[holding answer 26 June 2006]: The Department for Education and Skills collects the following information on pupil attainment.
1. Results for the foundation stage profile.
2. Results at key stages 1, 2 and 3.
3. Results at GCSE and equivalent qualifications approved for use pre-16 4. Results at GSE/VCE A/AS levels and equivalent qualifications approved for use post-16.
The Department does not collect details of the social class of pupils. However, one commonly used measure of low socio-economic status is eligibility for free school meals (FSM). Pupil attainment figures broken down by FSM eligibility are calculated by the Department.
Attainment figures have also been available since 2004 by ACORN (A Classification of Residential Neighbourhoods). The ACORN classification combines geography with demographics and lifestyle information to categorise UK postcodes into five categories. This classification describes people according to the neighbourhood in which they live, and works on the premise that people living in the same neighbourhood will have similar purchasing habits and attitudinal characteristics.
The Department also uses the Indices of Deprivation 2004 and the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index developed by the Social Disadvantage Research Centre of the University of Oxford on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to identify deprived areas and highlight variations between areas.