Academic Achievement by Pupil Characteristics, 2010

Statistics on Academic Achievement by Pupil Characteristics include data for Wales for the period 1999 to 2010. The latest release updates the statistics previously released on 30 March 2010.

This statistical bulletin uses pupil-level data that links data on attainment and examination information at Key Stages 1 to 4 to pupil characteristics from the Pupil-Level Annual School Census (PLASC) and Pupils’ Attendance Record. This enables us to analyse the attainment of pupils by gender, ethnicity, different Special Educational Need (SEN) requirements, absenteeism and month of birth.

The key points from the latest release are:

Gender

• Girls continued to perform better than boys at each Key Stage, with the widest gap in 2010 at Key Stage 3 (KS3), and the narrowest gap at Key Stage 4 (KS4);
• the gender gap was smaller in Mathematics and Science than in English and Welsh First Language in Key Stages 1 to 3 in 2010.

Ethnicity

• When comparing the main ethnic groups, a higher percentage of pupils from a Chinese or Chinese British ethnic background achieved the Core Subject Indicator (CSI) than any other ethnic group at all Key Stages apart from Key Stage 1 (KS1) (where pupils from a Mixed background had the highest percentage achieving the CSI);
• the Black ethnic group had the lowest percentage of pupils achieving the CSI at each Key Stage apart from KS1 (where pupils from an Other ethnic background had the lowest percentages achieving the CSI).

Special Educational Needs

• The percentage of pupils with special educational needs achieving the CSI ranged from nearly 49 per cent at KS1 to 12.5 per cent at Key Stage 4 in 2010.

Absenteeism

• As the overall absence rate increased the percentage of pupils achieving the CSI decreased at each Key Stage in 2010.

Month of Birth

• Those born earlier in the academic year had higher percentages achieving the CSI than those born later in the academic year at each Key Stage.

Contact

Tel: 029 2082 5968
E-mail: school.stats@wales.gsi.gov.uk

Next update

March 2012 (provisional - to be confirmed on Due Out Soon page)