Secondary schools across England and Wales encouraged to get involved in Census 2021

The Office for National Statistics is keen for schools across the country to sign up for brand new educational resources which will teach pupils all about the census and its importance in our national life.

The ONS launched a census secondary school programme back in September to support Census 2021. The programme, developed by EVERFI EdComs, will show students the importance of the census and how data can benefit their local areas.

More than 500 secondary schools across England and Wales have already registered for the free programme and registration is still open for this unique opportunity.

Iain Bell, ONS deputy national statistician, said: “We want to engage pupils in schools across England Wales in the census and by doing so make Census 2021 a huge success. Our school programmes offer a great opportunity for students to learn about the importance of the census. They help students learn more about maths and their own local area, and they will also raise awareness of the census, which informs many important issues like the number of school places or hospital beds. If your school hasn’t yet signed up, I’d urge you to get involved.”

A brand-new set of resources has now been launched for the programme, including in-depth lessons specific to curriculum topics like maths, geography and history.

Students will have the opportunity to explore patterns of change in their communities and identify geographical and historical themes that may have caused this. Students will be asked to interview a family or community member to find a story they want to tell and create a group display or installation to discover how their individual story is part of a bigger picture.

The new interactive maths lesson available will also give students the chance to solve a range of graphical data problems and reflect on the importance of data in real-world decision-making. The maths lesson will use the fictional island ‘Statistopia’ to bring the census to life and support students’ problem-solving skills.

The secondary school programme has been co-created with teachers and students alike across England and Wales. The programme aims to engage young people, empowering them to use their voices to encourage their families and community to complete the census. They will explore what matters to their communities and the importance of census data in making national and local decisions.

Nick Fuller, President of EVERFI EdComs, added: “It’s great to see such a positive response from schools at such an early stage in this programme and EVERFI EdComs are delighted to bring our expertise in engaging secondary school audiences to the campaign team. We want to ensure young people and their families understand what Census 2021 means for them and complete the first predominantly online census across England and Wales.”

It is hoped the school campaign will help raise awareness of the digital-first census, happening on 21 March 2021 in England and Wales. The census occurs once every ten years and provides a snapshot of households, helping to plan and fund public services.

Schools can sign up for the programme by visiting census.gov.uk/education