Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students by ethnic group studied A level drama in each year since 2012.

The Department has published the number of students entering A level drama, split by free school meal (FSM) eligibility and ethnicity, from 2011/12 – 2016/17.[1] In 2015/16 figures only include students who were included in the ‘best 3 A levels’ measure. From 2016/17, figures cover exam results achieved in all years of 16-18 studies (up to three years) and inclusion in the 'best 3 A level' measure was no longer used in the methodology, resulting in more students being included and correspondingly higher rates of entry.

The total number and percentage of students entering A level drama in each year is provided below, as well as the percentage of entrants into each subject who were eligible for FSM.² Figures split by ethnicity are provided in the attached file.[2]

Students, by FSM eligibility

[1] For 2010/11 – 2015/16 - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-level-attainment-by-pupil-characteristics. For 2016/17 - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results-2016-to-2017-revised (open the ‘A level exam results and A level and vocational participation csv’ and then the ‘A level subjects by characteristics’ file).

[2] The methodology through which a student’s FSM eligibility and ethnicity are identified was changed in 2016/17. Up to 2015/16 a student’s FSM/ethnicity was taken from their census record three years prior to the academic year the figures are reported for. In 2016/17 a student’s FSM/ethnicity is taken from the census record of their final year of key stage 4 study (normally, three years prior). Due to this change, 2016/17 figures can not be compared to earlier years. FSM eligibility and ethnicity in key stage 4 is taken from the census record for that academic year. Students who attended independent schools (that do not complete the census) will not have FSM or ethnicity data and are therefore classified as ‘unknown’.

[3] Figures are based on final data, except for 2015/16 and 2016/17 which are based on amended data.

[4] Students at the end of their 16-18 study. From 2011/12 – 2016/17 only students included in the ‘best 3 A levels’ measure are included. From 2016/17, all students are included.

[5] Where qualifications taken by a student are in the same subject area and similar in content, ‘discounting’ rules have been applied to avoid double counting qualifications.

[6] The percentage of all A level students entering each subject from 2010/11 – 2014/15 are based on students entered for A levels. From 2015/16 these figures are based on students entered for AS and A levels, resulting in a much bigger cohort. This artificially reduces the percentage in comparison to previous years and therefore comparisons between the percentages of 2015/16 and 2016/17 and earlier years can not be done.

[7] Figures from 2012/13 to 2014/15 cover students at the end of advanced level study who were entered for at least one A level, applied single award A level, applied double award A level or combined A/AS level in the reporting year. Figures for earlier years cover students who were entered for at least one A level, applied single award A level, applied double award A level or combined A/AS level in the summer of the reporting year.

[8] Figures for 2015/16 onwards cover students at the of advanced level study who were entered for at least one A/AS level, applied single A/AS level, applied double A/AS level or combined A/AS level during their 16-18 study. As a result there has been a large increase in the number of A level students since 2016 and therefore figures are not directly comparable to earlier years.