Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) summary education attainment values in the offspring generation

This data note describes how summary education attainment scores were generated for the index participants of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) from the original datasets provided by the Local Education Authorities and the Department for Education. Detailed education data can be sensitive and there is a risk of re-identification, so access is restricted through a secure Trusted Research Environment (TRE). The high level of security does impose some restrictions on ease of access and there are financial and resource costs to the researchers and the hosts.

There is a demand for minimal educational attainment variables to be made available, often as co-variates in broader analyses (as opposed to being the primary exposure or outcome of interest). Summary educational attainment measures are considered by the Department for Education (DfE) to be of low sensitivity and identifiability risk. A summary variable of attainment for Early Years and each Key Stage 1–5 has been made available. Final sample sizes for each of these scores is dependent on external factors including consent status, which can change regularly.