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SQA attainment and school leaver qualifications in Scotland: 2002/03

March 30, 2004

A Scottish Executive National Statistics Publication

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The tables are available in an Excel Spreadsheet

This Statistics Publication Notice presents information on the attainment of National Qualifications by pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools and by school leavers. Selected information on attainment in special schools and independent schools is also included. It updates Statistics Publication Notice "School Attainment and Qualifications of School Leavers in Scotland: 2001/02" published on 25 March 2003.

For the first time, this Notice also presents attainment data by a number of different pupil characteristics. This data is now available due to the new way in which school census data is collected on an individual pupil level through the Scottish Exchange in Educational Data (ScotXed) Programme.

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) is used as the basis for reporting attainment. The SCQF levels are shown below for information.

The main findings are:

Attainment:

• Since their introduction in 1999/00, attainment at Intermediate 1 and Intermediate 2 has more than doubled in S5 and now represent almost 40 per cent of all attainment in S5. There has not been a corresponding fall in the number of S5 pupils attaining SCQF level 6. ( Table 1)
• Cumulative attainment is greater for females than males in all stages and in all categories. This has been the case from 1998/99 to 2002/03. ( Table 2)
• The number of exams taken in special schools fell very slightly in 2002/03 to 2,754, from 2,808 in 2001/02, following strong growth from 1999/00. ( Table 15)

Calculating an average tariff score for each pupil ( see note 3.10) allows easier comparisons of different types of qualifications.

• Chinese, Indian and Mixed race pupils in S4 attained the highest average tariff scores in 2002/03. ( Table 4)
• In S4, pupils attending schools in rural areas scored on average higher than pupils attending urban schools. ( Table 7)
• Pupils registered for free school meals scored on average less than those who were not and older pupils in S4 tended to outscore their younger peers. ( Table 8 & Table 9)
• Data on looked after children is incomplete. However, the information available shows that looked after children without a record of needs or individualised education plan have a lower average tariff score than pupils who are not looked after but do have a record of needs or individualised education plan. ( Table 12)

School Leavers:

• In 2002/03, 5.5 per cent of leavers from publicly funded schools obtained no awards at SCQF Level 3 or better (this compares with 5.4 per cent in 2001/02 and 5.7 per cent in 2001/01). However, some of these pupils will have some or all of the unit awards made within new National Qualifications. Passes at SCQF Level 7 were obtained by 11.7 per cent of leavers from publicly funded schools in 2002/03. ( Table 18)
• The percentage of leavers from publicly funded schools who attained 5 or more awards at Level 5 (or better) has increased from 45.7 per cent in 2001/02 to 46.8 per cent in 2002/03. ( Table 19)
• In 2002/03, a higher proportion of females than males leaving publicly funded schools achieved passes at all SCQF Levels, except three or more passes at SCQF Level 7. ( Table 19)
• In 2002/03, 92 per cent of publicly funded school leavers attained English at SCQF Levels 3 to 5 and 91 per cent attained Mathematics. The proportions attaining English at SCQF Levels 6 and 7 were 26.5 per cent and 1.9 per cent respectively and the corresponding results for Mathematics were 18.2 per cent and 2.4 per cent. ( Tables 20, 21 & 22)
• Thirteen per cent of publicly funded school leavers who were registered for free school meals attained no awards at SCQF level 3 or better, compared to 3.1 per cent of leavers not registered. ( Table 24)
• In 2002/03, 10.1 per cent of pupils leaving schools in large urban areas attained at least one award at SCQF level 7. This compares to 15.5 per cent of pupils leaving schools in small remote towns. ( Table 26)

The following tables are available:
Attainment:
Table 1Single year attainment in publicly funded secondary schools by stage, SCQF level and Year, 1998/99 - 2002/03
Table 2Cumulative attainment in publicly funded secondary schools, by stage, gender and SCQF level: 1998/99-2002/03
Table 3Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by gender: 2002/03
Table 4Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by ethnic background: 2002/03
Table 5Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by ethnic background and gender: 2002/03
Table 6Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by National Identity: 2002/03
Table 7Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by urban/rural location of school: 2002/03
Table 8Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by registration for free school meals: 2002/03
Table 9Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by birth month: 2002/03
Table 10Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by Record of Needs/Individualised Educational Programme status: 2002/03
Table 11Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by Looked After status: 2002/03
Table 12Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by Record of Needs/Individualised Educational Programme and Looked After status: 2002/03
Table 13Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by ethnic background and registration for free school meals: 2002/03
Table 14Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by urban/rural location of school and registration for free school meals: 2002/03
Table 15Single year attainment in all special schools, by SCQF level, year and gender: 1999/00 - 2002/03
Table 16Single year attainment in independent secondary schools by stage, SCQF Level and Year, 1998/99 - 2002/03
Table 17Cumulative attainment in independent secondary schools, by stage, gender and SCQF level: 1998/99-2002/03
School leavers:
Table 18 Highest qualification attained by leavers from publicly funded schools, by gender: 2000/01 - 2002/03
Table 19 Total qualifications attained by leavers from publicly funded schools, by gender: 2000/01 - 2002/03
Table 20 Total qualifications attained by leavers from publicly funded schools at SCQF levels 3 to 5, by subject and gender: 2002/03
Table 21 Total qualifications attained by leavers from publicly funded schools at SCQF Level 6, by subject and gender: 2002/03
Table 22 Total qualifications attained by leavers from publicly funded schools at SCQF Level 7, by subject and gender: 2002/03
Table 23 Highest qualifications attained by leavers from publicly funded secondary schools, by ethnic background: 2002/03
Table 24 Highest qualifications attained by leavers from publicly funded secondary schools, by registration for free school meals: 2002/03
Table 25 Highest qualifications attained by school leavers from publicly funded secondary schools, by Record of Needs/Individualised Educational Programme status: 2002/03
Table 26 Highest qualifications attained by school leavers from publicly funded secondary schools, by urban/rural location of school: 2002/03
The following charts are available:
Chart 1Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by gender: 2002/03
Chart 2Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by ethnic background: 2002/03
Chart 3Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by ethnic background and gender: 2002/03
Chart 4Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by National Identity: 2002/03
Chart 5Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by urban/rural location of school: 2002/03
Chart 6Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by registration for free school meals: 2002/03
Chart 7Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by birth month: 2002/03
Chart 8Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by Record of Needs/Individualised Educational Programme status: 2002/03
Chart 9Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by Looked After status: 2002/03
Chart 10Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by Record of Needs/Individualised Educational Programme and Looked After status: 2002/03
Chart 11Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by ethnic background and registration for free school meals: 2002/03
Chart 12Average tariff score of S4 pupils attending publicly funded secondary schools, by urban/rural location of school and registration for free school meals: 2002/03

BACKGROUND NOTES

1. National Statistics Statement

This is a National Statistics publication. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference.

2. Data Sources

2.1 Information on school leavers is collected from individual schools via either a paper return or electronic data exchange through schools' Management Information Systems.

2.2 Data on National Qualifications are obtained from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

2.3 Pupil data comes from the annual school census. In September 2002, school census data was mainly collected electronically, through local authorities, from nearly all publicly funded schools as part of the Scottish Exchange in Educational Data (ScotXed) Programme. ScotXed supports and promotes effective and secure data exchanges so that key partners in school education in Scotland can benefit from access to information to monitor and improve education services. Further information can be found at www.scotxed.net. Previous years' school roll figures were obtained from the Census as at September in the relevant year.

3. Definitions

3.1 The tables in this Statistics Publication Notice mostly show attainment of National Qualifications in publicly funded secondary schools. A few tables are shown for special schools and independent schools. This publication does not include data from Further Education Colleges.

3.2 The arrangements for leaving school were laid down in the Education (Scotland) Act in 1976 and the Education (Scotland) Act 1980. Pupils are regarded as having left on achieving the school leaving age in 2002/2003 if they either:

reached the age of 16 between 1 March and 30 September 2003 and left school at the end of the school year 2002/03;

OR

reached the age of 16 between 1 October 2002 and the end of February 2003 and left school at the end of the winter term 2002/03.

These arrangements therefore allow some pupils to leave school while they are still 15 years old.

3.3 The tables cover the attainment of National Qualifications at Standard Grade, SCE Higher and Certificate of Sixth Year Studies (CSYS) and also the new National Qualifications at Access, Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2, Higher and Advanced Higher, and are presented using the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) Levels.

3.4 Publicly Funded Schools include education authority, grant-aided and self-governing schools.

3.5 Examination data are Post-Appeals and update the figures published in November 2003.

3.6 Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2 and the new Higher were introduced in 1999/00. Advanced Highers were introduced for the first time in the exam year 2000/01. Courses are made up of internally assessed units and an external examination.

3.7 For new National Qualifications, awards at A-C are regarded as passes. Pupils who pass the examination but are not registered as passing all the units are included in the number of presentations but not in the number of passes. Pupils who narrowly fail to achieve the required standard for Intermediate 2 are awarded a compensatory Intermediate 1 qualification. Those narrowly failing to achieve the required standard for the new Higher are awarded a compensatory Intermediate 2 qualification. Those narrowly failing to achieve the required standard for Advanced Higher are awarded a compensatory Higher qualification.

3.8 Standard Grade is certificated at 3 levels: Credit (grades 1 and 2), General (grades 3 and 4), Foundation (grades 5 and 6) with a grade 7 being awarded to those who complete the course only.

3.9 From 2002/03, the CSYS has been completely replaced by Advanced Higher. Attainment at CSYS is shown for previous years.

3.10 Data in some tables are presented as average tariff scores. The purpose of calculating an average tariff score is to enable certification of different types to be considered together. This makes it easier to compare average attainment for different subgroups within the population. The tariff score of a pupil is calculated by allocating a score to each level of qualification and award, using the Unified Points Score scale. For example, a Standard Grade at level 1 counts as 38 points and at level 4 counts as 14 points. Further information and a full list of SQA National Qualifications and their associated tariff scores is shown in Annex A.

3.11 The rural/ urban classifications in this publication are based on the postcode of the school and not that of the pupil. The classifications are defined as follows:

Large urban areas - settlements over 125,000 population. This covers the city conurbations of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee.

Other urban areas - settlements of 10,000 to 125,000 people.

Accessible small towns - settlements of between 3,000 and 10,000 people and within 30 minutes drive of a settlement of 10,000 or more.

Small remote towns - settlements of between 3,000 and 10,000 people, who are not within 30 minutes drive of a settlement of 10,000 or more people.

Accessible rural areas - settlements of less than 3,000 people and within 30 minutes drive of a settlement of 10,000 or more people

Remote rural areas - settlements of less than 3,000 people who are not within 30 minutes drive of a settlement of 10,000 or more people.

3.12 The ethnic background and national identity questions in the census were completed by parents or pupils. Provision of this information was optional and no values were imputed by teachers. For national identity, pupils/parents were asked to state which nationality they considered themselves to be, rather than any legal definition.

3.13 When possible, the full list of ethnic background categories collected have been included in this publication. However, where the total number of pupils within a category are between 1 and 4 (inclusive) or where if shown it would be possible to calculate other values less than 5, this category is included in the "All Other Categories" figure. In Table 23, only categories containing a total of 100 pupils or more are shown separately. This is due to the small number of pupils that fall under each heading. It should be noted that percentages and average tariff scores calculated from small numbers may be misleading.

4. Notes

4.1 Whilst the data relating to school leavers are the best that the schools are able to provide at the time, there will be cases where a pupil unexpectedly returns to school. Therefore, the figures for the latest year are likely to be slight over-estimates and may be revised downwards in the future. Tables 18 to 22 refer to all publicly funded school leavers, whereas tables 23 to 26 refer to leavers from publicly funded secondary schools only. This is due to problems with pupil identification numbers collected from special schools in the school census. These prevented linking the census data to school leaver data.

4.2 This publication links data from up to three separate sources using a pupil identifier. This process achieves a high rate of successful linkage, but in a small number of cases mis-matching or non-matching can occur. Tables 3-14 report on the attainment of 61,009 S4 pupils, out of a total S4 population of 61,035.

4.3 Figures on the number of Looked After children from the 2002 School census were about half of those reported in "Children's Social Work Statistics: 2002/03". This may be in part due to apparent problems schools have in keeping accurate information on the Looked After status of pupils. Although incomplete, the remaining sample provides important information and allows more detailed analysis than available from any other source.

4.4 Boxplots have been used in order to show the spread in attainment of pupils. A brief explanation of boxplots and their use is contained in Annex B.

4.5 Many independent schools offer GCSE and A level examinations, which are not included in this analysis. It should be noted, therefore, that the percentage of leavers gaining qualifications in independent schools might not accurately reflect the achievements of pupils in these schools.

4.6 In Tables 1, 15 and 16, compensatory awards are counted only at the level at which the pupil was presented. For example, a candidate presented for a Higher but who receives a compensatory Intermediate 2 award would be included as a Higher presentation (but not as a pass) and would not feature as an Intermediate 2 presentation or pass.

5. Enquiries

Copies of the tables are available on the Scottish Executive's website at www.Scotland.gov.uk. Public enquiries (non-media) about the information contained in this Statistics Publication Notice should be addressed to David Cruickshank, Assistant Statistician, The Scottish Executive Education Department, Education Statistics, Area 1-A West, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ. Tel. 0131 244 7976 or e-mail to: educ.outcomes.stats@Scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Media enquiries about the information in this Statistics Publication Notice should be addressed to Marion MacKay (0131) 244 3070.

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