By Michelle Doyle Wildman, Chief Executive of the PSA and Joan McDappa, PSA’s Diversity and Projects Officer
Our friends at the British Academy have just made available a new dashboard tool that offers insight into demographic and socio-economic characteristics of post-16 students in England studying Level 3 qualifications (excluding apprenticeships) over the fifteen years preceding 2021/22 as a whole and for each subject including A Level Government and Politics.
This builds on the information provided on subject choice in 2024 A level Government & Politics: in good health but ripe for growth | The Political Studies Association (PSA) and was prepared in collaboration with the National Foundation of Educational Research (NFER). The dashboard allows you to search against:
- Gender
- Ethnicity
- Free School Meals Eligibility (FSM)
- IDACI (Income Deprivation Affective Children Index)
- SEND
- English as an additional language.
Gender
As reported previously, more females sit A levels than males, and A level Government and Politics is no different. A comparison of the data shows a steady rise in the number of females taking Government and Politics over the last 10 years up to 52% in 2021/22; although this is lower ratio than all subjects overall.
Ethnicity
A level Government and Politics attracts candidates from a slightly more diverse set of backgrounds than the average as shown in the table below.
When comparing the 2007/08 data with that of 2021/22, the number of non-white students taking A level Government and Politics has increasedby 12%, with 2021/22 hitting an all-time high.
Free School Meals (FSM)
Free school meals take up is used in educational research as a comparator to explore lower socioeconomic status or poverty.
When comparing the overall make up of those studying Level 3 qualifications including A level, those taking A level Government & Politics appear to be from relatively higher socioeconomic and/or arguably privileged backgrounds.
Comparing the data from 2007/08 and 2021/22, there has been a slight increase from 7.1% to 8.8% in students eligible for FSM taking A level Government and Politics.
SEND
The trend shows a steady rise of students with special education needs or disability studying A level Government and Politics from 5.6% in 2007/08 to 9.7% in 2011/12 (a record high). This is followed by a steady decline from 2012/13 to 2015/16. There is a sharper drop between 2016/17 and 2018/19, after which the numbers start to pick up.
We thank the British Academy for investing in this observatory which provides useful information of trends over time and a baseline from which we can gauge the performance of school and higher education in achieving positive outcomes for children and young people from all backgrounds in the UK.
