RDS metadata catalogue
Search public sector datasets about people, places and businesses to request access for research.
ADR Scotland data catalogue
Discover public sector datasets curated by ADR Scotland.
About ADR Scotland
Administrative Data Research Scotland (ADR Scotland) is a partnership combining specialists in the Scottish Government’s Data for Research Unit with the expertise of academic researchers at the Scottish Centre for Administrative Data Research (SCADR). Together they are transforming how public sector data in Scotland is curated, accessed and explored, so it can deliver its full potential for policymakers and for the public.
Available datasets
The table below lists details of available datasets curated by ADR Scotland, including links to metadata, supporting information and related resources. Researchers affiliated with approved organisations can apply to access these datasets for research in the public benefit.
For Education Analytical Services datasets, demographic variables may need to be requested from the Pupil Census and linked to define cohorts.
|
Dataset name |
Data controller name |
Data subjects |
Years |
Access |
File access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupil Census | Scottish Government Education Analytical Services | Children attending publicly funded local authority and grant-aided schools in Scotland | 2007-2022 | Statistics Public Benefit and Privacy Panel application via eDRIS | View metadata |
| Looked After Children | Scottish Government Education Analytical Services | Children in care of a local authority in Scotland | 2008-2019 | Statistics Public Benefit and Privacy Panel application via eDRIS | View metadata |
| Leaver Destinations and Attainment | Scottish Government Education Analytical Services | School leavers from all stages of publicly funded local authority secondary schools and one grant-aided mainstream school in Scotland | 2009-2019 | Statistics Public Benefit and Privacy Panel application via eDRIS | View metadata |
| Exclusions | Scottish Government Education Analytical Services | The exclusions collection covers all publicly funded local authority school in Scotland. Prior to 2018/19 collection, exclusions information was collected for one grant-aided mainstream school. |
2007-2022 | Statistics Public Benefit and Privacy Panel application via eDRIS | View metadata |
| Attendance and Absence | Scottish Government Education Analytical Services | Attendance, authorised and unauthorised absence and temporary exclusions of children attending publicly funded local authority schools and one grant-aided mainstream school in Scotland. | 2007-2022 | Statistics Public Benefit and Privacy Panel application via eDRIS | View metadata |
| Qualifications | Scottish Government Education Analytical Services | Children presenting for SQA National Qualification examinations from all stages of publicly funded local authority secondary schools and one grant-aided mainstream school in Scotland. | 2008-2019 | Statistics Public Benefit and Privacy Panel application via eDRIS | View metadata |
| Child Protection | Scottish Government Education Analytical Services | Children on the Child Protection Register of a Scottish Local Authority. | 2012 - 2019 | Statistics Public Benefit and Privacy Panel application via eDRIS | View metadata |
| 2010 EU Farm Structure Survey and rural payments data for Scotland | Scottish Government | The survey gathered information on the activities, labour and diversification activities of farm holdings across Scotland. | 2010 | Statistics Public Benefit and Privacy Panel application via eDRIS | View metadata |
| Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels | Scottish Government Education Analytical Services | All pupils in publicly funded Primary 1, Primary 4, Primary 7 and Secondary 3 classes, and for all pupils based in special schools/units. | 2016-2022 (excluding 2019/20) | Statistics Public Benefit and Privacy Panel application via eDRIS | View metadata |
| Programme for International Student Assessment | Scottish Government Education Analytical Services | A random sample of 15-year olds from a random sample of schools in Scotland. | 2012, 2015, 2018 (collected every three years) | Statistics Public Benefit and Privacy Panel application via eDRIS | View metadata |
| Service Leavers Database linkage data - Scotland | Scottish Government Education Analytical Services | A dataset provided by the Ministry of Defence containing records of UK armed forces leavers. | 1975-2023 | Statistics Public Benefit and Privacy Panel application via eDRIS | View metadata |
Data Explained
ADR Scotland have published new resources detailing learnings from working with select datasets. Discover these resources on the ADR Scotland Data Explained webpage or through the links below.
Exploring context, factors and approaches to educational exclusions and absences (October 2023)
This Data Explained resource summarises learning from working with education, health, and census datasets for the linkage and research project, “Exploring context, factors and approaches to educational exclusions and absences”. This publication is intended to help guide future researchers using this data and to provide feedback into future dataset development and documentation.
Scottish Government's Looked After Children Longitudinal Dataset (April 2023)
This Data Explained resource provides an outline of the Looked After Children longitudinal dataset (see table above) and details the variables available, issues within the dataset, and current processes for data access.
Data access
Access to the secure datasets listed above is through the Statistics Public Benefit and Privacy Panel (Stats-PBBP).
Support is available through Public Health Scotland's electronic Data Research & Innovation Service (eDRIS).
Timescales for data access vary and depend on the nature of your project proposal.
- To begin a data access request, begin an enquiry
Related content
Data access overview
Find out more about the process of applying for access to secure datasets
Pre-application checklist
Discover if you are ready to submit a data access enquiry.