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 have been undertaking a Review into the approach taken to developing statistical models designed for awarding 2020 exam results. We plan to publish a report early in 2021.
We have carried out rapid reviews of attendance at educational settings statistics during the coronavirus pandemic, ensuring that education statistics are of high quality and continue to meet users’ needs. We are also continuing our review of Children and Young People statistics and undertaking a compliance check of the Higher Education Statistics Agency’s new Graduate Outcomes Survey.
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 work on the user impact of 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, Nisha Bunting and Michelle Alderson, for more information.
Planned Work
Project | Geography | Project type | Timescale |
---|---|---|---|
Children and Young People Statistics Review | UK | Systemic Review | April 2020 – Spring 2021 |
Graduate Outcomes (Higher Education Statistics Agency) | UK | Compliance Check | January - March 2021 |
Public Value of Post-16 Education and Skills Statistics: Phase 2 | UK | Systemic Review | April 2019 – Spring 2021 |
Published Correspondence – Children, Education and Skills domain
Published Publications – Children, Education and Skills domain
Correspondence
Ed Humpherson response to Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney: Department for Education COVID-19 school statistics
10 December 2020
Ed Humpherson, Office for Statistics Regulation to Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, National Education Union
Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney to Ed Humpherson: Department for Education COVID-19 school statistics
10 December 2020
Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, National Education Union to Ed Humpherson, Office for Statistics Regulation
Ed Humpherson response to Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney: ONS COVID-19 Infection Survey ad hoc analysis
2 December 2020
Ed Humpherson, Office for Statistics Regulation to Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, National Education Union
Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney to Ed Humpherson: ONS COVID-19 Infection Survey ad hoc analysis
2 December 2020
Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney, National Education Union to Ed Humpherson, Office for Statistics Regulation
Ed Humpherson to Fiona Robertson: OSR review of approach to developing statistical models designed for awarding 2020 exam results
16 September 2020
Ed Humpherson, Office for Statistics Regulation to Fiona Robertson, Scottish Qualifications Authority
Publications
Exploring the public value of statistics about post-16 education and skills – UK report
14 July 2020
Published in: Systemic/Monitoring Reviews
Exploring the public value of statistics about post-16 education and skills in England
9 April 2019
Published in: Systemic/Monitoring Reviews
Engaging the audience – exploring statistics beyond the pdf
25 May 2018
Published in: Systemic/Monitoring Reviews
Collaboration is key
11 May 2018
Published in: Systemic/Monitoring Reviews
News & Events
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