This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Pupils in Scotland 2006
27/02/2007
1.1 This document contains information on pupils in publicly funded schools in Scotland, mainly derived from the latest annual pupil census which took place in September 2006. As well as the tables contained in this document, the pupil characteristics collected in the census can also be matched against attainment, attendance and exclusions information, and can further be analysed at smaller geographic areas.
1.2 Tables in this publication are grouped into chapters, firstly at a national level into all sector summary figures (tables 1.1-1.16), then into primary (tables 2.1-2.20), secondary (tables 3.1-3.11) and special (tables 4.1-4.10). Then local authority figures are similarly grouped (tables 5.1-5.9, 6.1-6.16, 7.1-7.14, 8.1-8.13). Then there are four tables on schools boards (table 9.1-9.4). At the bottom of each table a note will direct you to the equivalent national or local authority table. A map of local authorities is given on page 101, and an index is also provided at the back of the publication.
2. Main Statistics
2.1 In September 2006 there were a total of 702,737 pupils in 2,757 publicly funded schools in Scotland.
2.2 There were 382,783 pupils in 2,184 primary schools, 312,979 pupils in 381 secondary schools, and 6,975 pupils in 192 special schools (table 1.1). Pupil numbers have been reducing, in line with a fall in the population. In recent years the proportion of pupils in special schools has been falling slightly, from 1.11 per cent in 2001 to 1.00 per cent in 2005 and 0.99 per cent in 2006.
2.3 About a third of primary schools had fewer than 100 pupils, with the average size being 175 pupils. The average number of pupils in a secondary school was 821, with almost a third having over 1,000 pupils (table 1.2)
2.4 There were 36,148 pupils who were either based in a special schools or had Additional Support Needs in primary or secondary schools (table 1.6). In mainstream schools there were 29,173 pupils (4.2 per cent of all mainstream pupils) with a Coordinated Support Plan (CSP), an Individualised Educational Programme (IEP) and/or with provision levels set by a Record of Needs (RoN) pre-dating the implementation of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. This compares to 27,540 pupils in mainstream schools with special educational needs in 2005, a six per cent increase. Eighty-three per cent of these pupils spent all of their time in mainstream classes (table 1.5).
2.5 During the transition period for the Act, all pupils who had a RoN must be re-assessed. It is not possible to say from the data what proportion of pupils had been re-assessed by September 2006. However, while there were there were 13,157 pupils with a RoN in 2005, there were 11,708 pupils with ongoing provision from a RoN by the census date, and there were 326 pupils with a CSP (table 1.6).
2.6 During the transition period, information on pupils' needs may be recorded under the old categories (of main difficulty of learning) or new categories (of reason for support). Just over half of pupils with additional support needs have been reported under the new categories. While the two recording systems are not strictly comparable or additive (since reason for support is given for all difficulties, not just the main difficulty) the most prevalent categories are moderate to profound learning difficulties (14.7 pupils per 1,000), specific learning difficulties in language and or mathematics - including dyslexia (10.5 pupils per 1,000) and social emotional and behavioural difficulties (9.0 pupils per 1,000).
2.7 Overall, 70 per cent of pupils with additional support needs were boys, the same proportion as in 2005 (table 1.9).
2.8 Of those pupils whose ethnic background was declared, 92 per cent were White-UK. The largest other groupings were White-other (1.5 per cent), Asian-Pakistani 1.3 per cent), and Mixed (0.8 per cent). 2.8 per cent of pupils did not disclose their ethnic background (table 1.11), this compares with 3.0 per cent in 2005.
2.9 The average class size in primary schools was 23.6 pupils, the same as in 2005. Composite classes had an average of 20.0 pupils, up from 19.9 in 2005. P1 classes had the smallest average size of single stage classes at 22.9 pupils, down from 23.1 in 2005 (table 2.11).
2.10 There were 2,535 pupils receiving at least some of the curriculum through Gaelic medium education, up from 2,480 in 2005. A further 1,596 were taught Gaelic through the medium of Gaelic, up from 1,452 in 2005. Another 5,333 were taught Gaelic as a learner, up from 5,019 in 2005 (table 1.14).
3. New Information
3.1 There were 10,920 pupils assessed or declared as having a disability (table 1.10). There are wide variations in the extent to which pupils with disabilities had been identified in different local authorities, and the information should not be considered as complete.
3.2 There were 137 different languages reported as the main home language. The most common after English were Punjabi, Urdu, Cantonese, Polish, Arabic and Gaelic. (table 1.15). Punjabi was the most common main home language after English in eleven authorities, and Polish in nine authorities (table 5.7).
3.3 There were 9,486 pupils identified as having English as an additional language and who were not fluent in English. Of these 2,192 were considered "New to English" (table 5.8)
Backgound:
1. Sources
1.1 The information in this publication is derived mainly from the Pupil Census from 18th September 2006 and previous years.
2 Coverage and Timing
2.1 The Pupil Census covers all publicly funded schools in Scotland (local authority and grant-aided). Where a school has more than one department, for example a secondary school with a primary department, these are counted as separate schools. The census of independent schools is published separately, and will be available on the Scottish Executive website.
2.2 Schools which provide education predominantly for children with special educational needs often have pupils from a wide age range and the data collected from this sector reflects this. Where pupils attend a 'special unit' attached to a mainstream school, they are usually included in the figures for the mainstream school. Some schools and local authorities have reported pupils from 'special units' separately.
2.3 Pupils who are withdrawn from school, for example, because of long-term illness, are not included in the school census returns. Information on such pupils is provided by local authorities in the annual survey of children educated outwith school, results of which are available on the Scottish Executive website
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/11/10144033/0
In 2005/06, 1,796 children were reported by local authorities to have received education outwith school at some point during the year.
2.4 From 2003 a separate staff census has taken place. Results of this will be published in "Teachers in Scotland, 2006", and will be available on the Scottish Executive website.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/PubTeacherCensus
3 Census content
3.1 The content of the Pupil Census is considered each year in consultation with the Data Exchange in Education and Children Services Group (DEECS). This group includes representatives from local authorities, teaching unions and headteachers associations, as well as staff from the Scottish Executive. The committee operates in the light of National Statistics guidelines, which restricts the department to collecting only the information that is required, at a level which is fit for purpose, whilst always trying to minimise the burden on data providers. Recommendations for changes to the census are made to DEECS through the Scottish Exchange of Educational Data (ScotXed) network.
4 Collection methods
4.1 The information required to complete the September 2006 Pupil Census was collected electronically, through local authorities, from nearly all publicly funded primary, secondary and special schools, as part of the ScotXed programme. The information is generally stored on schools' management information systems, thus reducing the burden on schools.
4.2 ScotXed supports and promotes effective and secure data exchanges so that key partners in school education in Scotland can benefit from access to information to monitor and improve education services. Partners include local authorities, schools, the Scottish Qualifications Agency, HM Inspectorate of Education, Learning and Teaching Scotland and Scottish Executive Education Department. Further information, including specifications of the data exchanges, can be found at www.scotxed.net.
5. New Information
5.1 In order to assist in monitoring the Disability Discrimination Act, information has started to be collected on the number of pupils having a disability and the need for physical, curriculum or communication adaptation. These figures are published in tables 1.10, 2.9, 3.9, 4.8 and 8.9.
5.2 Information has also been collected in the area of English as an Additional Language and main home language. These figures are published in tables 1.15 and 5.7.
6. Definitions
6.1 Tables in this publication cover publicly funded schools only, i.e. local authority and grant-aided. Information on independent schools will be available on the Scottish Executive website
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/PubIndSchoolCensus
6.2 Where numbers of pupils are given, these relate to pupils based at the school. Pupils who are attending the school but are based at another centre (for example, students from a Further Education College who are taking some classes at a school) are not included.
6.3 A class is a group of pupils normally supervised by one teacher. The group may occasionally be supervised by more than one teacher, for example, when pupils are receiving learning support from a teacher who is not the class teacher. Only pupils on the school roll have been included in the figures in order to avoid double counting of pupils.
6.4 Maximum class sizes in primary schools are as follows:
- 30 for single stage class P1-P3
- 33 for single stage class P4-P7
- 25 for composite stage class
6.5 A composite class is a class of pupils from two or more stages.
6.6 The ethnic background and national identity categories were based generally on those collected in the 2001 population census and were agreed following consultation. Pupils and parents were given the option of not disclosing their ethnicity, and in such cases pupils were not attributed a category. About 97 per cent of pupils disclosed their ethnic background, consistent with last year.
6.7 There would appear to be inconsistency between schools and between local authorities in the reporting of special schools as separate identities, as well as changes over the past years. We therefore advise caution when comparing results with previous years and across local authorities.
A few authorities do not have special schools, and may fund places in neighbouring authorities for their pupils. The number of special schools includes 38 where there were no pupils based, but which received pupils based in other schools.
6.8 At September 2006 there was one grant-aided mainstream school, with primary and secondary departments, and seven grant-aided special schools. These schools are included in national totals, but are identified separately in the local authority level tables. In publications prior to 2003 they were included within the local authority of their location.
6.9 Free school meal data collected in the Pupil Census only counts those pupils who are registered for free school meals. Free school meal entitlement (FME) data collected in the February School Meals Survey also attempts to includes those pupils who are deemed eligible for free school meals but who may not have registered for their entitlement, accounting for an additional 1.1 per cent of pupils in 2006. Both the registered and entitled figures collected in the annual School Meals Survey are currently used in funding calculations and in benchmarking schools. Information from the Pupil Census is used only where linkage to other pupil characteristics, or attainment, exclusions and attendance data is necessary.
6.10 Education authorities must have arrangements in place to identify pupils with additional support needs who require a co-ordinated support plan, and the particular additional support needs of the pupils so identified. The statutory criteria and content for a co-ordinated support plan can be found in the supporting children's learning code of practice at: http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/inclusiveeducation/additionalsupportforlearning/index.asp
6.11 For those pupils who had a Record of Needs immediately prior to the commencement of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, on 14 November 2005, the education authorities must, within 2 years (November 2007), establish whether or not such pupils require a co-ordinated support plan. The provision being made for the recorded pupil is preserved as a minimum level of support unless there is a significant change in the individual's additional support needs or until the date that it is established that they require a plan, or if they do not require a plan, 2 years from the date that that is established. Such pupils are referred to in this publication under the heading "with RoN".
6.12 Individualised Educational Programmes (IEPs) are written plans setting targets that a child, with special educational needs, is expected to achieve. Targets should be limited in number and focus on key priorities of learning. They should be simple, clearly expressed and measurable.
6.13 Pupils may have an IEP with another record of support needs but they cannot have both a CSP and an RoN. Pupils with any combination of support needs are categorised as having Additional Support Needs.
6.14 Pupil census figures on children looked after by the local authority appear to be incomplete when compared with similar data from social work departments. They are published this year alongside the social work figures, as at 31st March 2006, for comparison.
6.15 The urban/rural classifications in Table 1.3 are defined as in the Scottish Household survey, http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2003/08/17898/24432.
6.16 For the purposes of this report denominational schools have been restricted to those schools where a specific denomination is named. Multi- and inter-denominational schools have therefore been grouped with non-denominational schools.
7. Rounding
7.1 All percentages are rounded separately and breakdowns may consequently not sum to 100 per cent.
8. Disclosive data
8.1 Numbers less than five are generally deemed to be disclosive, and hence not published. Where figures have been removed they are replaced by *. Other figures in the table may also be removed to stop a disclosive figure from being calculated from the total.
8.2 However, in some cases where there are a large number of pupils in the unknown category, i.e. ethnic background and national identity, there often exists a large enough amount of uncertainty for figures to be published.
8.3 Occasionally, as in data for grant aided schools, it has been preferable to swap a small number of data rather than removing figures elsewhere in the publication. Swapped data has still usually been marked as *.
9. Other data
9.1 Some further data, for example some school level data, will be made available on the Scottish Executive website www.scotland.gov.uk/schoolstats. Ad-hoc tables are available on request.
9.2 Analysis on a more local level may also be available via the Neighbourhood Statistics website - http://www.sns.gov.uk.
10. Symbols
10.1 The following symbols are used:
. . = not available
- = nil or rounds to nil
# = not applicable
* = disclosive data
11. General
11.1 This is a National Statistics publication. National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any political interference.
11.2 The report was edited by: Carrie Graham, Mal Cooke, Colin Gallacher.
11.3 All tables are available on the Scottish Executive website at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00569
12. Enquiries
Public enquiries (non-media) about the information contained in this bulletin should be addressed to
Carrie Graham,
Pupil, Teacher and School Statistics, Room 1B South,
Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ.
Telephone 0131 244 0183
or e-mail school.stats@scotland.gsi.gov.uk