Guidance
Pupils included in KS4 performance data
We will publish KS4 provisional performance measures and national statistics in October 2026.
We will publish updates later, including changes from the 2026 KS4 Autumn checking exercise, in early 2027.
The statistics cover pupils’ attainment, entry and destination measures at the end of KS4.
For these measures, we treat a pupil as being at the end of KS4 when they complete their GCSEs, or equivalent qualifications, regardless of their age.
State funded schools
We treat a pupil as being at the end of KS4 if they were on the school roll in year 11 at the time of the January 2026 Spring census (15 January 2026).
Independent schools
We do not get pupil-level data from the school level annual school census (SLASC) for independent schools. Instead, we use exam entry data from awarding organisations.
This means we may include:
- external candidates taking exams at your school
- pupils who have already been counted at the end of KS4 and are resitting exams
We usually use the SLASC total for pupils at the end of KS4 as your school’s number on roll (NOR). We use this figure to calculate percentage-based performance measures.
If exam entry data shows more pupils than your school reported in the SLASC return, we will update your number on roll (NOR).
We will set your NOR based on the number of pupils with exam entries linked to your school. You can check your current NOR in your SLASC return.
FE colleges with 14 to 16 provision
We use exam entries data and Individualised Learner Record (ILR) information to attribute KS4 students to your college.
This may include:
- external candidates taking exams at your college
- students who have been previously reported at KS4 and are resitting exams
If your KS4 student list is inaccurate, you can ask to remove a student using the ‘Not on roll at the time of the January census’ removal category.