Any major language includes
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2025 3:31 am
Summing up
What we’ve seen here reflects the relative popularity of different A-Level subjects and the gender split in entry numbers, much as you might expect. So why is it even worthwhile to look at the number of schools sending no pupils on to A-Levels by subject, rather than just looking at the total numbers studying each subject?
I think the reason is that having no one at all go on to study a subject from a school may become a barrier for potential future students: if choosing that subject is not something that any of your peers have done recently, it may start to feel almost unthinkable for you to do so. And it may indicate a lack of opportunity for pupils from certain schools to pursue certain subjects; some schools or colleges may be unable to offer some subjects due to budgetary constraints, for example.
And I do think it’s worth reflecting, once canada rcs data again, on the stark gender differences in the take-up of A-Level subjects, which will of course reflect different career choices and pathways.
Notes
[1]: Mathematics here includes both mathematics and mathematics (statistics).
[2]: Other modern languages includes: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Italian, Modern Greek, Modern Hebrew, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish, Urdu and Japanese.
French, Spanish and German.
[3]: Any humanity includes: geography, history, geology and ancient history.
[4]: Any art and design includes: Art & Design, Art & Design (3d Studies), Art & Design (Critical Studies), Art & Design (Fine Art), Art & Design (Graphics), Art & Design (Photography) and Art & Design (Textiles).
Want to stay up-to-date with the latest research from FFT Education Datalab? Sign up to Datalab’s mailing list to get notifications about new blogposts, or to receive the team’s half-termly newsletter.
What we’ve seen here reflects the relative popularity of different A-Level subjects and the gender split in entry numbers, much as you might expect. So why is it even worthwhile to look at the number of schools sending no pupils on to A-Levels by subject, rather than just looking at the total numbers studying each subject?
I think the reason is that having no one at all go on to study a subject from a school may become a barrier for potential future students: if choosing that subject is not something that any of your peers have done recently, it may start to feel almost unthinkable for you to do so. And it may indicate a lack of opportunity for pupils from certain schools to pursue certain subjects; some schools or colleges may be unable to offer some subjects due to budgetary constraints, for example.
And I do think it’s worth reflecting, once canada rcs data again, on the stark gender differences in the take-up of A-Level subjects, which will of course reflect different career choices and pathways.
Notes
[1]: Mathematics here includes both mathematics and mathematics (statistics).
[2]: Other modern languages includes: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Italian, Modern Greek, Modern Hebrew, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish, Urdu and Japanese.
French, Spanish and German.
[3]: Any humanity includes: geography, history, geology and ancient history.
[4]: Any art and design includes: Art & Design, Art & Design (3d Studies), Art & Design (Critical Studies), Art & Design (Fine Art), Art & Design (Graphics), Art & Design (Photography) and Art & Design (Textiles).
Want to stay up-to-date with the latest research from FFT Education Datalab? Sign up to Datalab’s mailing list to get notifications about new blogposts, or to receive the team’s half-termly newsletter.