Description of Survey

The Qualifications and Destinations of Northern Ireland School Leavers (School Leavers Survey) is an annual exercise to collect and validate the qualifications and destinations of Northern Ireland (NI) school leavers. The data are at individual pupil level and also contain pupil characteristics such as their ethnicity, religion or free school meal entitlement. With the dataset being at pupil level and the home postcode of each pupil being recorded, spatial analysis can be undertaken on the qualifications and destinations of NI school leavers. Customers are surveyed annually via the NISRA Customer Survey (formerly the NISRA Customer Satisfaction Survey) to determine how the service and data that are currently provided may be improved.

Needs of Users

The pupil level data collected throughout this process are also used by policy branches in the Department of Education (the Department) and by other users across the education service, most notably by the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI) and the Education Authority (EA). The primary reason for this data collection exercise is to create a statistical base to inform a wide range of policy areas including: literacy and numeracy strategies, school improvement programmes, benchmarking, and relevant Departmental milestones. The data are also used to respond to Assembly questions and in the Department’s accountability and performance management process. In addition, the data are widely used outside of government by researchers and parents.

A user consultation was carried out in September 2023, to which 9 responses were received. Nearly all respondents found the publication and associated outputs to be useful. A summary of the responses is available here (opens in a new window) .

Statutory Provisions

Article 37 of The Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 provides that (the former) Education and Library Boards (ELBs) and schools shall make such reports and returns and give such information to the Department as the Department may reasonably require for the purposes of its functions under any statutory provision.

The statutory provisions providing the duties of the Department are contained in The Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989. Article 3 places a duty on the Department to promote the education of the people of Northern Ireland and secure the effective execution by (the former) ELBs and other bodies of the Department’s policy in relation to the provision of the education service.

In addition, the Department has duties under Section 75 of The Northern Ireland Act (1998) to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity between persons of different religious belief or racial group and between persons with or without a disability.

Compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)

Processing of data by the Department complies with the following condition (UK GDPR Article 6 (1) (e)):

“processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller;” In addition, processing of special category data complies with the following condition (UK GDPR Article 9 (2) (j)):

“processing is necessary for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes in accordance with Article 89(1) based on Domestic Law which shall be proportionate to the aim pursued, respect the right to data protection and provide for suitable and specific measures to safeguard the fundamental rights and the interests of the data subject.”

A privacy notice specifically relating to the work of the Statistics & Research Team (formerly Analytical Services Unit (ASU)) within the Department can be accessed at the Statistics and Research Privacy Notice (opens in a new window)

Staffing

The process is the main responsibility of one Assistant Statistician with input from one Deputy Principal Statistician.

Timescales

A data request is e-mailed to each grant-aided post-primary school in October asking them to run the Leavers return and address any issues identified by the report. A Leavers return cannot be submitted until a Census return has been forwarded to the Department. Reminder e-mails are sent to those schools who do not meet the deadline for submission. Once all Leavers returns have been submitted the data are extracted and aggregated into one database. It is at this point that validations are run and individual schools are contacted with any queries requiring investigation by them.

This exercise continues until all queries have been resolved and the database is closed before the end of March. The database is then interrogated to produce the information used to populate the tables in the publication.

Response Burden

The Department collects School Leaver information from each grant-aided post-primary school. While this information is held on the management information system of the school, the destination of each pupil must be sourced and entered manually onto the system. To discover the burden placed on schools when completing a school leavers return a random sample was conducted.

The most recent results yielded an average cost to the school of £308.03 with the average time taken to complete the return being 6 hours 42 minutes. The results vary considerably and reasons for this could be such factors as the size or type of each school or the role and/ or experience of the member of staff completing the return.

Publication Details

The statistical publication is usually released in May of each year on the Statistics and research section of the Department’s website. In accordance with Principal T3 (Orderly release) of the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice for Statistics (opens in a new window) and The Pre-release Access to Official Statistics Order (Northern Ireland) 2009 (opens in a new window) , the following individuals in the Department were granted a maximum of 24 hour pre-release access:

Minister of Education
Permanent Secretary, Department of Education
Deputy Secretary: Education Policy & Children’s Services
Chief Inspector, Education and Training Inspectorate
Director: Teaching and Learning Excellence
Director: Qualifications, 14-19 Strategy and Statistics & Research
Director: Raising Aspirations & Supporting Learning
Head of School Improvement Team
Head of Tackling Educational Disadvantage Team
Head of Communications
Head of Qualifications Team
Deputy Principal of Qualifications Team
Principal Information Officer, Press Office
Special Adviser to the Minister of Education

Contact Details

Caoimhe Stewart
Statistics & Research Team
Department of Education
Rathgael House
Balloo Road
Bangor BT19 7PR
Tel: 028 9052 2644
statistics@education-ni.gov.uk

Process

Step One: data requested

The data are requested by e-mail from each grant-aided post-primary school. Included in the request are guidance notes to ensure the data are recorded correctly and a request for any examination results that are achieved by a pupil that are not contained on the electronic return. Contact information is also provided that will allow a school to contact the Department with any questions when preparing the return.

Step Two: data processed and split into exam files and leaver characteristic files

Schools submit their returns and these are downloaded from AnyComms+ and stored on the Statistics & Research Team’s restricted access network. Each return includes the characteristics of each pupil as well as exam results entered by the school via the electronic data interface (EDI) or manually (Non-EDI). The data are then converted from XML to SPSS file format and aggregated before being combined to create a Northern Ireland database.

Step Three: syntax run on the exam files

At this point the EDI and Non-EDI exam files are combined to create a complete exams file. A list is made to determine if any new exams have been introduced and, if so, syntax is amended to include these. Syntax is run on the exam level data file to separate each type of examination. These are then aggregated and merged with the leaver characteristic file to create one database. Further syntax is run which generates a report detailing potential errors in the dataset. The syntax matches qualifications against age, destination code etc.

Step Four: queries raised with each post-primary school

Each school is contacted with any queries identified by the syntax validation process. Confirmation is also sought regarding all pupils leaving the school system without any GCSEs because this is one of our primary performance indicators. The schools check their internal records and contact the Department with amendments. These amendments are e-mailed for audit purposes and the school is instructed to amend their system to reflect any amendments.

Step Five: amendments made to database

The database is amended to reflect these changes and is eventually closed once all queries have been resolved. Provisional comparisons are made with the previous year’s dataset in an attempt to identify any areas of concern. Some final validations are run to ensure that there are no outstanding issues.

Step Six: database closed and publication created

The database is closed and syntax run to produce the statistical publication.

Improvements/ Changes

We continually strive to improve the quality and scope of the data we produce for our customers. For example, we have added variables such as GCSE English and maths, children in care, and higher level apprenticeship destinations, in direct response to customer needs.

The statistical press release of 2010/11, for the first time, presented qualifications data for pupils with a Special Educational Need and in 2013/14, a further breakdown of destination was also included.

A full review of Special Educational Needs (SEN) categories was undertaken in 2017/18 and consequently a new list of SEN categories and associated descriptors was created. The changes to the categories were implemented from January 2019 and impacted on the 2018/19 data relating to school leavers with SEN as schools transitioned to the new system. Data relating to the qualifications and destinations of school leavers with SEN were, therefore, not available for 2018/19. While data relating to the attainment and destinations of school leavers within the new list of SEN categories are available from 2019/20 onwards they are, however, not comparable with SEN data for previous years. Further information on the review of SEN categories can be found at the DE Recording children with special educational needs webpage. (opens in a new window)

As part of Action Short of Strike, 22 schools did not submit their School Leavers Survey returns electronically for 2022/23. Processing and validating the paper returns for these schools led to a delay, with the report not being published until June 2024.

A user consultation was carried out in September 2023, to which 9 responses were received. Nearly all respondents found the publication and associated outputs to be useful. A summary of the responses is available here (opens in a new window) .

Awarding Arrangements for GCSE and A-level Qualifications from Summer 2020 to Summer 2023

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in line with the other UK regions, public examinations in Summer 2020 were cancelled (opens in a new window) in Northern Ireland. Results awarded by the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) for GCSEs were based solely on the Centre Assessed Grades (CAGs) (opens in a new window) provided by schools and colleges. Results awarded for A-levels were the higher of the CAG or the grade initially awarded (opens in a new window) by CCEA on 13 August 2020.

Similarly, public examinations were subsequently cancelled in Summer 2021 (opens in a new window) and all results awarded by CCEA were based on Centre Determined Grades (CDGs) provided by schools and colleges.

While public examinations went ahead in Summer 2022 (opens in a new window) , various adaptations were put in place by CCEA (opens in a new window) . This offered pupils the option to reduce the number of exams and assessments that they had to sit for the Summer 2022 exam series. The return to pre-pandemic standards was continued by CCEA (opens in a new window) in Summer 2023 and additional support, through the provision of Advance Information, was provided for the majority of qualifications.

Finally, Summer 2024 saw the first full series of CCEA examinations (opens in a new window) following a period of alternative awarding and a stepped return to pre-pandemic arrangements.

Given the alternative methods of awarding grades in 2019/20 and 2020/21, and the various assessment adaptations or other supports in place for 2021/22 and 2022/23, caution should be taken when drawing any conclusions relating to changes in student performance. Year-on-year changes might have been impacted by the different process for awarding qualifications in these years rather than reflect a change in underlying performance.

Appendix A

School Leavers Survey variables

Data are at individual pupil level:

  • Unique Pupil Reference Number
  • Admission Number
  • Date of Birth
  • Sex
  • Year Group
  • Ethnicity of Pupil
  • Free School Meal Entitled
  • Ever Free School Meal Entitled
  • First Language
  • Religion of Pupil
  • Pupil Residential Postcode
  • Newcomer (Current, Former and Non-Newcomer)
  • In Care (In Care Health and Social Care Trust and In Care Living Arrangements)
  • Ever In Care
  • Pupil Disability
  • Children of Service Personnel
  • Traveller Accommodation Type
  • Dayboard
  • Dual Registration
  • Referral Reason
  • In Irish Medium Unit
  • Receiving Education Maintenance Allowance
  • Date of Arrival at School
  • Date of Leaving School
  • Leaving Code
  • Destination
  • In a Specialist Provision in Mainstream class
  • SEN Stage
  • SEN Types
  • Number of Medical Conditions
  • Medical Conditions
  • School Type – Grammar/Non Grammar
  • School Management Type
  • Number of GCSEs or equivalent A*-C
  • Number of GCSEs or equivalent A*-E
  • Number of GCSEs or equivalent A*-G
  • Number of GCSEs or equivalent D-G
  • Number of A Levels or equivalent A*-C
  • Number of A Levels or equivalent A*-E
  • Other qualifications (not equivalent to GCSE or A level)
  • Highest Level of Qualification
  • GCSE English grade
  • GCSE maths grade
  • GCSE English A*-C
  • GCSE maths A*-C
  • 5 GCSEs A*-C
  • 5 GCSEs A*-C including English and maths
  • GCSE English A*-E
  • GCSE maths A*-E
  • 5 GCSEs A*-E
  • 5 GCSEs A*-E including English and maths
  • GCSE English A*-G
  • GCSE maths A*-G
  • 5 GCSEs A*-G
  • 5 GCSEs A*-G including English and maths
  • GCSE Gaeilge Attainment
  • 3 A-levels A*-C
  • 3 A-levels A*-E
  • 2 A-levels A*-E
  • No GCSEs
  • No Formal Qualifications
  • Local Government District of Pupil Residence
  • District Electoral Area of Pupil Residence
  • Ward of Pupil Residence
  • Assembly Area of Pupil Residence
  • Neighbourhood Renewal Area
  • Urban or Rural Settlement
  • Drive Times
  • Health and Social Care Trust of Pupil Residence
  • Multiple Deprivation Measure Rank/Decile by Pupil Residence