With the exception of 2001, these data have been created for Vision of Britain by re-districting statistics originally reported for other units. We have also had to deal with variations in the categories and classifications used in statistical reporting over the years.

• 1851:
• 1851: The data come from the 1851 Census of Education, which was a separate census of schools carried out at the same time as the Census of Population. We hold full transcriptions of the report for England and Wales (BPP 1852-53 XC [C. 1692], 1-.) and the report for Scotland (BPP 1854 LIX, 247-.), but they were mainly concerned with how schools were funded, not with the pupils. The original data used in redistricting calculations were for Registration Districts in England and Wales, and simply for counties in Scotland, as no separate urban statistics were published even for Edinburgh and Glasgow. 'Voluntary schooling' covers the 'total number of scholars' belonging to all Day Schools, and we separately include total numbers in Sunday Schools. To compute rates we use the total number of persons aged 5 to 14 from the 1851 Census of Population but this can be only a very rough measure of those potentially going to school and eighteen districts have computed rates of Sunday School attendance of over 100%.
• 1951: The data come from tables 25, 'Occupied Population in 3 age sections by 5 terminal ages', for 'Administrative County, County Boroughs, Urban Areas with 50,000 Population or more and Urban Remainder', and 26, 'Occupied Male Population by 5 terminal ages', for 'Urban Areas of Less than 50,000 and Rural Districts'. They cover the age at which people finished their education, rather than any particular qualifications they obtained, so we assume that those who finished their schooling before age 15 were unqualified, and those who stayed on past 20 had degrees or equivalent. There are no data on voluntary schooling.
• 1971: The data are computed from the 1971 Small Area Statistics, via the 'Linking Censuses through Time' system. These data are particularly limited, and the only measure which can be calculated is 'graduates', defined as those with degrees or Higher National Certificates, expressed as a percentage of all economically active or retired (table 23, from the 10% sample).
• 1981: : The data are computed from the 1981 Small Area Statistics, via the 'Linking Censuses through Time' system. 'Graduates' measures the proportion of all persons aged between 18 and retirement age (i.e. 64 for men and 59 for women) who had degrees, professional or vocational qualifications, using data from the 10% sample multiplied by 10 (table 48, expressed as a percentage of all persons aged over 18, combining information from tables 2 and 24). There are no data on the unqualified. 'Voluntary schooling' covers students as a percentage of all residents aged 16-17 in private households (table 24).
• 1991: The data are computed from the 1991 Small Area Statistics, via the 'Linking Censuses through Time' system. 'Graduates' are all persons aged over 18 with degrees, including higher degrees, taken from table S84 'Qualified manpower (10% sample)' and expressed as a percentage of all residents aged over 18. There are no data on the unqualified. 'Voluntary schooling' covers residents, present or absent, aged 16-17 who were students, expressed as a percentage of all residents aged 16-17 (table S10 'Term-time address: Students (16 and over) present plus absent resident students (16 and over)'). The data have been adjusted to allow for under-enumeration in 1991.
• 2001: The data are taken from table KS13 'Qualifications and students: Census 2001, Key Statistics for local Authorities'. Unqualified are persons aged 16 - 74 with no qualifications. Graduates are persons aged 16 - 74 with a first degree; higher degree; NVQ levels 4 and 5; HNC; HND; Qualified Teacher Status; Qualified Medical Doctor; Qualified Dentist; Qualified Nurse; Midwife; or Health Visitor. Voluntary schooling is the number of full-time students and schoolchildren aged 16-17 expressed as a percentage of all aged 16-17 (the last figure is taken from table KS02).