The Great Britain Historical Database has been assembled as part of the ongoing Great Britain Historical GIS Project. The project aims to trace the emergence of the north-south divide in Britain and to provide a synoptic view of the human geography of Britain at sub-county scales. Further information about the project is available on A Vision of Britain webpages, where users can browse the database's documentation system online.

Although these data come from the reports of the 1851 Census, they result not from the main household enumeration but from a separate survey of school attendance conducted on 31st March 1851. While modern census education statistics, from 1951 onwards, are concerned mainly with educational attainment, measured by either level of qualification achieved or age at termination of education, the 1851 data are concerned mainly with how schools were funded, and in particular the role of different religious denominations, which were very finely categorised. The only data concerning pupils are the numbers of female and male pupils on the attendance register of each category of school, except that for Scotland there are separate counts of the actual numbers of females and males in attendance on the census day.

United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Female: % Net data was reported at 99.329 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 98.349 % for 2014. United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Female: % Net data is updated yearly, averaging 92.734 % from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2015, with 41 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 99.329 % in 2015 and a record low of 70.787 % in 1971. United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Female: % Net data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Net enrollment rate is the ratio of children of official school age who are enrolled in school to the population of the corresponding official school age. Secondary education completes the provision of basic education that began at the primary level, and aims at laying the foundations for lifelong learning and human development, by offering more subject- or skill-oriented instruction using more specialized teachers.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Private: % of Total Secondary data was reported at 70.828 % in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 69.494 % for 2014. United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Private: % of Total Secondary data is updated yearly, averaging 27.445 % from Dec 1999 (Median) to 2015, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 70.828 % in 2015 and a record low of 24.869 % in 2007. United Kingdom UK: School Enrollment: Secondary: Private: % of Total Secondary data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. Private enrollment refers to pupils or students enrolled in institutions that are not operated by a public authority but controlled and managed, whether for profit or not, by a private body such as a nongovernmental organization, religious body, special interest group, foundation or business enterprise.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The Great Britain Historical Database has been assembled as part of the ongoing Great Britain Historical GIS Project. The project aims to trace the emergence of the north-south divide in Britain and to provide a synoptic view of the human geography of Britain at sub-county scales. Further information about the project is available on A Vision of Britain webpages, where users can browse the database's documentation system online. Although these data come from the reports of the 1851 Census, they result not from the main household enumeration but from a separate survey of school attendance conducted on 31st March 1851. While modern census education statistics, from 1951 onwards, are concerned mainly with educational attainment, measured by either level of qualification achieved or age at termination of education, the 1851 data are concerned mainly with how schools were funded, and in particular the role of different religious denominations, which were very finely categorised. The only data concerning pupils are the numbers of female and male pupils on the attendance register of each category of school, except that for Scotland there are separate counts of the actual numbers of females and males in attendance on the census day. Main Topics: Numbers of schools, and total numbers of female and male pupils, in schools of different types in each area. Schools are divided into day schools and sunday schools, and day schools are finely categorised in terms of how they were administered and funded, with a particular emphasis on schools operated by different religious demominations.

United Kingdom UK: Secondary Education: Pupils: % Female data was reported at 49.596 % in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 49.805 % for 2014. United Kingdom UK: Secondary Education: Pupils: % Female data is updated yearly, averaging 49.195 % from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2015, with 45 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 49.921 % in 2013 and a record low of 48.422 % in 1971. United Kingdom UK: Secondary Education: Pupils: % Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.World Bank: Education Statistics. Female pupils as a percentage of total pupils at secondary level includes enrollments in public and private schools.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

Next Steps (also known as the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE1)) is a major longitudinal cohort study following a nationally representative group of around 16,000 who were in Year 9 attending state and independent schools in England in 2004, a cohort born in 1989-90.

The first seven sweeps of the study were conducted annually (2004-2010) when the study was funded and managed by the Department for Education (DfE). The study mainly focused on the educational and early labour market experiences of young people.

In 2015 Next Steps was restarted, under the management of the Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS) at the UCL Faculty of Education and Society (IOE) and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. The Next Steps Age 25 survey was aimed at increasing the understanding of the lives of young adults growing up today and the transitions out of education and into early adult life.

The Next Steps Age 32 Survey took place between April 2022 and September 2023 and is the ninth sweep of the study. The Age 32 Survey aimed to provide data for research and policy on the lives of this generation of adults in their early 30s. This sweep also collected information on many wider aspects of cohort members' lives including health and wellbeing, politics and social participation, identity and attitudes as well as capturing personality, resilience, working memory and financial literacy.

Next Steps survey data is also linked to the National Pupil Database (NPD), the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), the Individualised Learner Records (ILR) and the Student Loans Company (SLC).

There are now two separate studies that began under the LSYPE programme. The second study, Our Future (LSYPE2) (available at the UK Data Service under GN 2000110), began in 2013 and will track a sample of over 13,000 young people annually from ages 13/14 through to age 20.

Further information about Next Steps may be found on the CLS website.

Secure Access datasets:

Secure Access versions of Next Steps have more restrictive access conditions than Safeguarded versions available under the standard End User Licence (see 'Access' section).

Secure Access versions of the Next Steps include:

• sensitive variables from the questionnaire data for Sweeps 1-9. These are available under Secure Access SN 8656.
  
• National Pupil Database (NPD) linked data at Key Stages 2, 3, 4 and 5, England. These are available under SN 7104.
• Linked Individualised Learner Records learner and learning aims datasets for academic years 2005 to 2014, England. These are available under SN 8577.
  
• detailed geographic indicators for Sweep 1 and Sweep 8 (2001 Census Boundaries) - available under SN 8189 and geographic indicators for Sweep 8 (2011 Census Boundaries) - available under SN 8190. The Sweep 1 geography file was previously held under SN 7104.
• Linked Health Administrative Datasets (Hospital Episode Statistics) for years 1998-2017 held under SN 8681.
• Linked Student Loans Company Records for years 2007-2021 held under SN 8848.

When researchers are approved/accredited to access a Secure Access version of Next Steps, the Safeguarded (EUL) version of the study - Next Steps: Sweeps 1-9, 2004-2023 (SN 5545) - will be automatically provided alongside.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) is a non-profit making government-owned organisation that administers loans and grants to students in colleges and universities in the UK. The Next Steps: Linked Administrative Datasets (Student Loans Company Records), 2007 - 2021: Secure Access includes data on higher education loans for those Next Steps participant who provided consent to SLC linkage in the age 25 sweep. The matched SLC data contains information about participant's applications for student finance, payment transactions posted to participant's accounts, repayment details and overseas assessment details.

Main Topics:

The study includes four datasets:

Applicant: SLC data on cohort member’s application for student finance between academic years 2007 and 2020

Payments: SLC data on payment transactions made to cohort member between financial years 2007 and 2021.

Repayments: SLC data on cohort member’s repayment transactions between financial years 2009 and 2021.

Overseas: SLC data on overseas assessment for cohort member between 2007 and 2020

Background:
The Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) is a large-scale, multi-purpose longitudinal dataset providing information about babies born at the beginning of the 21st century, their progress through life, and the families who are bringing them up, for the four countries of the United Kingdom. The original objectives of the first MCS survey, as laid down in the proposal to the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in March 2000, were:

• to chart the initial conditions of social, economic and health advantages and disadvantages facing children born at the start of the 21st century, capturing information that the research community of the future will require
• to provide a basis for comparing patterns of development with the preceding cohorts (the National Child Development Study, held at the UK Data Archive under GN 33004, and the 1970 Birth Cohort Study, held under GN 33229)
• to collect information on previously neglected topics, such as fathers' involvement in children's care and development
• to focus on parents as the most immediate elements of the children's 'background', charting their experience as mothers and fathers of newborn babies in the year 2000, recording how they (and any other children in the family) adapted to the newcomer, and what their aspirations for her/his future may be
• to emphasise intergenerational links including those back to the parents' own childhood
• to investigate the wider social ecology of the family, including social networks, civic engagement and community facilities and services, splicing in geo-coded data when available

Additional objectives subsequently included for MCS were:

• to provide control cases for the national evaluation of Sure Start (a government programme intended to alleviate child poverty and social exclusion)
• to provide samples of adequate size to analyse and compare the smaller countries of the United Kingdom, and include disadvantaged areas of England

Further information about the MCS can be found on the Centre for Longitudinal Studies web pages.

The content of MCS studies, including questions, topics and variables can be explored via the CLOSER Discovery website.

The first sweep (MCS1) interviewed both mothers and (where resident) fathers (or father-figures) of infants included in the sample when the babies were nine months old, and the second sweep (MCS2) was carried out with the same respondents when the children were three years of age. The third sweep (MCS3) was conducted in 2006, when the children were aged five years old, the fourth sweep (MCS4) in 2008, when they were seven years old, the fifth sweep (MCS5) in 2012-2013, when they were eleven years old, the sixth sweep (MCS6) in 2015, when they were fourteen years old, and the seventh sweep (MCS7) in 2018, when they were seventeen years old. End User Licence versions of MCS studies:
The End User Licence (EUL) versions of MCS1, MCS2, MCS3, MCS4, MCS5, MCS6 and MCS7 are held under UK Data Archive SNs 4683, 5350, 5795, 6411, 7464, 8156 and 8682 respectively. The longitudinal family file is held under SN 8172.

Sub-sample studies:
Some studies based on sub-samples of MCS have also been conducted, including a study of MCS respondent mothers who had received assisted fertility treatment, conducted in 2003 (see EUL SN 5559). Also, birth registration and maternity hospital episodes for the MCS respondents are held as a separate dataset (see EUL SN 5614).


How to access genetic and/or bio-medical sample data from a range of longitudinal surveys:
For information on how to access biomedical data from MCS that are not held at the UKDS, see the CLS Genetic data and biological samples webpage.

Secure Access datasets:
Secure Access versions of the MCS have more restrictive access conditions than versions available under the standard End User Licence or Special Licence (see 'Access data' tab above).

Secure Access versions of the MCS include:

• detailed sensitive variables not available under EUL. These have been grouped thematically and are held under SN 8753 (socio-economic, accommodation and occupational data), SN 8754 (self-reported health, behaviour and fertility), SN 8755 (demographics, language and religion) and SN 8756 (exact participation dates). These files replace previously available studies held under SNs 8456 and 8622-8627
  
• detailed geographical identifier files which are grouped by sweep held under SN 7758 (MCS1), SN 7759 (MCS2), SN 7760 (MCS3), SN 7761 (MCS4), SN 7762 (MCS5 2001 Census Boundaries), SN 7763 (MCS5 2011 Census Boundaries), SN 8231 (MCS6 2001 Census Boundaries), SN 8232 (MCS6 2011 Census Boundaries), SN 8757 (MCS7), SN 8758 (MCS7 2001 Census Boundaries) and SN 8759 (MCS7 2011 Census Boundaries). These files replace previously available files grouped by geography SN 7049 (Ward level), SN 7050 (Lower Super Output Area level), and SN 7051 (Output Area level)
• linked education administrative datasets for Key Stages 1, 2, 4 and 5 held under SN 8481 (England). This replaces previously available datasets for Key Stage 1 (SN 6862) and Key Stage 2 (SN 7712)
  
• linked education administrative datasets for Key Stage 1 held under SN 7414 (Scotland)
• linked education administrative dataset for Key Stages 1, 2, 3 and 4 under SN 9085 (Wales)
  
• linked NHS Patient Episode Database for Wales (PEDW) for MCS1 – MCS5 held under SN 8302
• linked Scottish Medical Records data held under SNs 8709, 8710, 8711, 8712, 8713 and 8714;
• Banded Distances to English Grammar Schools for MCS5 held under SN 8394
• linked Health Administrative Datasets (Hospital Episode Statistics) for England for years 2000-2019 held under SN 9030
• linked Health Administrative Datasets (SAIL) for Wales held under SN 9310
  
• linked Hospital of Birth data held under SN 5724.

The linked education administrative datasets held under SNs 8481,7414 and 9085 may be ordered alongside the MCS detailed geographical identifier files only if sufficient justification is provided in the application. Users are also only allowed access to either 2001 or 2011 of Geographical Identifiers Census Boundaries studies. So for MCS5 either SN 7762 (2001 Census Boundaries) or SN 7763 (2011 Census Boundaries), for the MCS6 users are only allowed either SN 8231 (2001 Census Boundaries) or SN 8232 (2011 Census Boundaries); and the same applies for MCS7 so either SN 8758 (2001 Census Boundaries) or SN 8759 (2011 Census Boundaries).

Researchers applying for access to the Secure Access MCS datasets should indicate on their ESRC Accredited Researcher application form the EUL dataset(s) that they also wish to access (selected from the MCS Series Access web page).

SN 8481 - MCS Linked Education Administrative Datasets (NPD), England: Secure Access

This study includes data files from the Department for Education’s National Pupil Database and the Pupil Level Annual School Census for those cohort members attending a school in England at the time of interview. The following linked NPD data are available:

• Pupil level school census data from N1 (first year nursery 2003/2004) to year 11 (2016/17)
• KS1, KS2, KS4 and KS5 results data for years 2, 6, 11, 12 and 13 respectively
• Absence data from year 1 to year 11

Also included are derived school-level datasets providing information about school characteristics and school changes:

• School characteristics data from N1 to year 11
• School change information from N1 to year 11

Datasets include anonymised School identifiers (URN) and anonymised Local Education Authorities (LEA) to allow comparison of results across LEA and school. The data were obtained only for children whose parents/carers gave consent to

United Kingdom UK: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Primary School Enrollment: Gross data was reported at 0.999 Ratio in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.998 Ratio for 2014. United Kingdom UK: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Primary School Enrollment: Gross data is updated yearly, averaging 1.001 Ratio from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2015, with 40 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.007 Ratio in 1991 and a record low of 0.995 Ratio in 2010. United Kingdom UK: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Primary School Enrollment: Gross data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.World Bank: Education Statistics. Gender parity index for gross enrollment ratio in primary education is the ratio of girls to boys enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

This dataset shows the location of Higher Education (HE) and Further Education (FE) institutes in the Great Britain. This should cover Universities and Colleges. Many institutes have more than one campus and where possible this is refelcted in the data so a University may have more than one entry. Postcodes have also been included for instities where possible. This data was collected from various sources connected with HEFE in the UK including JISC and EDINA. This represents the fullest list that the author could compile from various sources. If you spot a missing institution, please contact the author and they will add it to the dataset. GIS vector data. This dataset was first accessioned in the EDINA ShareGeo Open repository on 2011-02-01 and migrated to Edinburgh DataShare on 2017-02-21.

The data gives the name, address, postcode, co-ordinates and enrolment data for schools in Northern Ireland. Further information regarding schools can be found on DE's website http://apps.education-ni.gov.uk/appinstitutes/default.aspx and ETI inspection reports on their website https://www.etini.gov.uk/

These data show the percentage of pupils at state funded schools who live more than 2 miles from school (for those aged under 8) or 3 miles from school (for those aged over 8), 2018.

Warning: These data are taken from analysis used to create the GLA London Schools Atlas which is based on data from the DfE National Pupil Database. These rates are taken from the variable 'SC_Pupil.DistCurrSch - Distance in miles from pupil postcode to current school'. This is not exactly the same as the nearest walking distance used for eligibility for local authority funding for free travel to school.

Further information about the NPD data can be found here: https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/london-schools-atlas

https://find-npd-data.education.gov.uk/en/datasets/8f8bb519-0d73-4150-997b-f10227d5df31

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.The National Pupil Database (NPD) is one of the richest education datasets in the world. It is a longitudinal database which links pupil characteristics to information about attainment for those who attend schools and colleges in England. There are a range of data sources in the NPD providing detailed information about children's education at different stages (pre-school, primary and secondary education and further education). Pupil level information was first collected in January 2002 as part of the Pupil Level Annual Schools Census (PLASC). The School Census replaced the PLASC in 2006 for secondary schools and in 2007 for nursery, primary and special schools. The School Census is carried out three times a year in the spring, summer and autumn terms (January, May and October respectively) and provides the Department for Education with both pupil and school-level data. The NPD is available through the UK Data Archive in three tiers. Tiers two and three are the most sensitive and must be accessed via the Archive's safe room, whereas tier four can be accessed remotely through the Archive's Secure Lab. Tier two contains individual pupil level data which is identifiable and sensitive. Individual pupil level extracts include sensitive information about pupils and their characteristics, including items described as 'sensitive personal data' within the UK Data Protection Act 1998 which have been recoded to become less sensitive. Examples of sensitive data items include ethnic group major, ethnic group minor, language group major, language group minor, Special Educational Needs and eligibility for Free School Meals. Tier three represents aggregated school level data which is identifiable and sensitive. Included are aggregated extracts of school level data from the Department of Education's School Level Database which include items described as 'sensitive personal data' within the Data Protection Act 1998 and could include small numbers and single counts. For example, there is 1 white boy eligible for Free School Meals in school x who did not achieve level 4 in English and maths at Key Stage 2. Tier four represents less sensitive data than tiers two and three. Included are individual pupil level extracts that do not contain information about pupils and their characteristics which are considered to be identifying or described as sensitive personal data within the Data Protection Act 1998. For example, the extracts may include information about pupil attainment, prior attainment, progression and pupil absences but do not include any identifying data items like names and addresses and any information about pupil characteristics other than gender. Extracts from the NPD are also available directly from the Department of Education through GOV.UK's National pupil database: apply for a data extract web page. The fourth edition (September 2017) includes a data file and documentation for the year 2016.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

Understanding Society (UK Household Longitudinal Study), which began in 2009, is conducted by the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Essex, and the survey research organisations Verian Group and NatCen. It builds on and incorporates the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), which began in 1991.

Secure Access Dataset:
The Understanding Society: Linked Education Administrative Datasets (National Pupil Database), England, 1995-2018: Secure Access study contains nine files extracted from the National Pupil Database (NPD) for England. These can be linked (within the Secure Access service) to Understanding Society participants using the cross-wave personal identifier (variable pidp). The NPD files include information on pupil background, attainment, school absences and exclusions for all individuals with a valid consent to education linkage collected in Waves 1 and 4 of Understanding Society. This includes consents collected from parents of children aged 4-15 and of young adults aged 16+ and born in 1981 or later. The included files cover Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) data on pupil background; pupil attainment data for the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) (age 5) and Key Stages (KS) 1 (age 7), KS2 (age 11), KS3 (age 14), KS4 (age 16) and KS5 (ages 17-18); and absences and exclusions (ages 4-18). See documentation for further details.

Related UK Data Archive studies:
The equivalent study to this one that covers Scotland is in preparation.

This study is frequently linked through the pidp variable to one of the main Understanding Society datasets: SN 6614 (End User Licence), SN 6931 (Special Licence) or SN 6676 (Secure Access). A Special Licence dataset containing School Codes for the main Understanding Society study (SN 7182) is also available. Further details can be found on the Understanding Society series Key data webpage.

The Archive also holds separate (i.e. not linked to Understanding Society) data from the National Pupil Database, available under Secure Access and Safe Room Access conditions. See SNs 7626, 7627 and 7628 (Secure Access) and SNs 7590, 7625, 7600, 7595, 7612 and 7606 (Safe Room Access) for details.

Latest edition information

The third edition (November 2020) includes Understanding Society participants who gave consent at Wave 4 and could be linked to the National Pupil Database (NPD). It includes NPD data up to academic year 2017/18. It also contains Understanding Society participants who gave consent and could be linked at Wave 1 and did not re-consent at Wave 4. NPD data up to academic year 2012/13 is included for these participants.

Main Topics:

Topics covered in the data files include educational attainment scores, test/examination results, and school absences and exclusions, with a linking variable for matching with Understanding Society data as noted in the Abstract section above. Local authority identifiers and individual school codes are included in the data. Demographic information such as ethnic groups, languages spoken at home, deprivation indices, eligibility for free school meals and special educational needs is also included in the PLASC Census file. See documentation for further details.

The COVID Social Mobility and Opportunities Study (COSMO) is a longitudinal cohort study, a collaboration between the UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities (CEPEO), the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS), and the Sutton Trust. The overarching aim of COSMO is to provide a representative data resource to support research into how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the life chances of pupils with different characteristics, in terms of short-term effects on educational attainment, and long-term educational and career outcomes.

The topics covered by COSMO include, but are not limited to, young people's education experiences during the pandemic, cancelled assessments and education and career aspirations. They have also been asked for consent for linking their survey data to their administrative data held by organisations such as the UK Department for Education (DfE). Linked data is planned to be made available to researchers through the ONS Secure Research Service.

Young people who were in Year 11 in the 2020-2021 academic year were drawn as a clustered and stratified random sample from the National Pupil Database held by the DfE, as well as from a separate sample of independent schools from DfE's Get Information about Schools database. The parents/guardians of the sampled young people were also invited to take part in COSMO. Data from parents/guardians complement the data collected from young people.

Further information about the study may be found on the COVID Social Mobility and Opportunities Study (COSMO) webpage.

Further information about the study may be found on the COSMO website.

These data were generated as part of a two-and-a-half-year ESRC-funded research project examining the digitalisation of higher education (HE) and the educational technology (Edtech) industry in HE. Building on a theoretical lens of assetisation, it focused on forms of value in the sector, and governance challenges of digital data. It followed three groups of actors: UK universities, Edtech companies, and investors in Edtech. The researchers first sought to develop an overview of the Edtech industry in HE by building three databases on Edtech companies, investors in Edtech, and investment deals, using data downloaded from Crunchbase, a proprietary platform. Due to Crunchbase’s Terms of Service, only parts of one database are allowed to be submitted to this repository, i.e. a list of companies with the project’s classification. A report offering descriptive analysis of all three databases was produced and is submitted as well. A qualitative discursive analysis was conducted by analysing seven documents in depth. In the second phase, researchers conducted interviews with participants representing three groups of actors (n=43) and collected documents on their organisations. Moreover, a list of documents collected from Big Tech (Microsoft, Amazon, and Salesforce) were collected to contextualise the role of global digital infrastructure in HE. Due to commercial sensitivity, only lists of documents collected about investors and Big Tech are submitted to the repository. Researchers then conducted focus groups (n=6) with representatives of universities (n=19). The dataset includes transcripts of focus groups and outputs of writing by participants during the focus group. Finally, a public consultation was held via a survey, and 15 participants offered qualitative answers.

The higher education (HE) sector has been marketised for decades; but the speed, scope, and extent of marketisation has led key education scholars to conceptualise it as a global industry (Verger, Lubienski, & Steiner-Khamsi, 2016). Further, the use of technology to transform teaching and learning, as well as the profound digitalisation of universities more broadly, has led universities to collect and process an unprecedented amount of digital data. Education technology (EdTech) companies have become one of the key players in the HE industry and the UK has made EdTech one of its key pillars in its recent international education strategy (HM Government, 2019). EdTech companies are reporting unprecedented growth. In 2019, Coursera became a 'unicorn' (i.e. a company worth over $1 billion), while British-based FutureLearn secured £50 million investment by selling 50% shares of the company. Investment in EdTech is growing at an impressive rate and reached $16.3bn in 2018 (ET, 2019). While EdTech start-up companies strive to become 'unicorns' and profit from HE, so too might universities increasingly look for new ways of profiting from the wealth of digital data they produce.

The study of HE markets has so far focused on service-commodities. However, data and data products do not act like commodities. Commodities are consumed once used, but data is reproducible at almost zero marginal cost. New products and services can be created from data and monetised through subscription fees, an app, or a platform that does not transfer ownership, control, or reproduction rights to the user. Furthermore, data use creates yet more data, and the network effects increase the value of these platforms. Therefore, there is a new quality at play in the monetisation and marketisation of these digital HE products and services: 'assetization'. We are witnessing a widespread change from creating value via market exchange towards extracting value via the ownership and control of assets.

This research project aims to investigate these new processes of value creation and extraction in an HE sector that is digitalising its operations and introducing new digital solutions premised on the expansion of service fees. By introducing a focus on assets, and economic rents, this project offers a theoretically and empirically transformative approach to understand emerging HE markets and their implications for the HE sector. The assetization of HE is consequential because of the legal and technical implications for its regulation. It is also crucial to examine in any discussion about the legitimate and socially just arrangement and distribution of assets, their ownership, and their uses. The project employs an innovative, comparative, and participatory mixed-methods research design. It combines digital methods, interviews, observation, document analysis, deliberative focus groups, knowledge exchange and co-production with stakeholders, and public consultation. Data analysis will include quantitative and qualitative analysis of investment trends, comparative case studies of investors, EdTech companies and universities, and social network analysis.

The application of this...

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

UNESCO is a major collector and disseminator of statistical data on education and related subjects. Its statistical activities are aimed at providing relevant, reliable and current information for development and policy-making purposes, both at the national and international levels, and the production of reliable statistical indicators for education. These indicators cover four main areas: educational population; access and participation; the efficiency and effectiveness of education; human and financial resources.
The UNESCO Education Database covers a wide range of these areas, at four main educational levels: pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary, in accordance with the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) system. This system provides standard definitions for each of the four levels of education examined. UNESCO collects and collates education data according to these definitions from approximately 200 countries, and compiles them into the Education Database time series, which is published annually.

Main Topics:

Tertiary' education is defined by UNESCO as education above secondary (school) level, and is referred to asthird' level education, according to ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education). Education at this ISCED level includes both further and higher education, and generally takes place at institutions other than schools. These educational institutions are classified in three categories: universities and equivalent degree granting institutions, distance learning' universities (similar to the <i>Open University</i> in the United Kingdom), and other third level educational institutes. <br> Topics covered in this data collection include: numbers of students and teachers, students' field of study (subject group), students and teachers by institution type (as per three categories above), andforeign' students (see also Foreign Students Statistics, SN:3698). All data are definable by gender.