101 . We now therefore present the factors which we want to take into account through exact matching .
102 . The OfS analysis ‘ Association Between Characteristics of Students ’ ( ABCS ) found that ethnicity , eligibility for free school meals , sex , and area-based background measures such as POLAR , are all associated with young participation in higher education . 34 We also know that these characteristics vary between learners from Uni Connect areas and those from other areas . For example , 37.8 per cent of learners from Uni Connect areas received free school meals , compared with 23.2 per cent in non-Uni Connect areas . 35 Among those with five or more GCSEs at grade A * to C ( or 9 to 4 ), 26.8 per cent of learners from Uni Connect areas had been in receipt of free school meals , compared with 17.4 per cent of learners from non-Uni Connect areas . 36
103 . In addition to these personal characteristics , Annex A shows that there continues to be a very strong positive relationship between prior academic attainment , as measured by the number of GCSEs held at grade A * to C ( or 9 to 4 ), and the likelihood of applying to higher education . It also shows that this relationship differs between learners from Uni Connect areas and those from other areas , with gaps in application outcomes opening up between these groups for learners with at least five GCSEs at grade A * to C ( or 9 to 4 ). Learners without these grades are excluded from this part of the analysis because they are unlikely to have been targeted by the Uni Connect programme .
104 . Moreover , learners who have not achieved a ‘ standard pass ’ ( a grade of C ( or 4 ) or above ) in English or Maths at Key Stage 4 tend to have much lower rates of progression into higher education . Once again , the proportions of learners with a ‘ standard pass ’ in these subjects varies across Uni Connect areas ; 41.3 per cent of learners from Uni Connect areas complete Key Stage 4 without gaining a ‘ standard pass ’ at English GCSE compared with 28.0 per cent of other learners . This is similar to Maths GCSE , in which 41.1 per cent of learners from Uni Connect areas and 27.5 per cent of other learners did not achieve a ‘ standard pass ’.
105 . Therefore , sex , ethnicity , free school meal status , the number of GCSEs at grade A * to C , as well as having achieved a ‘ standard pass ’ in English and Maths GCSE were all included as matching criteria in the following analysis . No further area-based measures , such as Index of Multiple Deprivation ( IMD ) or Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index ( IDACI ) quintiles , were included as matching criteria because it was our aim to focus on Uni Connect areas as the area-based measure of background . 37 A summary of the numbers and proportions of learners with each of these characteristics can be found in Annex B of this report .
34
See the ABCS dashboard at www . officeforstudents . org . uk / data-and-analysis / associations-betweencharacteristics-of-students / access-to-higher-education /.
35
See Table B1 in Annex B for proportions of learners in the Key Stage 4 population with different characteristics .
36
See Table B2 in Annex B .
37
Although the findings of a sensitivity analysis where IMD was included as one of the matching criteria are presented later in this report .
39