New items for Autumn 2026 School Census
1. Free School Meal Categories
There will be two categories of free school meals: –
- Targeted FSM (TFSM) – continues to be based on the existing threshold, covering pupils who are in households in receipt of universal credit with an annual household income of no more than £7,400. This refers to the original cohort of pupils eligible for benefits related FSM.
Only pupils eligible for Targeted FSM will count towards the FSM6 cohort (pupils who are, or have been, recorded as eligible for FSM at any point in the last 6 years). The FSM6 cohort is used for accountability, Pupil Premium funding and deprivation funding in the national funding formula (NFF).
- Expanded FSM (EFSM) – covers pupils who do not qualify for “targeted FSM”, but who are in households in receipt of universal credit. This cohort of pupils will be eligible for meals only, and so will not attract disadvantage funding or be counted towards the FSM6 cohort for accountability purposes.
Note;
- Pupils who previously qualified for FSM prior to the autumn 2026 term and are re-confirmed as eligible under the targeted category will keep their original FSM start date.
- Pupils whose eligibility changes from the targeted category to the expanded category will have their targeted FSM period closed with an end date, followed by a new FSM period recorded under the expanded category.
2. Last date Free School Meal eligibility was verified
As the government intends to end the transitional protections that were in place during the rollout of universal credit it will now be compulsory to recheck eligibility for all pupils annually, and a new “last verified” date will be included in the census.
For the 2026-27 academic year, all pupils need to have been rechecked on or after 1 June 2026*. Without a valid verification date, pupils will not be counted as eligible, which will result in a loss of funding for schools.
* Please note the DfE advise that these dates are subject to change and will be confirmed in due course.
A new FSM Eligibility Checking Service is being rolled out which indicates a pupil’s FSM category , targeted FSM or expanded FSM. Devon County Council will be rechecking all pupils known to be eligible for FSM. Schools’ FSM lists at the start of term, available to download via the provider portal, will hold the claim type (targeted or expanded).
3. Kinship Care
This new indicator records, for those children on roll on autumn census day only, whether they have been identified as living in Kinship Care. Please note: pupils in Kinship care will not be PLAA.
Kinship care is defined as:
Section 22I of the Children’s Wellbeing and School’s Bill (n.b. this Bill has not yet received Royal Ascent) says a child lives in kinship care if –
(a) the child lives with a relative, friend or other person connected with the child for all or part of the time, and
(b) the child lives with that person for all of the time, or for more time than the child lives with a parent, and they provide all of the care and support provided for the child, or more of that care and support than is provided for the child by a parent, or
(c) the child lives with two or more people mentioned in part (a) all or most of the time (whether or not the child lives with those people at the same time), and those people, taken together, provide all or most of the care and support provided for the child.
4. Breakfast Clubs
From the autumn 2026 term onwards, schools participating in the government’s free breakfast clubs and receiving funding in exchange for meeting the minimum requirements of the programme (as set out at Free breakfast clubs: guidance for schools and trusts – GOV.UK) must record attendance at free breakfast clubs for pupils in Reception to Year 6 in their systems daily.
From the spring 2027 school census onwards, the DfE will collect this attendance data for pupils who attended at least one session during the specified collection period. This includes pupils who may have left the school before census day.
Please note: Attendance at breakfast clubs operating outside of the government’s free breakfast club programme (e.g., parent paid breakfast clubs or clubs funded through other organisations) should NOT be recorded.
Through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, all state-funded schools with primary aged pupils will be required to offer a free breakfast club. The programme is currently being rolled out to schools in scope of the duty. Schools not participating in the programme – either because they are not yet eligible or have only secondary pupils on roll – should NOT record breakfast club attendance data.
The following information will be collected;
- breakfast club possible sessions – the number of possible breakfast club sessions for each pupil. All pupils in Reception through to Year 6 attending a school participating in the government’s free breakfast club programme must have a number of possible breakfast club sessions which is greater than zero.
- breakfast club number of sessions – the number of breakfast club sessions attended for each pupil.
- breakfast club attendance codes – the following options are available;
| Breakfast Club Attendance Codes |
| The pupil has NOT attended the free breakfast club. |
| The pupil has attended the free breakfast club before the start of the compulsory school day. |
| Unable to attend the free breakfast club due to staff shortages – Fully Closed |
| Unable to attend the free breakfast club due to unsuitable space or premises – Fully Closed |
| Unable to attend the free breakfast club due to other reasons – Fully Closed |
| Unable to attend the free breakfast club due to staff shortages – Partial Closure |
| Unable to attend the free breakfast club due to unsuitable space or premises – Partial Closure |
| Unable to attend the free breakfast club due to other reasons – Partial Closure |
5. Managed Moves
This new section introduces data collection on managed moves, which are permanent transfers arranged to reduce a pupil’s risk of exclusion and/or following a review of off-site direction. The DfE advise this data will improve transparency around pupil movement and provide insight into how managed moves are used.
For each managed move arranged during the collection period, schools must provide the following information;
- Managed Move start date
- Destination School URN – via DfE’s Get Information About Schools website.
- Reason for Managed Move – options are;
| Managed Move Reasons |
| To reduce the risk of exclusion for a pupil who has not yet been excluded. |
| Following a period of exclusion and decision to transfer – a pupil has had an exclusion (either suspension or permanent exclusion) cancelled before a governing board, and following their return to school, a decision has been made to initiate a managed move/a permanent transfer to another setting. |
| Following review of an off-site direction placement |
As managed moves are permanent transfers these data items will be for pupils no longer on roll only.
Further information on managed moves for the coming academic year is available via School suspensions and permanent exclusions – GOV.UK. If headteachers have any questions regarding pupils who are going through this process please liaise with your Inclusion Partner.
Current information suggests that;
- autumn census will collect managed moves which occurred between 1 Aug to 30 Sep 26,
- spring census will collect managed moves which occurred between 1 Oct 26 and 20 Jan 27,
- summer census will collect managed moves which occurred between 21 Jan and 19 May 27.
6. Cancelled Exclusions – before governing body review meeting
Any suspension or permanent exclusion can be cancelled before the governing body review meeting. The spring 27 census will capture the following information on cancelled exclusions which occurred during the autumn 26 term;
- reinstatement date – the date the pupil is reinstated back to the original school following the cancellation
- reason for the cancelled exclusion, options are;
| Reason For cancellation |
| New evidence came to light |
| Managed move (permanent) agreed |
| Off-site direction to alternative setting (temporary) |
| Exceptional Circumstances |
Please note:
- The number of days of schooling missed before the pupil was reinstated following a cancelled exclusion should be recorded as a suspension.
- If a permanent exclusion is cancelled, the original exclusion should be returned with the cancellation details, and a suspension record should be provided for the sessions missed. (this is in line with regulations in Sept 24 but will now be recorded in the school census)
- This information should be available in schools MI systems from autumn 2026 term so schools can start recording cancellations and reviews (see next section).
For the autumn census, which collects spring and summer 26 exclusions, only ‘upheld’ permanent exclusions will be collected as normal. The DfE advise that although cancelled exclusions are not collected until the spring census, schools should have been recording this information since autumn 24.
7. Suspension and Permanent Exclusion Reviews
This information should be available in school systems from autumn 2026 and will be collected for the first time in the spring school census 2027 for autumn term exclusions. Information will be collected which shows the outcome of the governing board review, lodgements with the IRP and any determinations.
Exclusion review category – will record if the exclusion review has been conducted by the Governing Board or the Independent Review Panel.
Exclusion Review Result – where a suspension or permanent exclusion is the subject of a review the result of the review needs to be recorded. The following result options are available depending on whether it was a governing body review or independent review panel;
| Exclusion review result – Governing Board Outcomes |
| After initial consideration governing board decided that pupil should not be reinstated and no request for an Independent Review Panel was made (pupil not offered reinstatement) |
| The governing board has decided that the pupil should be reinstated, and the relevant person has not declined reinstatement, but the pupil has not yet resumed attendance at the school; (pupil offered reinstatement) |
| The governing board has decided the pupil should be reinstated but the relevant person has declined reinstatement (pupil is not offered reinstatement); |
| The governing board has decided that the pupil should not be reinstated, the time for an application for a review has not yet expired, and the relevant person has not yet given notice in writing that they do not intend to apply for a review; (pupil not offered reinstatement) |
| Parents made representations where the governing board is required to consider reinstatement, (review ongoing) |
| Pupil offered reinstatement after initial governing board (pupil offered reinstatement) |
| Pupil not offered reinstatement after initial governing board, a request for an Independent Review Panel was made but not determined (pupil not offered reinstatement) |
| Exclusion review result – Independent Review Panel Outcomes |
| Withdrawn |
| Independent review panel upheld governing board’s initial decision that pupil should not be reinstated (pupil not offered reinstatement) |
| Pupil offered reinstatement after independent review panel recommended governing board to reconsider reinstatement (pupil offered reinstatement) |
| Pupil offered reinstatement after independent review panel directed governing board to reconsider reinstatement (pupil offered reinstatement) |
| Pupil not offered reinstatement after independent review panel recommended governing board to reconsider reinstatement (pupil not offered reinstatement) |
| Pupil not offered reinstatement after independent review panel directed governing board to reconsider reinstatement (pupil not offered reinstatement) |
| Ongoing (no decision yet) |
Reviews conducted by an Independent Review Panel must also record;
- Exclusion Appeal Date (Date of Independent Review Panel)
- Exclusion Reinstatement Date
- SEN expert Indicator – this shows whether a SEN expert has been requested for an exclusion review’, options are Y or N
Note:
As the census will be capturing exclusion reviews schools will need to return all permanent exclusions including those that are still ongoing through the review process. Previously the census only collected exclusions once they had been upheld. The census will continue to collect exclusions for the previous two terms.
In order to accurately capture the caseload of governing bodies and IRPs, any cases of permanent exclusion where the review is ongoing at census date in the 2nd term should be included as a limited entry using the category code ‘ONGO’. No further information on the permanent exclusion is needed (for example reason, start date) and these cases will not be counted in the national statistics.
8. Exclusion/Suspension reasons
There are several new reasons which will be valid for use from autumn 2026, so will be collected in the spring 2027 school census. please see table below;
| Suspension or Permanent Exclusion Reason | School Census collection |
| Physical assault against a pupil | |
| Physical assault against an adult | |
| Verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against a pupil | |
| Verbal abuse/threatening behaviour against an adult | |
| Use or threat of use of an offensive weapon or prohibited item | |
| Found to have brought a weapon or prohibited item into school | Valid for use for Autumn 2026 |
| Bullying | |
| Cyber-bullying or threatening behaviour online | Valid for use for Autumn 2026 |
| Racist abuse including bullying | |
| Abuse against sexual orientation and gender identity including bullying | |
| Abuse relating to disability including bullying | |
| Sexual misconduct | |
| Harmful sexual behaviour | Valid for use for Autumn 2026 |
| Misogynistic behaviour | Valid for use for Autumn 2026 |
| Misandry Behaviour | Valid for use for Autumn 2026 |
| Drug related | Valid for use for Autumn 2026 |
| Alcohol Related | Valid for use for Autumn 2026 |
| Smoking Related | Valid for use for Autumn 2026 |
| Vape Related | Valid for use for Autumn 2026 |
| Drug and alcohol related | |
| Damage to property | |
| Theft | |
| Persistent disruptive behaviour – low level disruption | Valid for use for Autumn 2026 |
| Persistent disruptive behaviour – challenging behaviour | Valid for use for Autumn 2026 |
| Persistent or general disruptive behaviour | |
| Inappropriate use of social media or online technology | |
| Use of Mobile Phone | Valid for use for Autumn 2026 |
| Misbehaviour outside of school | Valid for use for Autumn 2026 |
| Wilful and repeated transgression of protective measures in place to protect public health |