The Education Outcomes Linkage 2018/19-2021/22 dataset is now available from ADR Northern Ireland
Categories: Data linkage programmes, Datasets, ADR Northern Ireland, Office for National Statistics, Children & young people, Housing & communities, Inequality & social inclusion, World of work
2 December 2024
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) is now receiving applications from accredited researchers to use the Education Outcomes Linkage (EOL) 2018/19-2021/22 dataset for research in the public interest. The EOL 2018/19-2021/22 is an update to the previously available version (EOL 2018/19) and includes three years of additional data. NISRA is part of ADR Northern Ireland.
The EOL 2018/19-2021/22 is a longitudinal relational dataset containing post primary schools’ data for pupils aged 14 and over in Northern Ireland. It is the first stage of the development of a Longitudinal Education Outcomes dataset for Northern Ireland. The Longitudinal Education Outcomes – England dataset was developed by the Department for Education in England, and is a dataset which connects individuals’ education data with their earnings, benefits and tax data. There are also Scottish and Welsh equivalents.
The EOL links together a number of datasets held by the Department of Education in Northern Ireland: the school census (including attendance data), the school leavers survey and the exams database. It comprises a suite of datasets which can be linked via an anonymised unique pupil number. Data is available for pupils aged 14 years and over who are present in the school census in at least one of the academic years 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21, or 2021/22, and who have also undertaken an exam in the corresponding academic year.
Areas of research interest
The EOL has been developed in order to advance research across a range of themes. It can offer an evidence base for policy development and decision making, as well as the monitoring of public policy in Northern Ireland.
Research questions include:
- The best predictors of educational attainment
- The impact of Free School Meals entitlement
- An exploration of Special Educational Needs (SEN) outcomes
- The impact of geographical comparisons, school size, ethnicity, religion, and first language on exam performance.
With the addition of the new years of data, there is also an opportunity to look at the impact of Covid-19 on educational attainment. The EOL is a robust dataset that provides a baseline from which to examine cohorts at key transition phases, providing very powerful evidence about the impact of policy and the direction of social and economic change.
Furthermore, as the EOL will form the foundation of a Longitudinal Education Outcomes dataset for Northern Ireland, a broader range of research goals can be met.
How to access the EOL data
Access to the EOL dataset is limited to researchers and research teams with accredited researcher status under the Digital Economy Act 2017 (DEA) and subject to approval by the data owners and the UK Statistics Authority Research Accreditation Panel. The EOL dataset may be accessed in the NISRA Research Support Unit trusted research environment or the Office for National Statistics Secure Research Service.
In the first instance, researchers should complete the Themed Datasets Initial Research Proposal Form and submit this to rsu@nisra.gov.uk. The proposal form asks researchers to summarise the main aim and objectives of the proposed project, as well as the methodological approach that they are intending to use. Researchers must also include details of the data required (including a variable list with justification) and cohort required. Details of any public engagement activities planned as part of their project must also be included.
NISRA’s Research Support Unit, in consultation with the data owners, will determine the feasibility of the project prior to the completion of a full application by the researcher(s) to the Research Accreditation Panel. Ethical approval will also be required for each project, either through the research team’s university ethics committee or via the National Statistician’s Ethics Advisory Committee.
The Research Support Unit will support the research team throughout the application process. You can find the full information about applying for access to this data on the NISRA website:
