Children, Education and Skills
Our Children, Education and Skills domain oversees the regulation of data and statistics concerning all stages of education from early years to university and beyond, including statistics on teachers and lecturers, learners, and looked after children.
Education and training, from providing the best start for young people to equipping the workforce, has a profound impact on the society, business and the economy of the countries of the UK. High quality statistics and data to support effective decision making and evaluate policy implementation are crucial.
Our priorities reflect areas of public interest, both in terms of the use of statistics and where there have been recent policy changes.
As a result of COVID-19 and the concerns around the models used to award grades across the four nations this year, we undertook a Review into the approach taken to developing statistical models designed for awarding 2020 exam results. We published our report in March 2021.
We published the report of review of Children and Young People statistics in March 2022. We are working with official statistics producers, users and other bodies with an interest in children and young people statistics to identify how the improvements we have set out can be made. We are also exploring undertaking and publishing research with groups of children and young people to understand their views of official statistics and the value they can bring to them.
We recently carried out a routine assessment of the Key Stage 4 Performance statistics produced by the Department for Education (DfE). We published our report in July 2022.
We advocate the use of new technologies by producers, such as the Department for Education’s move to the Explore Education Statistics platform and continue to encourage data access through the Secure Research Service. We will further consider what society’s key questions are in this area and support producers in answering them.
Contact our regulators for this domain Emily Carless, Nicky Pearce, Nisha Bunting, and Emma Harrison for more information.
Planned Work
Project | Geography | Project type | Timescale |
---|---|---|---|
Key Stage 4 Attainment statistics (Department for Education) | England | Assessment | Continuing from 2021/22 |
Research with Children and Young People | United Kingdom | Systemic Review | Not yet started |
Children and Young People Review - follow up | United Kingdom | Systemic Review | Continuing from 2021/22 |
Published Correspondence – Children, Education and Skills domain
Correspondence
Graham Archer to Ed Humpherson: Schools’ Costs Funding
10 May 2023
Graham Archer, Department for Education to Ed Humpherson, Office for Statistics Regulation
Ed Humpherson to Graham Archer: Schools’ Costs Funding
10 May 2023
Ed Humpherson, Office for Statistics Regulation to Graham Archer, Department for Education
Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney to Ed Humpherson: Schools’ Costs Funding
10 May 2023
Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, National Education Union to Ed Humpherson, Office for Statistics Regulation
Ed Humpherson to Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney: Schools’ Costs Funding
10 May 2023
Ed Humpherson, Office for Statistics Regulation to Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, National Education Union
Mark Pont to Stephanie Howarth: School Workforce Annual Census statistics
3 February 2023
Mark Pont, Office for Statistics Regulation to Stephanie Howarth, Welsh Government
Publications
Assessment of compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics: Key Stage 4 performance statistics for England
13 July 2022
Published in: Assessment Report
Visibility, Vulnerability and Voice: The importance of including children and young people in official statistics
3 March 2022
Published in: Systemic Reviews
Exploring the public value of statistics about post-16 education and skills – UK report
14 July 2020
Published in: Systemic Reviews
Exploring the public value of statistics about post-16 education and skills in England
9 April 2019
Published in: Systemic Reviews
Engaging the audience – exploring statistics beyond the pdf
25 May 2018
Published in: Systemic Reviews
Collaboration is key
11 May 2018
Published in: Systemic Reviews
Publishing statistical reports at 9.30am – Department for Education
5 July 2016
Published in: Exemption Request
News & Events
OSR undertakes important review of Key Stage 4 Statistics
13 July 2022
OSR champions improvements to Children and Young People statistics
3 March 2022
OSR publishes its review of the approach to developing statistical models to award 2020 exam results
2 March 2021
OSR review of approach to developing statistical models designed for awarding 2020 exam results
18 August 2020
Statement from the Office for Statistics Regulation on Grade adjustment in UK exams in 2020
12 August 2020
OSR statement on school funding announcements
15 October 2019
OSR publishes Post-16 Education and Skills Report
9 April 2019