Schools

How many schools and school places there are

An overview of the number of schools in the UK is provided in the education and training statistics for the UK series. This data is broken down into categories of school, such as nursery, primary, middle, secondary and special schools.

The schools, pupils and their characteristics series (published annually) provides more detailed figures for the number of schools, academies, free schools and faith schools. You can find information on specific schools via the gov.uk website.

Data on the number of school places and overall school size is published separately in an annual release on school capacity. The data is broken down by type of school and local authority.

For secondary schools, the number of applications and offers is published in the annual school applications statistics. This data is broken down by nature of application (including how an applicant ranked the school in order of preference) and local authority.

How many pupils there are and their characteristics

The number of pupils is counted by the School Census and listed in the schools, pupils and their characteristics annual release. The data includes information on pupils’ age, gender, ethnicity, first language, and the type of school attended.

Class sizes over time are also provided in the same release.

The number of pupils claiming free school meals is also available from this series. There’s also information on the characteristics of this group.

Projections of the number of pupils in future school years are published in a separate dedicated release.

How many teachers there are and their characteristics

There’s information on the number of teachers in the annual school workforce statistics. There are figures for headcount and full-time equivalent (where part-timers count for less than one).

The data is broken down by type of role (teacher, head teacher, teaching assistant and support staff), age, gender, ethnicity, subject taught, hours taught (including sickness absence), highest qualification (if any), type of school and pay grade. The tables also have data on the number of qualified and unqualified teachers.

Separate tables are available that show the number of teachers in training, the number joining and leaving the education system and the number retiring.

Absence and exclusions

Figures for absenteeism at school are provided in public absence statistics, published every term. They show overall absence rates in primary and secondary schools and the reasons for absence.

Figures for the number of exclusions are published annually in the school exclusions release. The two main categories of exclusion – permanent and fixed-period – are included. The data is broken down by age, gender, ethnicity, reason for exclusion, and type of school. There’s also information on how many of those excluded have special educational needs, are claiming free school meal, live in a deprived area, or have been previously excluded.

Where pupils go when they leave

The number of pupils who finish Key Stage 4 (GCSEs) and Key Stage 5 (A-Levels) is published as part of destinations statistics. They can show how many go directly into further and higher education, how many stay on till sixth form (for Key Stage 4 leavers) and how many get work, training or an apprenticeship.

Special educational needs (SEN)

A pupil is considered to have special educational needs if they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from learning or if they have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children their age.

Figures for the number of pupils with SEN are collected in the annual special educational needs release. This data is broken down by age, gender, ethnicity, first language, the type of need and the type of school. There’s also information on the proportion of pupils with SEN from any given type of school.