This is the percentage of pupils in state-funded primary schools meeting the expected standard in reading, writing, and mathematics (RWM) at key stage 2 (KS2). The expected standard in reading and mathematics is a scaled score of 100 or above. The expected standard in writing is a teacher assessment of 'working at the expected standard' (EXS) or 'working at greater depth within the expected standard' (GDS).

All children in state-funded primary schools, including most academies and free schools, are required to take part in KS2 national curriculum assessments before they move to secondary school. Tests and teacher assessments provide complementary information about pupils' attainment. The tests are designed to show what pupils have achieved in selected parts of a subject at the end of each key stage. Teacher assessment is the teachers' judgement of each pupil's performance in the whole subject over the whole academic year.

The description 'state-funded primary schools' refers to LA maintained schools, academies, and free schools. Excludes alternative provision and independent schools. The 'England state-funded schools' figures here may be slightly different from the 'England state-funded schools only' figures in the national tables. The figures presented here have been calculated on the same basis as the LA figures in this table (i.e., including pupils with missing results or pending maladministration).

Writing teacher assessment and reading, writing, and maths (combined) measures from 2018 onwards are not directly comparable to previous years due to changes in the writing teacher assessment frameworks. Data is not available for 2020 and 2021 as assessments were cancelled in these years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data is Powered by LG Inform Plus and automatically checked for new data on the 3rd of each month.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

Background to the PACE study
The PACE (Primary Assessment, Curriculum and Experience) project aimed to study the impact on English primary schools of the introduction, following the 1988 Education Reform Act, of the National Curriculum and its associated assessment procedures. Questionnaires and interviews with heads and infant teachers in forty-eight schools in eight varied areas, provided background data for a closer focus on nine schools. Children as well as teachers in primary school classes were interviewed. These randomly selected pupils formed a cohort who have taken part in the subsequent years of the study. New assessment procedures were also observed and analysed as they were introduced.
The project consisted of three phases: phase 1 (SN:3486) was carried out in 1990-1992, phase 2 (SN:3470) in 1993-1994 and phase 3(SN:3969) in 1995-1996.
Pupils of the original cohort, continued to be observed and interviewed, as did their teachers into year 6 (phase 3). In addition, teachers and heads in the wider sample of schools have again been interviewed; in this phase both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 teachers provide material on the degree and kind of change experienced in primary schools during a period of unprecedented innovation.

Phase Two of the PACE Study (PACE 2)
This dataset consists of four files:
PACE Year 3 and 4 Teachers Interviews 1993 (9T INT 93)
PACE Headteacher Interviews 1994 (9HT INT 94)
PACE Advance Questionnaire to Teachers and Headmasters 1994 (AQ 3 94)
PACE Year 1 and Year 2 Teacher Interviews 1994 (10T INT 94)
The aims of the survey are:
1. To monitor the progressive implementation in primary schools of the National Curriculum and associated assessment procedures, following the Education Reform Act (1988) by building on Stage 1 of the PACE (Primary Assessment, Curriculum and Experience) project (PACE 1). In Stage 2 of the PACE project (PACE 2), this will focus on:
Continuity and progression in the Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 transfer: the research will analyse curriculum provision, assessment practice, classroom pedagogy and pupil experience.
Teachers' changing perceptions of innovation: the project will consider the degree to which such innovations become routinised and the differences in response of infant and junior teachers and headteachers.
2. To advance theoretical understanding of the sustained effects of multiple innovations on processes of teaching and learning in primary classrooms. This work will focus on:
Curriculum, pedagogy, and pupil experiences, assessment practices, and teacher professionalism.
3. To provide a basis for the final projected stage of the PACE project (PACE 3) which will continue to focus on the above issues as pupils move through the later years of Key Stage 2 and are subject to the National Curriculum and assessment procedures at age 11.
Main Topics:

Year 3 and 4 teachers Interviews 1993 (9T INT 93): Teacher background characteristics; pedagogy and pupil experience; curriculum change and continuity; assessment practices; impact of the National Curriculum on teaching and learning; changes in teachers' roles; changes in planning and management within the school; teacher/pupil relationships; staff relationships.
Headteacher Interviews 1994 (9HT INT 94): Headteacher perspectives; school relationships; impact of recent policy changes; curriculum and pedagogy; assessment policy; pupil experience.
Year 1 and Year 2 Teacher Interviews 1994 (10T INT 94): Teacher background characteristics; pedagogy and pupil experience; curriculum change and continuity; assessment practices; impact of the National Curriculum on teaching and learning; changes in teachers' roles; changes in planning and management within the school; teacher/pupil relationships; staff relationships.
Advance Questionnaire to Teachers and Headmasters 1994 (AQ 3 94): Characteristics of teachers and headteachers, e.g. age, sex, years of experience, socio-economic catchment area of school; educational objectives for the children; accountability; meaning of professional responsibility.

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.Background to the PACE study The PACE (Primary Assessment, Curriculum and Experience) project aimed to study the impact on English primary schools of the introduction, following the 1988 Education Reform Act, of the National Curriculum and its associated assessment procedures. Questionnaires and interviews with heads and infant teachers in forty-eight schools in eight varied areas, provided background data for a closer focus on nine schools. Children as well as teachers in primary school classes were interviewed. These randomly selected pupils formed a cohort who have taken part in the subsequent years of the study. New assessment procedures were also observed and analysed as they were introduced. The project consisted of three phases: phase 1 (SN:3486) was carried out in 1990-1992, phase 2 (SN:3470) in 1993-1994 and phase 3(SN:3969) in 1995-1996. Pupils of the original cohort, continued to be observed and interviewed, as did their teachers into year 6 (phase 3). In addition, teachers and heads in the wider sample of schools have again been interviewed; in this phase both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 teachers provide material on the degree and kind of change experienced in primary schools during a period of unprecedented innovation. Phase Two of the PACE Study (PACE 2) This dataset consists of four files: PACE Year 3 and 4 Teachers Interviews 1993 (9T INT 93) PACE Headteacher Interviews 1994 (9HT INT 94) PACE Advance Questionnaire to Teachers and Headmasters 1994 (AQ 3 94) PACE Year 1 and Year 2 Teacher Interviews 1994 (10T INT 94) The aims of the survey are: 1. To monitor the progressive implementation in primary schools of the National Curriculum and associated assessment procedures, following the Education Reform Act (1988) by building on Stage 1 of the PACE (Primary Assessment, Curriculum and Experience) project (PACE 1). In Stage 2 of the PACE project (PACE 2), this will focus on: Continuity and progression in the Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 transfer: the research will analyse curriculum provision, assessment practice, classroom pedagogy and pupil experience. Teachers' changing perceptions of innovation: the project will consider the degree to which such innovations become routinised and the differences in response of infant and junior teachers and headteachers. 2. To advance theoretical understanding of the sustained effects of multiple innovations on processes of teaching and learning in primary classrooms. This work will focus on: Curriculum, pedagogy, and pupil experiences, assessment practices, and teacher professionalism. 3. To provide a basis for the final projected stage of the PACE project (PACE 3) which will continue to focus on the above issues as pupils move through the later years of Key Stage 2 and are subject to the National Curriculum and assessment procedures at age 11. Main Topics: Year 3 and 4 teachers Interviews 1993 (9T INT 93): Teacher background characteristics; pedagogy and pupil experience; curriculum change and continuity; assessment practices; impact of the National Curriculum on teaching and learning; changes in teachers' roles; changes in planning and management within the school; teacher/pupil relationships; staff relationships. Headteacher Interviews 1994 (9HT INT 94): Headteacher perspectives; school relationships; impact of recent policy changes; curriculum and pedagogy; assessment policy; pupil experience. Year 1 and Year 2 Teacher Interviews 1994 (10T INT 94): Teacher background characteristics; pedagogy and pupil experience; curriculum change and continuity; assessment practices; impact of the National Curriculum on teaching and learning; changes in teachers' roles; changes in planning and management within the school; teacher/pupil relationships; staff relationships. Advance Questionnaire to Teachers and Headmasters 1994 (AQ 3 94): Characteristics of teachers and headteachers, e.g. age, sex, years of experience, socio-economic catchment area of school; educational objectives for the children; accountability; meaning of professional responsibility.

The Achievement and Attainment Tables (now re-named Performance Tables) provide information on the achievements of pupils in local primary schools, how they compare with other schools in the Local Authority (LA) area, and in England as a whole.

Source agency: Education

Designation: Official Statistics not designated as National Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: Achievement and Attainment Tables, Key Stage 2

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Department for Education (DfE) commissioned the Our Future study (also known as the Second Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE2)) at the beginning of 2013. This is one of the largest and most challenging studies of young people ever commissioned and aims to build upon the Next Steps study (LSYPE1), which began in 2004, following young people from the age of 13/14 onwards (Next Steps is held at the UK Data Archive under SN 5545 (End User Licence) and SN 7104 (Secure Access)).

The purposes of Our Future are:

• to follow a sample of young people through the final years of compulsory education; through their transition from compulsory education to other forms of education, training employment, and other activities
• to collect information about their career paths and about the factors affecting them; and
• to provide a strategic evidence base about the lives and experiences of young people

It is intended that Our Future will track a sample of over 13,000 young people from the age of 13/14 annually through to the age of 20 (seven waves).

The study currently includes data from Wave 1 to 3 of Our Future. Face-to-face interviews with both the young people and their parents were conducted between April and September 2013 when the young people were 13/14 (in school Year 9) for Wave 1, between April and September 2014 when the young people were 14/15 (in Year 10) for Wave 2 and between April and September 2015 when the young people were 15/16 (in Year 11) for Wave 3.

Besides the Safe Room Access version, a Secure Access version (SN 7838) is available.

For the second edition (March 2018), data and documentation for Waves 2 and 3 were added to the study. Also included is a NPD linked data file containing linked pupil-level KS2 results and two datasets to support analysis with missing data for KS2 attainment for pupils who attended boycott schools in 2010. Further information is available in the User Guide.


Main Topics:

The Our Future survey covers a wide range of topics from the main parent, second parent and young person interviews, including:

• the young person's family background
• parental socio-economic status
• personal characteristics
• attitudes, experiences and behaviours
• parental employment
• income and family environment as well as local deprivation
• the school(s) the young person attends/has attended
• the young person's future plans

The Safe Room Access version includes a general survey data file that has similar variables to the End User Licence dataset, plus the majority of sensitive derived, sample, geodemographic and survey variables excluded from the End User Licence file. Some of the most sensitive variables remain anonymised in this file. This file is accompanied by three files of National Pupil Database (NPD) data, which exclude all sensitive variables:

• school-level census data about the school the young person attended, from 2006, 2010 and 2013, i.e. the years they completed Key Stage (KS) 1, KS2 and KS3; this also includes Ofsted ratings and geodemographic data
• pupil-level data about the young person's KS1 attainment, from 2006
• school-level data about the KS1 and KS4 levels of attainment in the school the young person attended, from 2006 and 2013, respectively

In addition, the Safe Room Access version also includes four datasets containing the most sensitive survey and geodemographic variables, covering:

• detailed characteristics
• income
• health
• care

The survey data files in the Safe Room Access version include the detailed geographical variables Local Authority Districts and Super Output Areas (Lower Layer). In addition, the NPD files also include Parliamentary Constituencies and Wards (Census Area Statistics).

The above data files are also included in the Secure Access version of Our Future (SN 7838). The Safe Room Access version also includes an additional data file not available elsewhere: a pupil-level NPD file, containing particularly sensitive information about the young person such as their ethnicity, free school meal status and Special Educational Needs status.

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.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.

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).

Release of Sweeps 1 to 4 to Long Format (Summer 2020)To support longitudinal research and make it easier to compare data from different time points, all data from across all sweeps is now in a consistent format. The update affects the data from sweeps 1 to 4 (from 9 months to 7 years), which are updated from the old/wide to a new/long format to match the format of data of sweeps 5 and 6 (age 11 and 14 sweeps). The old/wide formatted datasets contained one row per family with multiple variables for different respondents. The new/long formatted datasets contain one row per respondent (per parent or per cohort member) for each MCS family. Additional updates have been made to all sweeps to harmonise variable labels and enhance anonymisation.

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...

This is one of the 7 domains of the IMD, the indicators used in the latest update of this domain are; - Average test score of pupils at Key Stage 2 - Average test score of pupils at Key Stage 3 - Best of 8 average capped points score at Key Stage 4 (this includes results of GCSEs, GNVQs and other vocational equivalents) - Proportion of young people not staying on in school or non-advanced education above the age of 16 - Secondary school absence rate - Proportion of those aged under 21 not entering higher education - Proportion of working age adults with no or low qualifications The methodology for producing this domain changed between 2004 and 2007. The longer time series in Key Stage 2 results allowed weighted average of results to be taken in 2007; this reduced the variability in the results. More information about this domain can be found in Chapter 2, Section 5 of the English Indices of Deprivation 2007 report.