Statistical First Release (SFR) FAQ's
Questions
1.
If I want more detailed information relating to the SFR tables where can I find this?
2.
Why is the total figure on some reports not the sum of all the numbers?
3.
Why do numbers change from one version of the SFR to the next for historic data?
4.
What year will achievers be counted in?
5.
Is data available broken down by individual local authority?
6.
Why are figures rounded to the nearest 100?
Question 1: If I want more detailed information relating to the SFR tables where can I find this?
Answer
:
More detailed answers can be found in the supplementary tables which are located at
www.thedataservice.org.uk/statistics
. These are phased in starting a week after the full report is published. For example Table S5.1 is the supplementary table relating to table 5.1.
Table S5.1 Apprenticeship Starts (2005/06 to 2007/08) – Geographic and equality and diversity breakdowns .
On this supplementary table there are worksheet tabs at the bottom that show splits by regional constituency, regional local authority, equality and diversity, sector framework code and sector subject area.
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Question
2: Why is the total figure on some reports not the sum of all the numbers?
Answer
:
Individual learners can be in multiple categories depending on the funding stream. Full level 2 and full level 3 are subsets of level 2 and level 3.
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Question 3:
Why do numbers change from one version of the SFR to the next for historic data?
Answer:
It is sometimes necessary to revise the definitions used to assign learners to levels/categories if inconsistencies are identified. This means historic data will sometimes change.
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Question 4:
What year will achievers be counted in?
Answer
:
Achievers are counted in the year they actually achieved, regardless of when the qualification started or was due to be completed. The actual end date of a learning aim is used to determine this.
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Question 5:
Is data available broken down by individual local authority?
Answer
:
Yes for most tables it is available as a standard supplementary table. Another geographic split is by parliamentary constituency.
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Question 6:
Why are figures rounded to the nearest 100?
Answer:
It is a statistical rule to round to the nearest 100 and suppress numbers lower than 50 for all tables except splits by parliamentary constituency where figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and suppressed if they are below 5.
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