Participation in Education by 16-21 Year Olds in Scotland: 1987-88 to 1997-98

Annex: Notes

1 Sources

Population

Population figures used in this bulletin are based on the mid-year estimates from GRO(S), adjusted to produce end-year population estimates. Population projections are based on the 1996-based set of mid-year projections from the Government Actuary’s Department, similarly adjusted.

Schools

Information on school pupil numbers is derived from data collected in the annual September school census. The school figures cover pupils in all publicly funded and independent schools in Scotland, including special schools and the small number of children who receive their education outwith school, eg at home.

Age is as at 31 December. A breakdown of pupil numbers by age was collected in the census up to 1993-94; from 1994-95 onwards the age breakdown has been estimated.

For the purposes of this bulletin, school pupils are assumed to be full-time in the school system, though in practice some may spend part of their school week studying at a further education college. These pupils have been counted only in the school statistics.

Between 1985-86 and 1987-88, several former List D schools were reclassified as independent special schools.

It should be noted that pupils who leave at the winter leaving date are not included in the figures shown for schools because they left school once they became 16. However, they will be included in the further education totals if they went on to attend a further education course in the relevant academic year.

Further Education

Information on further education covers students on non-advanced courses in Further Education institutions (FEIs) and Higher Education institutions (HEIs). Further Education institutions (FEIs) are defined to cover FE colleges and local authority day colleges. These institutions provide both further and higher education courses - see notes under Higher Education below, for a definition of these courses.

Since 1994-95, information about further education students has been obtained from the SEED FES system which includes students taking National Certificate modules. For years prior to 1994-95, the SEED FES system was used in conjunction with information from the SCOTVEC (now SQA) administrative system on students registered for National Certificate modules.

An estimate of the double count (i.e. students studying for SCOTVEC National Certificate modules in conjunction with another qualification, who were included in both the FES and SCOTVEC data) was removed. As a result of the switch to use of the FES system alone from 1994-95, data for further education students from 1994-95 onwards are not directly comparable with figures for earlier years. These earlier figures have been revised to give a time series on a consistent basis and so may differ from those published previously.

The collection of data on further education students in higher education institutions (HEIs) was transferred to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in 1994. Prior to this, information was obtained from the HEIs and the Universities’ Statistical Record.

The rest of the text in this section describes analysis of data for students attending FEIs, whether FE or HE students.

Student numbers are based on a count of students attending over the whole session ( 1 Aug. - 31 July ). Age is calculated at 31December of the relevant session. Where student age is unknown, ages have been randomly allocated based on the distribution of known ages, for each college.

It should be noted that full-time students include sandwich students. Withdrawals (students who complete less than a quarter of the course) are excluded. Overseas students (including those from other countries in the UK) are included in the figures; Scottish students studying outwith Scotland are excluded.

In the Further Education Statistics (FES) system students are counted once for each course taken. Student numbers are collected on a course level return (FES1) and on an individual student return (FES2). Where FES2 details are unavailable dummy records are generated to agree counts with FES1.

The following assumptions and certain adjustments have been made to minimise double-counting:

(a) students within the same college with identical SOUNDEX (surname), 1st initial and date of birth ( i.e. duplicate enrolments) are counted once only.

(b) dummy records have been reduced for each college by the same proportion as duplicate enrolments identified in (a) above.

(c) students based in Scottish schools are not counted.

Higher education

There are presently 20 higher education institutions in Scotland.

Higher education students may be following courses in either the FEIs or HEIs. Prior to 1994-95, information was obtained from the Universities’ Statistical Record (for students at the 8 universities formerly funded by the Universities’ Funding Council (UFC)), the SEED FES system (for students on higher education courses in FEIs) and surveys carried out by SEED and the Joint Committee of Colleges of Education (for students at colleges of education). Since 1994-95 the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), has supplied the information for all students at HEIs, with the SEED FES system remaining the source of data on higher education students attending FEIs.

The following definition of a higher education course, derived from the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992, is used in the collection of these statistics:

For the purposes of (a), (e) and (f) above, a course is regarded as providing education at a ‘higher level’ if its standard is higher than the standard of courses in preparation for examinations for:

Courses at further or higher education institutions which are at a lower level than higher education as defined above are treated as further education in this bulletin.

Student numbers are session counts by age at 31 December. Overseas students (including those from other countries in the UK) are included in the figures The following groups of students are excluded:

2. Rounding

Percentages given in this bulletin have been individually rounded and so rows may not add to the total figures shown.

3. Enquiry point of contact

For further information and enquiries, please contact:

Mr Robin Bate