These are estimates of the number of pupils in a particular group (for example, the number of pupils in the less active group, or the number of boys who have attended a live sports event at least twice in the last year).
The estimates have been calculated using the rate (%) and the 2023-24 DfE pupil population estimates, and therefore the true value would lie within a range around the estimates.
The 2023-24 DfE pupil data was used so that the estimates would be based on the data for the academic year the survey took place.
For sub-groups, the population estimate is calculated from the share of the weighted responses for that category.
The confidence intervals for the population estimates can be calculated by dividing the population estimate by the rate (%) and multiplying by the lower and upper confidence interval rates in the report tables.
In some cases, a population estimate has not been provided. Note that in the report tables, LOW is used where there are fewer than 30 cases in that cell so the population estimate cannot be presented.
PNA (population not available) is used where a decision has been made not to publish population estimates. For example, for number of impairments (LT, limiting) because the categorisation in the data does not match those provided in population data.
On the tables where the demographic split involves school phase (year groups) and term, the population estimates have been calculated using the rate multiplied by the population in the relevant school phase (school year 1-2, 3-6, 7-11), rather than using rates for school year 1-11 or 3-11 and shares for the sub-groups.
This is because, as outlined earlier, the distribution of responding pupils by phase and term is not consistent across the years.
It was not possible to weight to correct for this, as explained in the weighting section, and so the share approach to calculating population estimates was not suitable.
For annual analysis (not split by term), the weighting does take account of the varying distribution of phase by year and so the standard share measure was used to calculate population estimates.