The NPD is a pupil level database which matches pupil and school characteristic data to pupil level attainment. PLASC is the key source of data for pupil characteristics. This dataset includes several variables previously unavailable in other datasets including ethnicity, a low-income marker, information on Special Education Needs (SEN), and a history of schools attended.
The NPD contains information on key pupil characteristics. These include several variables previously unavailable in other datasets including ethnicity, a low-income marker, information on Special Education Needs (SEN), and a history of schools attended. Pupils’ Keystage attainment records can also be added from the NPD. Attainment data, but not pupil characteristics are available for non-maintained schools.
PLASC/NPD has a number of key features. First, it provides information on all children in state schools in England, linked to their schools, as they progress through primary and secondary school. The fact that it is a census dataset – it contains the population of all pupils in state schools – is very helpful for a number of different analyses, relative to a dataset based on a sample of schools. For example, children can be tracked across schools. Second, it is longitudinal, and children can now be followed throughout their school careers. Third, it provides a very rich set of data on school characteristics. As it is a census, this includes details of the peer group (the school-cohort) of any particular child. Fourth, there is scope for linking in data from other related datasets – for example, on neighbourhoods or on teachers in schools.