Academic Achievement by Pupil Characteristics, 2011

Statistics on Academic Achievement by Pupil Characteristics include data for Wales for the period 1999 to 2011. The latest release updates the statistics previously released on 30 March 2011.

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, month of birth and, for the first time, acquisition of English as an additional language (EAL) and primary SEN type.

The key points from the latest release are:

Gender

• With regard to Core Subject Indicator/Level 2 Threshold including a GCSE grade A*-C in English or Welsh (First Language), Mathematics and Science in combination (CSI/L2EWM), girls continued to perform better than boys at each Key Stage, with the widest gap in 2011 at Key Stage 3, and the narrowest gap at Key Stage 4.
• The gender gap was smaller in Mathematics and Science than in English and Welsh First Language in Key Stages 1 to 3 in 2011.

Ethnicity

• When comparing the main ethnic groups, a higher percentage of pupils from a Chinese or Chinese British ethnic background achieved the CSI/L2EWM than any other ethnic group at Key Stage 3 and 4, whereas pupils from a Mixed background had the highest percentage at Key Stage 1 and 2.

English as an additional language (EAL)

• With regard to CSI/L2EWM, pupils classified as “competent” or “fluent” did better than those where an EAL stage of development was not applicable at every Key Stage.
  Special Educational Needs (SEN).
• The percentage of pupils with SEN achieving the CSI/L2EWM ranged from 50.8 per cent at Key Stage 2 to 15.5 per cent at Key Stage 4 in 2011.

Absenteeism

• As the overall absence rate increased the percentage of pupils achieving the CSI/L2EWM decreased at each Key Stage in 2011.

Month of Birth

• Generally, those born earlier in the academic year had higher percentages achieving the CSI/L2EWM 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 2013 (provisional - to be confirmed on Due Out Soon page)