Practical introduction to the National Pupil Database using R

Join this in-person computer workshop to learn how to work with the National Pupil Database (NPD) using R, delivered by ADR UK and the UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities (CEPEO).

Delivered by expert users of the data, this hands-on workshop will provide new users with practical insight into the content of the National Pupil Database and how it can be used to address interesting and policy-relevant research questions.

Secure your place

As places are very limited, please only sign up if you are confident that you will be able to attend.

We have limited funding available to help cover travel costs for PhD students without recourse to other funds. Please contact CEPEO via Eventbrite if you would like to enquire about this possibility.

Book your place now

This course will be run using R. Attendees will need to have at least basic skills in R in order to get the most out of the session, for example:

• Reading data into R

• Linking data tables

• Undertaking basic descriptive and regression analysis

Participants should bring their own laptop with R pre-installed wherever possible.

Agenda

This workshop will provide a simplified simulation of the experience of addressing a policy-relevant research question using a synthetic version of the NPD.

It will:

• Introduce the structure and content of the National Pupil Database

• Provide an overview of key data tables within the NPD

• Explore in more detail:

  • Key Stage 4 attainment data

  • Pupil-level school census data

  • Measures of attainment from primary school

  • Attendance data

During the session, participants will create a bespoke, research-ready dataset and use it to undertake basic descriptive and regression analysis in R.

Participants will be able to keep copies of the code they create during the workshop but will not be able to retain the synthetic data. We anticipate that the synthetic data may be made available for wider use in future.

A more detailed itinerary will be made available to registered participants.

Event details

When: 10:30–16:30, Tuesday 25 February 2026

Where: UCL Institute of Education (in person)

Cost: Free

Registration: Register your details on Eventbrite.