MCS Age 5 Sweep

Sweep details

Dates January to December 2006
Age 5
Achieved sample 15,460 (cohort members); 15,246 (families)
Respondents Cohort members, parents, class teachers, siblings
Fieldwork agency NatCen Social Research and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
Survey mode Face-to-face and postal
Data access

Main dataset available via the UK Data Service [SN 5795]. Visit the UK Data Service website to access the data.

Description

The Age 5 Sweep examined the first year of primary schooling alongside childhood health, childcare, education, social and family circumstances.

Interviewers visited the cohort members’ homes and conducted face-to-face interviews with both parents. Parents also answered some questions via self-completion. Topics covered include family composition, housing, parental health, employment and income, parenting attitudes and activities, cohort member health, behaviour, development, leisure activities, schooling and childcare.

The interviewer conducted age-appropriate cognitive assessments with the cohort member: the story of Sally and Anne, Naming Vocabulary, Picture Similarities and Pattern Construction (all from British Ability Scales).

Cohort member height, weight and waist circumference were measured.

In England, permission was sought from parents to link Foundation Stage Profile (FSP) data collected at the end of the reception year of school, to MCS study data. As FSP is specific to England, permission was asked of parents in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to contact the cohort member’s class teacher to complete a questionnaire containing similar information to that in FSP.

As at age 3, up to two older siblings (aged 10-15) of cohort members did a short self-completion questionnaire in England. This was included to provide data for the National Evaluation of the Children’s Fund. Topics covered included leisure and extra-curricular activities, life at home, health, school, bullying and victimisation, and anti-social behaviours.

Special features at age 5

Education

The Age 5 Sweep included, for the first time, information from teachers about the cohort members’ first year of primary schooling, adding an important element to the information captured about child development.

Waist measurements

Waist measurement was added to the physical measurements taken from the cohort member.

Documentation

  • User guides
  • Questionnaires
  • Technical reports
  • Data notes
  • Additional
User guides

User Guide for MCS Sweeps 1-5

User guide for Sweeps 1-5 of the Millennium Cohort Study

Date published: 02/09/2020
PDF: 2,19 MB

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Longitudinal Family File Guide

This guide provides information about the mcs_longitudinal_family_file which is an important dataset of the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS).

Date published: 02/09/2020
PDF: 166,27 KB

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MCS Data Handling Guide

The Data Handling guide explains the data structures of MCS and provides solutions with different data handling strategies.

Date published: 02/09/2020
PDF: 1,14 MB

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MCS 9 Months-Age 11 Guide to the Datasets (Eighth Edition)

Eighth Edition of MCS User Guide to the Datasets

Date published: 01/02/2014
PDF: 934,04 KB

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MCS Age 5 Sweep: User’s Guide To Initial Findings

This report presents the initial findings, topic by topic, of the MCS age 5 sweep

Date published: 01/10/2008
PDF: 2,26 MB

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MCS 9 Months-Age 11 Guide to psychological and developmental inventories

Guide to the psychological and developmental inventories in MCS, covering 9 months old to age 11.

Date published: 05/01/2015
PDF: 741,77 KB

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Handling missing data in the CLS cohort studies – User Guide

This user guide aims to describe and illustrate a straightforward approach to missing data handling, while detailing some more general considerations around missing data along the way.

Date published: 03/06/2024
PDF: 1000,62 KB

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Guide to the School Assessment Datasets

Guide to the school assessment datasets in MCS age 5 sweep

Date published: 01/07/2008
PDF: 92,21 KB

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Questionnaires

MCS Age 5 Questionnaire Documentation

Final version of the CAPI questionnaire for MCS3

Date published: 01/09/2008
PDF: 829,82 KB

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MCS Age 5 Teacher Questionnaire: Wales (Translation)

Welsh translation of the MCS age 5 teacher questionnaire

Date published: 01/05/2005
PDF: 109,2 KB

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MCS Age 5 Teacher Questionnaire: Wales

Version of the teacher questionnaire given in Wales for the MCS age 5 survey.

Date published: 01/05/2005
PDF: 102,44 KB

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MCS Age 5 Teacher Questionnaire: Scotland

Version of the teacher questionnaire given in Scotland for the MCS age 5 survey.

Date published: 01/05/2005
PDF: 101,56 KB

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MCS Age 5 Teacher Questionnaire: Northern Ireland

Version of the teacher questionnaire given in Northern Ireland for the MCS age 5 survey.

Date published: 01/05/2005
PDF: 102,33 KB

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MCS Age 5 Older Siblings Questionnaire

Questionnaire given to older siblings of cohort members for MCS3

Date published: 01/05/2006
PDF: 473,56 KB

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MCS Age 5 Cognitive and Physical Assessments Documentation

Full documentation of the CAPI cognitive and physical measures

Date published: 01/03/2009
PDF: 698,09 KB

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Technical reports

MCS Age 5 Technical Report

Technical report for MCS3

Date published: 01/06/2009
PDF: 420,39 KB

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MCS Age 5 Technical Report Appendices

Appendices to the technical report for MCS3

Date published: 01/05/2009
PDF: 18,44 MB

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MCS Age 5 Teacher Survey Technical Report

Technical Report for the MCS3 Teacher Survey

Date published: 01/06/2009
PDF: 645,15 KB

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MCS Age 5 Teacher Survey Technical Report Appendices

Appendices to accompany the technical report for the teachers survey for MCS3

Date published: 01/05/2006
PDF: 21,3 MB

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MCS Age 3-7 Technical Report on Response (Third Edition)

Third edition of the MCS technical report on response rates including sweeps 2,3 and 4

Date published: 01/06/2010
PDF: 719,47 KB

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Data notes

MCS Geographical Identifiers

Geographic Identifiers in MCS

Date published: 01/06/2009
PDF: 45,77 KB

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MCS data note – Interpreting test scores at ages 3, 5 and 7

One particularly valuable element of MCS is the standardised tests undertaken by the cohort members to assess their cognitive skills and educational attainment. This data note gives an overview of the variables on performance in these tests at ages 3, 5 and 7.

Date published: 01/09/2013
PDF: 570,24 KB

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Additional

MCS Age 5 Showcards

Showcards for the age 5 survey of MCS

Date published: 01/05/2006
PDF: 144,96 KB

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MCS Age 5 Sally-Anne Task

This task is designed to assess a child’s ability to understand what a person believes, and can be easily solved by most five year olds.

Date published: 01/05/2006
PDF: 52,6 KB

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MCS Age 5 Codebook

These instructions describe the coding and editing requirements for the Millennium Cohort Study

Date published: 24/10/2006
PDF: 712,07 KB

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MCS Ethical Review and Consent

This note reports on the approach adopted to ethical review and informed consent for the various stages of the Millennium Cohort Study.

Date published: 01/02/2019
PDF: 7,98 MB

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MCS Age 5 Sweep ICD-10 Coding

Coding instructions for identification of health problems and illnesses in MCS age 5 sweep, using WHO International Classification of Diseases 10th revision (ICD-10)

Date published: 19/07/2006
PDF: 437,32 KB

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Contact us

Centre for Longitudinal Studies
UCL Social Research Institute

20 Bedford Way
London WC1H 0AL

Email: clsdata@ucl.ac.uk

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