Technical note - SFR16/2015
Source: data.gov.uk (2017-07-26)

Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2015. Published by the Department for Education based on information collected in the January 2015 school census, including information on the number of schools and pupils. It covers all types of school in England including: - local-authority-maintained schools - academies - free schools - studio schools - university technical colleges - independent schools The technical note explains the statistics. Information for London Borough of Barnet can be obtained by carrying out a search query on individual datasets.

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. 
 
 
Statistical First Release 
Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2015 
 
Reference SFR 16/2015 
Date 11 June 2015 
Coverage England 
Theme Children, Education and Skills 
Issued by Department for Education, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BT 
Press office xx-xxxx-xxxx 
Public enquiries 0370 000 2288 
Statistician Rob Drake 
Email xxx@xxx.xx 
Internet Statistics: school and pupil numbers  
 
8.4 
million  
Pupils enrolled in state-funded and independent schools in England.  
1.3 Percentage growth in pupils numbers since January 2014. This increase is larger 
than in previous years and is driven largely by a 2.1 per cent increase in the 
number of pupils in state-funded primary schools. The number of pupils in 
state-funded secondary schools rose by 0.1 per cent, the first rise since 2010. 
2.7 
million 
Pupils enrolled in academies (including free schools, university technical 
colleges and studio schools) in England in January 2015. This has increased 
from 2.4 million since January 2014. 
27.4 Average one-teacher infant class size in state-funded primary schools in 
England. This is unchanged from the figure from January 2014. There is a 
statutory limit of 30 pupils in one-teacher infant classes. There were no local 
authorities with an average infant class size exceeding 30 this year. Harrow 
continues to have the largest average at 29.8, but this has fallen from 30.2 in 
January 2014 
15.2 Percentage of pupils in state-funded schools (and local authority alternative 
provision) known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals. This has 
fallen from 16.3 per cent in January 2014. 
15.0 Per cent of pupils in state-funded secondary schools are exposed at home to a 
language known or believed to be other than English. This is up from 14.3 per 
cent in January 2014. 
 

 
 
Other subjects users have asked us about 
More than half of 
state-funded 
secondary schools are 
now academies 
In January 2015, 61.4 per cent of state-funded secondary schools were 
academies (including free schools, university technical colleges and 
studio schools). This has increased from 56.9 per cent in January 2014. 
See table 2b for reference. 
One in seven primary 
schools are now 
academies 
14.6 per cent of state-funded primary schools were academies and 
free schools in January 2015. This has increased from 10.7 per cent in 
January 2014. (see table 2b) 
There are an increasing 
number of large state-
funded primary 
schools, but these are 
small in proportion. 
The number of state-funded primary schools with more than 800 
pupils increased to 87 in January 2015 from 77 a year earlier. This 
represents 0.5 per cent of the total number of state-funded primary 
schools. (see table 2e) 
The number of state-
funded selective 
schools has remained 
the same 
There are 163 selective state-funded secondary schools which is the 
same as in 2014. Selective schools educate just over 5 per cent of 
pupils in state-funded secondary schools. This rate has fluctuated 
between 4 and 5 per cent of pupils for the last 20 years. Of these 
schools, 139 are now academies. (see table 7c) 
The languages that 
pupils speak 
The school census collects information on the first language spoken 
by pupils. This means the language that pupils are exposed to at 
home, and is not an indication of a pupil’s proficiency in the English 
language, nor is it an indication of their nationality, on which 
information is not collected. In state-funded primary schools 19.4 per 
cent of pupils have a first language known or believed to be other 
than English. This has increased by 0.7 percentage points since 
January 2014. (see table 5a) 
The proportion of 
minority ethnic pupils 
in state-funded schools 
has increased 
In state-funded primary schools 30.4 per cent of pupils are from 
minority ethnic origins; in state-funded secondary schools the 
proportion is 26.6 per cent. These proportions have increased from 
29.5 and 25.3 per cent respectively since January 2014. (see table 4a) 
Implications of the 
introduction of 
universal infant free 
school meals (UIFSM) 
for future statistics 
In 2014, the department introduced universal free school meals for all 
pupils in reception or years 1 and 2 (infants) in state-funded schools. 
UIFSM has meant that parents of infants do not have to register to get 
free school meals. However, since eligibility for FSM is still a criterion 
for the pupil premium payment, the department has encouraged 
schools and parents to continue to register. Schools have also been 
provided with guidance on how to safeguard their pupil premium 
funding. Since the proportion of pupils eligible for and claiming FSM 
has dropped across all age groups, it does not appear that infant FSM 
rates have been adversely affected by the introduction of UIFSM.  

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1. Background and context 
This statistical first release (SFR) contains data on pupils enrolled in schools in England. The 
data were collected from schools and local authorities in January 2015 as part of the spring 
school census and the school level annual school census (for independent schools). 
The SFR contains data on pupil numbers, eligibility for free school meals, ethnicity, first 
language, age and gender, plus whether pupils attend schools full-time or part-time. It reports 
also on school class sizes, including infant class sizes for which there is a statutory limit of 30 
pupils in a one-teacher class.  
2. Pupil and school numbers (Tables 1-2) 
 
Changes in pupil numbers are largely driven by changes in the size of the population. The latest ONS 
population estimates are available from this web page1. 
 
The numbers of pupils 
in schools in England is 
continuing to increase 
There has been growth in pupil numbers in schools in England since 
2010 following a period of decline. The increase of 1 per cent (107,000 
pupils) in overall pupil numbers is larger than that between 2013 and 
2014 (82,000 pupil increase). (see table 2a) 
The number of pupils 
in state-funded 
There has been a 2.1 per cent increase in the number of pupils in 
state-funded primary schools since January 2014. Primary pupil 
                                                          
 
1 http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pop-estimate/population-estimates-for-uk--england-and-wales--scotland-and-
northern-ireland/2013/stb---mid-2013-uk-population-estimates.html  

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primary schools 
continues to rise 
numbers have been increasing each year since 2009, whereas between 
2003 and 2009 primary school pupil numbers were in decline. The 
rise of 93,600 pupils is equivalent to a rise of six pupils for each state 
funded primary school. (see table 2a) 
State-funded 
secondary pupil 
numbers increase  
The number of pupils in state-funded secondary schools has risen by 
0.1% since January 2014. This is the first rise since 2010, following a 
decrease for the previous five years. The rise in pupil numbers in 
primary schools since 2009 is now beginning to flow through into 
secondary schools. (see table 2a)  
Number of pupils in 
independent schools 
rises slightly  
The number of pupils attending independent schools rose by almost 
4,000 (a 0.7 per cent increase) since January 2014. However, the figure 
has been broadly consistent around 580,000 since 2005. (see table 2a) 
 
 
 
 
 
Slightly fewer schools 
In January 2015 there were 24,317 schools, down from 24,347 in 
January 2014. (see table 2a) 
Growth in number of 
secondary schools 
The number of state-funded secondary schools increased to 3,381 
from 3,329 in January 2014. However, approximately 110 schools 
classified here as secondary schools also teach primary year groups. 
The number of state-funded primary schools decreased from 16,788 

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to 16,766 in January 2015. (see table 2a) 
More large primary 
schools 
There has been an increase in the number of large primary schools. 
The number of state-funded primary schools with more than 800 
pupils has increased to 87 from 77 in January 2014. This represents 
0.5 per cent of the total number of state-funded primary schools. 
Being large schools does not necessarily mean that schools are filled 
beyond their capacity; information of this kind is available from the 
school capacity collection. (see table 2e) 
The number of pupil 
referral units has 
declined 
The number of pupil referral units (including alternative provision 
academies and free schools) has been falling since 2010, from a peak 
of 458 in January 2009 to 362 in January 2015. In a number of areas 
local authorities have been merging units of this type. (see table 2a) 
Increasing number of 
academies and free 
schools 
In January 2014 there were more than 2.7 million pupils being taught 
in 4,722 academies and free schools. This is an increase of 324,000 
pupils and 895 academies and free schools since January 2014. 
Almost one in three school pupils (32.5 per cent) in England are 
enrolled in academies and free schools. This breaks down as 16.3 per 
cent of pupils in state funded primary schools and 62.5 per cent of 
pupils in state funded secondary schools. (see table 2b) 
3. Free school meal eligibility (Table 3) 
Free school meals: who was entitled? 
In England in January 2015, children in state-funded schools were entitled to receive free 
schools meals if a parent or carer were in receipt of any of the following benefits: 
• Income Support 
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance 
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance 
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 
• the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit 
• Child Tax Credit (provided they were not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and had an 
annual gross income of no more than £16,190, as assessed by Her Majesty’s Revenue and 
Customs) 
• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit 
• During the initial roll out of the benefit, Universal Credit (this category was added from 29 
April 2013) 
Additionally, all infant pupils were entitled to receive free school meals from September 2014. 

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The proportion of pupils known to be eligible and claiming free school meals in state-funded 
nursery and primary schools since 2008 has varied from a low of 15.5 per cent in 2008 to a 
high of 18.1 per cent in 2012 and 2013. In state-funded secondary schools over the same period 
the percentage has varied from a low of 12.8 in 2008 to a high of 15.1 in 2013.  
Table A: percentage of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school 
meals 2013 to 2015 
There was a decline in the percentage of pupils known to be eligible and claiming free 
school meals. 
  
Known to be eligible and claiming free school meals 
 
% 2013 
% 2014 
% 2015 
Nursery and state-funded primary 
schools 
18.1 
17.0 
15.6 
State-funded secondary schools 
15.1 
14.6 
13.9 
State-funded special schools 
36.7 
37.2 
37.4 
Pupil referral units 
39.6 
42.2 
41.6 
Local authority alternative provision 
14.2 
14.8 
14.9 
Total 
17.1 
16.3 
15.2 
 
Decline in the 
proportion of primary 
school pupils eligible 
for and claiming free 
school meals 
Fewer primary school pupils are eligible for and claiming free school 
meals than in January 2014, both in relative and absolute terms. This 
decline is occurring in a large number of areas across the country (see 
table 8a).    
Free school meal rates 
in primary academies 
above average 
Primary academies (table 3c) have 17.6 per cent pupils eligible for 
free school meals, 1.1 percentage points higher than 16.5 per cent in 
primary schools nationally. Secondary academies have 13.1 per cent 
of pupils eligible for free schools meals – lower than the 14.9 per cent 
in secondary schools nationally. 
Free school meal rates 
are below average in 
primary free schools 
and above average in 
secondary free schools 
Eligibility for free school meals in primary free schools has dropped 
by 0.6 percentage points to 14.5 per cent since January 2014, below 
the primary school average of 15.6 per cent. In secondary free schools 
the rate has fallen by 0.5 percentage points to 15.6 per cent but this 
remains above the secondary school average of 13.9 per cent. 
 
4. Ethnic group (Table 4) 
Those pupils of compulsory school age and above who have been classified according to their 
ethnic group and are other than White British are defined as being of minority ethnic origin. 
Increasing percentage 
of pupils from minority 
ethnic origins in 
primary schools… 
In state-funded primary schools, 30.4 per cent of pupils were 
classified as being of minority ethnic origin - an increase from 29.5 
per cent in January 2014. Minority ethnic pupils made up 71 per cent 
of the increase in the number of pupils in state-funded primary 

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schools (with White British the remainder). The ethnic groups with 
the largest increases in absolute numbers from January 2014 to 
January 2015 were: White British (up 22,400), any other White 
background2 (up 22,700), mixed (up 11,900), Asian (up 11,300) and 
Chinese (up 1,100). 
… and in secondary 
schools. 
In state-funded secondary schools, 26.6 per cent of pupils were 
classified as being of minority ethnic origin, an increase from 25.3 per 
cent in 2014.  In 2009, less than 20 per cent of pupils in state-funded 
secondary schools were from minority ethnic backgrounds, so in six 
years the proportion of pupils in secondary schools from such 
backgrounds has increased by more than 30 per cent as the increased 
numbers in primary schools flow through into secondary schools. 
The ethnic groups with the largest changes in absolute numbers 
between 2014 and 2015 were: White British (down 41,900), Asian (up 
13,600), any other White background1 (up 10,900) and mixed (up 
7,100).  
 
5. First language (Table 5) 
The percentage of 
pupils exposed to a 
first language other 
than English at home is 
increasing in primary 
schools… 
The percentage of pupils of compulsory school age or above in state-
funded primary schools that are exposed to a language at home that 
is known or believed to be other than English is 19.4 per cent. This 
has increased by 0.7 percentage points since January 2014.  
… and in secondary 
schools. 
The percentage of pupils of compulsory school age or above in state-
funded secondary schools exposed at home to a language that is 
known or believed to be other than English is 15.0 per cent. This has 
increased by 0.7 percentage points since January 2014. 
The increase in the proportion of pupils exposed at home to a language other than English is 
correlated with the increase in the number of pupils. This increase in pupil numbers is largely 
driven by an increase in birth rate (rather than direct current immigration), which is in turn 
driven by an increase in the number of children born to non-UK born women (compared to 
those born to UK-born women). The number of children born to non-UK born women more 
than doubled between 1999 and 20103,4 (the years in which most children currently in schools 
were born). 5,6 and the numbers of non-UK born women also increased. 
 
                                                          
 
2 Other than White British, Irish, Traveller of Irish heritage and Gypsy/Roma 
3 England and Wales birth summary tables 2009, ONS 
4 Parents country of birth statistics 2010, ONS 
5 England and Wales birth summary tables 2010, ONS 
6 Have women born outside the UK driven the rise in UK births since 2001?, ONS 

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6. Class sizes (Table 6) 
The School Admissions (Infant Class Sizes) (England) Regulations 2012 prescribe certain 
limited circumstances in which pupils may be admitted as lawful exceptions to the infant class 
size limit of 30 for one-teacher classes. This means that a class of, for example, 32 pupils is 
lawful if two or more of those pupils have been admitted under lawful exceptions. If fewer 
than two have been admitted as lawful exceptions then the class is termed ‘unlawful’. 
The average infant 
one- teacher class size 
is the same as last year 
The average size of key stage 1 classes taught by one teacher on the 
census day in January 2015 was 27.4, as it was in January 2014. 
More infant pupils are 
in large classes 
The number of infant pupils in classes of more than 30 pupils is now 
100,800. This is an increase of 7,400 pupils (8%) from January 2014, 
but this increase is smaller than the increase of 21,400 (30%) between 
January 2013 and 2014. 
Information on which 
large infant classes 
were lawful or 
unlawful is included as 
an annex 
The figures on lawful and unlawful large classes were previously de-
designated as National Statistics by UK Statistics Authority and are 
pending reassessment following improvements made to their 
collection. Until they have been reassessed, they cannot be published 
under the UKSA kite mark and can instead be found in Annex A.  

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7. List of tables 
The following tables are available in excel format on the Department’s statistics website. 
Pupil and school numbers 
1a State-funded primary secondary and special 
schools: Number of pupils by age and 
gender, January 2015. 
1b Pupil referral units and local authority 
alternative provision: Number of pupils by 
age and gender, January 2015. 
1c Independent schools: Number of pupils by 
age and gender, January 2015. 
1d State-funded primary, secondary and special 
schools: Number of pupils by national 
curriculum year group and gender, January 
2015. 
1e Pupil referral units and local authority 
alternative provision: Number of pupils by 
national curriculum year group and gender, 
January 2015. 
2a All schools: Number of schools and pupils by 
phase of school, 2003 to 2015. 
2b Academies: Number of schools and pupils by 
type of academy, January 2015. 
2c State-funded 
primary 
and 
secondary 
schools: Number of schools by their status 
and religious character, January 2015. 
2d State-funded 
primary 
and 
secondary 
schools: Number (headcount) of pupils by 
the status and religious character of their 
school, January 2015. 
2e State-funded 
primary 
and 
secondary 
schools: Number of schools by size, January 
2015. 
2f 
State-funded 
primary 
and 
secondary 
schools: Number (headcount) of pupils by 
the size of their school, January 2015. 
Free school meal eligibility 
3a State-funded nursery, state-funded primary, 
state-funded 
secondary, 
state-funded 
special schools, pupil referral units and local 
authority alternative provision: Number of 
pupils known to be eligible for and claiming 
free school meals by age, January 2015. 
3b State-funded nursery, state-funded primary, 
state-funded 
secondary, 
state-funded 
special schools, pupil referral units and local 
authority alternative provision: Number of 
pupils known to be eligible for and claiming 
free school meals based on performance 
tables, January 2015.  
3c Academies: Number of pupils eligible for and 
claiming free school meals. 
3d Infant Pupils: Number of free school meals 
taken on census day, January 2015 
Ethnicity 
4a State-funded primary, secondary and special 
schools, pupil referral units and alternative 
provision: Number and percentage of pupils 
by ethnic group, January 2015. 
4b Primary academies: Number and percentage 
of pupils by ethnic group, January 2015. 
4c Secondary 
academies: 
Number 
and 
percentage of pupils by ethnic group, 
January 2015. 
4d Special and alternative provision academies: 
Number and percentage of pupils by ethnic 
group, January 2015. 
First language 
5a State-funded primary, secondary, special 
schools and pupil referral units: Number and 
percentage of pupils by first language, 
January 2015. 
5b Academies: Number and percentage of 
pupils by first language, January 2015. 
Class sizes 
6a State-funded schools: Key stage 1 and 2 
classes, 2006 to 2015. 
6b State-funded 
primary 
and 
secondary 
schools: Classes as taught, 2006 to 2015. 
Local authority tables 
7a All schools: Number of schools by type of 
school, by local authority area and region in 
England, January 2015. 
7b All schools: Number (headcount) of pupils by 
type of school, by local authority area and 
region in England, January 2015. 
7c State-funded secondary schools: Number of 
schools and number (headcount) of pupils, 
by admissions policy, by local authority area 
and region in England, January 2015. 

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7d State-funded primary schools: Number of 
schools and number (headcount) of pupils, 
by the status of their school, by local 
authority area and region in England, 
January 2015. 
7e State-funded secondary schools: Number of 
schools and number (headcount) of pupils, 
by the status of their school, by local 
authority area and region in England, 
January 2015. 
7f 
State-funded primary schools: Number of 
schools and number (headcount) of pupils, 
by the religious character of school, by local 
authority area and region in England, 
January 2015. 
7g State-funded secondary schools: Number of 
schools and number (headcount) of pupils, 
by the religious character of school, by local 
authority area and region in England, 
January 2015. 
8a State-funded nursery and state-funded 
primary schools: Number of pupils taking 
free school meals and number of pupils 
eligible for and claiming free school meals by 
local authority area and region in England, 
January 2015. 
8b State-funded secondary schools: Number of 
pupils taking free school meals and number 
of pupils eligible for and claiming free school 
meals by local authority area and region in 
England, January 2015. 
8c Special schools: Number of pupils taking free 
school meals and number of pupils eligible 
for and claiming free school meals by local 
authority area and region in England, 
January 2015. 
8d Pupil referral units and alternative provision 
academies and free schools: Number of 
pupils eligible for and claiming free school 
meals by local authority area, by region, 
January 2015. 
8e All Schools: Number and percentage of 
infant pupils taking a free school meal on 
census day, by local authority area and 
region in England, January 2015 
9a State-funded primary schools: Number of 
pupils by ethnic group, by local authority 
area and region in England, January 2015. 
9b State-funded secondary schools: Number of 
pupils by ethnic group, by local authority 
area and region in England, January 2015. 
9c Special schools: Number of pupils by ethnic 
group, by local authority area and region in 
England, January 2015. 
10a State-funded primary schools: Number and 
percentage of pupils by first language, by 
local authority area and region in England, 
January 2015. 
10b State-funded secondary schools: Number 
and percentage of pupils by first language, 
by local authority area and region in 
England, January 2015. 
10c Special schools: Number and percentage of 
pupils by first language, by local authority 
area and region in England, January 2015. 
10d Pupil referral units and alternative provision 
academies and free schools: Number and 
percentage of pupils by first language, by 
local authority area and region in England, 
January 201. 
11 State-funded primary schools: Classes as 
taught by key stage of pupils, by local 
authority area, by region, January 2015. 
Cross- border movement 
12a Local authority cross border movement of 
state-funded primary school pupils resident 
in England, January 2015. 
12b Local authority cross border movement of 
state-funded 
secondary 
school 
pupils 
resident in England, January 2015. 
12c Local authority cross border movement of 
special school pupils resident in England, 
January 2015. 
13 Local authority cross border movement by 
national curriculum year group of state-
funded school pupils resident in England, 
January 2015. 
14a Local authority cross border movement 
matrix of state-funded primary school pupils 
resident in England, January 2015. 
14b Local authority cross border movement 
matrix of state-funded secondary school 
pupils resident in England, January 2015. 
14c Local authority cross border movement 
matrix of special school pupils resident in 
England, January 2015. 
 

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7. List of tables (cont) 
When reviewing the tables, please note the following: 
What we 
mean by 
‘state-funded’ 
These are schools which may be: maintained by local authorities, city 
technology colleges and academies (which also includes free schools, 
university technical colleges and studio schools). This also includes schools 
specifically for pupils with special educational need - ‘special schools’. 
Some schools 
do not 
complete 
school census 
Some 16-19 only providers do not complete School Census returns and instead 
complete the Individualised Learner Record . This year this included 
Haringey Sixth Form Centre, London Academy of Excellence, Exeter 
Mathematics School and DV8 Academy. These providers are included in 
school counts, but their pupil data is not available. 
We preserve 
confidentiality  
The Code of Practice for Official Statistics requires we take reasonable steps to 
ensure that our published or disseminated statistics protect confidentiality. 
Sometimes we 
round 
numbers 
We round numbers in time series to the nearest 5 for consistency with 
previous years. Because of this rounding, totals in the text and in the tables 
may not always equal the sum of their component parts. Similarly, differences 
quoted in the text may not always be the same as differences shown in tables. 
Where any number is shown as zero the original figure was zero.  
And adopt 
symbols to 
help identify 
this 
Symbols are used in the tables as follows: 
0 
zero 
x 
small number suppressed to preserve confidentiality  
. 
not applicable 
.. 
not available 
We’ve made 
small but 
important 
additions this 
year 
Tables 3d and 8e have been included to show the uptake of Universal Infant 
Free School Meals (UIFSM). The policy was introduced in 2014 and entitles all 
infant pupils (those in Reception, year 1 and year 2) to a free school meal. 
These tables follow the release of December 18th 2014 which showed uptake 
based on the October 2014 census.  
8. Background: Notes on specific data 
Free school 
meals 
The figures reported here are based on those pupils known to be eligible for 
and claiming free school meals. As the data published here is reported by 
schools, if a pupil comes from a family that would meet the eligibility criteria, 
but does not report this to the school, then they are not reported here as 
eligible for free school meals. 
 
From September 2009 to July 2011, three local authorities participated 
in a pilot to provide free school meals to maintained primary school 
children. Durham and Newham provided universal free school meals 

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to all primary pupils, and Wolverhampton extended the current 
eligibility criteria to include all families in receipt of Working Tax 
Credit, for primary and secondary pupils. 
For the pilot authorities mentioned above, care should be taken when 
comparing January 2010 and 2011 free school meal data with previous years’ 
data and subsequent data.  
From September 2014 all infant pupils in state-funded schools have been 
entitled to a free school meal. 
Free school meals are available to pupils who attend sixth forms attached to a 
maintained school, as long as the course of study began before the pupil 
reached age 18. Free school meal eligibility relates to those who meet the 
eligibility criteria and make a claim. Reported eligibility decreases markedly 
for pupils who attend school sixth forms and for this reason the quoted key 
points are now based on pupil numbers excluding those in school sixth forms. 
Ethnic group 
Pupils who have been classified according to their ethnic group and are other 
than White British are defined as minority ethnic. 
First language  The language to which a child was initially exposed during early development 
and continues to be exposed in the home or in the community. Exposure to a 
language at home is not an indication of a pupil’s proficiency at speaking 
English. 
Class size 
The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 limits the size of infant classes 
(i.e. reception and key stage 1 classes) to no more than 30 pupils to a school 
teacher. The School Admissions (Infant Class Sizes) (England) Regulations 
2012 allows for sensible exceptions e.g. when a child moves into an area 
during the school year and there is no other school within a reasonable 
distance of their home with a place available. 
 
9. Background: Overview of the data collection and the data 
validation process 
This SFR contains information about pupil characteristics. This information is derived from 
school census returns, school level annual school census returns and alternative provision 
census returns made to the department in January each year. The pupil referral unit census 
has now been discontinued and these institutions complete the school census. 
Guidance on the school census is available on gov.uk. The technical specification for school 
census explains what data are collected and what validation is in place and includes the 
business rationale for the collection. 

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10. Background: Underlying/transparency data 
This SFR is accompanied by school (and local authority alternative provision) underlying 
data. This includes information for each school open in England on 15 January 2015. The 
accompanying file includes a document which provides further information on the contents of 
these files and the meanings of any symbols used. This data is released under the terms of the 
Open Government License and is intended to meet at least 3 stars for Open Data. 
 
11. Background: What is school census data used for? 
Funding 
School census is a crucial evidence base for many funding calculations 
including the Dedicated Schools Grant funding, funding academies, pupil 
premium funding, capital funding allocations and others. 
Producing cost 
estimates 
It is also used to estimate the costs of new policies; this has recently included 
summer school allocations. 
Policy 
development 
The data are also used to monitor and develop departmental policies and 
plans, including underpinning projections of future demand for pupil places, 
monitoring class sizes and others. 
School 
improvement 
The data are used extensively; including by schools, local authorities and 
Ofsted within RAISE online software to examine the performance of pupils 
from different groups. 
School 
performance 
tables and 
participation 
statistics 
Pupil numbers from the school census are used in the calculation of school 
performance measures for secondary school performance tables. The data also 
contribute towards school participation statistics. 
The national 
pupil database 
School census data are incorporated into the national pupil database (NPD) 
which can be used for research purposes by both internal and accredited 
external users. National pupil database: apply for a data extract 
Pupil-teacher 
ratios 
Pupil teacher ratios are also produced using full-time equivalent pupil 
numbers from the school census. 
 
12. National Statistics 
The United Kingdom Statistics Authority has designated these statistics as National Statistics, 
in accordance with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and signifying compliance 
with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. 
Designation can be broadly interpreted to mean that the statistics: 

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• meet identified user needs; 
• are well explained and readily accessible; 
• are produced according to sound methods; and 
• are managed impartially and objectively in the public interest. 
Once statistics have been designated as National Statistics it is a statutory requirement that the 
Code of Practice shall continue to be observed. 
13. Want more? 
Want school, local 
authority and  
regional figures? 
These are available in accompanying files on the same webpage as 
this release.  
Want previously  
published figures? 
These are available on the internet:  
Publications from 2010 onwards  
Publications from 2010 and earlier 
Want these figures, 
related to 
Performance Tables? 
School level school census data from 2015 will be included in the next 
set of tables to be published at the end of 2015.  
School Performance Tables 
Want Wales, Scotland, 
Northern Ireland? 
The School Census only collects information from schools in England. 
For information for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, contact the 
departments below or access their statistics at the following links: 
Wales: xxx@xxx.xx or 
Welsh Government - Statistics and Research 
Scotland: xxx@xxx.xx or 
Scottish Government - School Education Statistics 
Northern Ireland: xxx@xxx.xx or 
Department of Education - Education Statistics 
 ‘Education and training statistics for the United Kingdom’ brings 
together information from each administration. Chapter 1 covers 
schools and includes breakdowns of pupil numbers. 
For related 
publications 
The statistics below all make use of data collected via the School 
Census: 
Pupil absence in schools in England  
Permanent and fixed period exclusions from schools in England  
Special educational needs in England 
Provision for children under 5 years of age in England  

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14. Got a query? Like to give feedback? 
If from the media 
Press Office News Desk, Department for Education, Sanctuary 
Buildings, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BT. xx-xxxx-xxxx 
If non-media 
IFD Analysis, Level 4, Department for Education, Sanctuary 
Buildings, Great Smith Street, London, SW1P 3BT.  
xxx@xxx.xx  
 
 

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© Crown copyright 2015 
You may re-use this information (excluding logos) free of charge in any 
format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To 
view this licence or e-mail: xxx@xxx.xx.  
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need 
to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.  
Any enquiries regarding this publication should be sent to us at Press Office 
News Desk, Department for Education, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith 
Street, London SW1P 3BT. 
This document is also available from our website