Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's policy is on the use of unique student identifier numbers.

The primary student identifier used within the schools sector is the unique pupil number (UPN). The unique learner number (ULN) is used more widely across the education sector as a consistent identifier for all students aged 14 and above in any form of publicly funded education and training. Further information on each is provided below.

The unique pupil number (UPN) identifies each pupil attending a maintained school in England. Allocated on first entry to a school/academy, the UPN is generated using a nationally specified formula and is expected to remain with a pupil throughout their school career regardless of any change in school/academy or local authority.

To comply with data protection legislation a number of measures have been placed on the use of UPNs to minimise any potential risks to the personal privacy of individuals and to ensure UPNs are used for educational purposes only.

The Department publishes advice to schools and local authorities on the use of UPNs in “UPNs: a guide for schools and local authorities”[1].

A unique learner number (ULN)[2] is assigned to all students aged 14 or over in publicly funded education and training. The ULN system is maintained by the Learning Records Service (LRS) within the Skills Funding Agency (SFA).

The 10 digit ULN has been designed to ensure that no additional meaning can be inferred from its structure e.g. geographical location or level of learning. Its purpose is purely to provide a unique identifier for each individual's Personal Learning Record (PLR). The PLR allows individual learners access to their past and current achievement records and this can be shared with schools, colleges, further education training providers, universities or employers when making an application to further their education, training and employment.

Unlike the UPN, the ULN is an open number and would be available to students on any awards certificates or results slips.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unique-pupil-numbers

[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lrs-unique-learner-numbers