all external researchers • Anyone who is requesting identifiable/sensitive data will be asked to complete a Business Case. • Fully anonymised data extracts: • Potentially anyone who is carrying out ‘educational’ research

10. New Developments in 2009 • New Indicators • Distance Travelled (nearest and current school) 2009 onwards • New Local Authorities following Local Government Reorganisation in April 2009 • Home Local Authority Code derived from pupil's postcode • Flag to indicate whether pupil has changed postcode since previous Spring Census • New Datasets being matched in • Key Stage 3 Teacher Assessments • Alternative Provision • Early Years • Children in Need

11. NPD User Guides • Are in the process of being updated for 2009 • Census • Key Stage 1 • Key Stage 2 All now available on PLUG site • Key Stage 3 • Foundation Stage Profile • Key Stage 4 In progress • Key Stage 5 • Feedback welcome!!

12. Developments in 2010? • We will be consulting PLUG users again in 2010 for any requirements for new indicators • A sibling indicator? Grateful for thoughts on usefulness and possible approaches? • Further Information will be posted on the PLUG website early next year • Please respond if you have any requirements for additional indicators or derived variables

13. Process for requesting NPD data • Anonymised ‘Pre-defined’ data extract: • E-mail NPD.Requests@dcsf.gsi.gov.uk • Complete confidentiality declaration form • Data request logged by NPD team • Data request considered by ‘Approvals Team’ • If approved, data extract created and transferred securely • Anonymised ‘Non pre-defined’ data extract: • As above but you will be asked to define in detail your requirements when you compete the declaration form. • Identifiable data extract: • On receipt of request you will be asked to complete a Business Case template describing what, why, when • Business Case approved or rejected by Head of Statistics • If approved process as above

14. Anonymised and Identifiable data • Anonymised data extracts exclude all identifiable and sensitive data items: • Identifiable and sensitive data items: • All name fields • UPN / ULN • Home Address • Age within academic year, • In care, SEN type, • Start / Leave date • Overseas pupil flag • DoB (anonymised to Year and month of birth) • Home postcode (anonymised to Super Output Area) • Full ethnicity (anonymised to ethnic group) • Full language (anonymised to language group) • Identifiable data extracts contain all or a combination of the above data items

15. The Legal Environment • DCSF Regulations – Onward disclosure of identifiable data governed in law by ‘The Education (Individual Pupil Information) (Prescribed Persons) (England) Regulations 2009’ • Prescribed Persons and Prescribed categories including ‘persons conducting research into the educational achievements of pupils and who require individual pupil information for that purpose’ • Requests from 3rd party independent researchers must fulfil this criteria or they will be rejected e.g. population and migration • DCSF have created specific secondary legislation with the UK Statistics Authority and its executive office the ONS to create a legal gateway that allows us to share some identifiable information with the UK Statistics Authority for specific purposes associated with population and migration

16. The Legal Environment • Increased scrutiny on data handling and data security • HESA data – can only be disclosed to DCSF / BIS, their partners and those working on behalf of the DCSF and BIS • ILR data – we are currently seeking legal advice about the onward disclosure of data from the ILR • Processing identifiable data overseas – we are currently awaiting advice from the Cabinet Office regarding the policy towards the processing of identifiable information overseas