School Census – Supporting Guide 2024/25

The school census is a statutory return that takes place during the autumn, spring, and summer terms. The census collects information about individual pupils and about the schools themselves.  Census data forms a significant part of the DfE’s evidence base and is used;

• in school performance tables
• in statistical first releases
• to evaluate and inform educational policy
• to assess funding to local authorities and schools

The DfE also holds pupil-level data in the national pupil database (NPD).  Find out more about data protection and how the DfE shares pupil data.

As such data accuracy is highly important.

The submission of the school census returns, including a set of named pupil records, is a statutory requirement on schools under

• section 537A of the Education Act 1996
• the Education (Information About Individual Pupils) (England) Regulations 2013 (the 2013 Regulations)
• Section 99 of the Childcare Act 2006(CA 2006)
• the Childcare (Provision of Information About Young Children) (England) Regulations 2009(the 2009 Regulations)

Putting the school census on a statutory basis:

• Means that schools do not need to obtain parental or pupil consent to the provision of information
• Ensures schools are protected from any legal challenge that they are breaching a duty of confidence to pupils
• Helps to ensure that returns are completed by schools
• Means that all census elements are mandatory unless specifically stated to be voluntary.

 The use of the census for funding

The census is a key source of data used to calculate schools’ funding. It is essential that all schools complete the census accurately and in a timely manner to ensure they are funded correctly. Failure to do so could result in a school missing out on funding to which it is entitled or receiving more funding than it is due and having to repay any overpayment. A range of reports are available in COLLECT to support schools and further information can be found in the COLLECT Reports section of this guide.

Accuracy of census data – using summary report

Every school in England has a statutory duty to complete the census each term. The census return in SIMS produces a summary report of the data in the school census file. The summary report will;

• allow all staff preparing the return to check that the data is accurate and complete before passing it to the Headteacher.
• allow the headteacher authorising the return to check it’s accurate and complete before submitting it to the local authority or DfE
• give schools your only opportunity to check information about persistent absenteeism before it’s used for funding purposes and published in performance tables

It is strongly recommended that the summary report is inspected carefully, paying particular attention to;

• those sections that might show that some individual pupil data was not entered on to the system prior to generating the return, e.g. free school meal eligibility, number of pupils with SEN, data items used for funding.
• absence data – this should be thoroughly checked.

Schools should compare the summary reports to the previous term or year as this will show any anomalies between the different census collections.  It is vital for a school to check the accuracy of data in this summary report as it is this data that is submitted to the DfE as an accurate record of the situation in your school on census day.

Department for Education guidance on data protection and data sharing

 The UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) mandate certain safeguards regarding the use of personal data by organisations, including the department, local authorities and schools. Both give rights to those (known as data subjects) about whom data is processed such as pupils, parents and teachers. These rights include (amongst other information that the department is obliged to provide) the right to know:

• the types of data being held
• why it is being held
• to whom it may be communicated

For the purposes of data protection legislation, the terms ‘process’, ‘processed’ or ‘processing’ apply to any activity involving the personal data, such as:

• collecting
• storing
• sharing
• destroying
• etcetera – please note: this list is not exhaustive

As data processors and controllers in their own right, it is important that schools process all data (not just that collected for the purposes of the school census) in accordance with the full requirements of the UK GDPR. Further information on the UK GDPR can be found in the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) overview of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

 The sections below provide additional information on two aspects of data protection legislation – namely privacy notices and data security.

Legal duties under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018: privacy notices

Being transparent and providing accessible information to individuals about how you will process their personal data is a key element of UK GDPR and DPA 2018. The most common way to provide such information is through a privacy notice. Please see the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website for further guidance on privacy notices.

The DfE provides suggested wording for privacy notices that schools and local authorities may wish to use. However, where the suggested wording is used, the school / local authority must review and amend the wording to reflect local business needs and circumstances. This is especially important, as the school will process data that is not solely for use within census data collections. As such, to comply with UK GDPR and DPA 2018, the privacy notice should contain details of all uses of data within the school, which may include, for example, information used locally for pupil achievement tracking and (where relevant) the use of CCTV data.

The DfE recommend that the privacy notice is included as part of an induction pack for pupils and staff, is made available on the school website for parents and features on the staff notice board / intranet.  Privacy notices do not need to be issued on an annual basis, where:

• new pupils and staff are made aware of the notices
• the notices have not been amended
• they are readily available in electronic or paper format

However, it remains best practice to remind parents of the school’s privacy notices at the start of each term (within any other announcements / correspondence to parents), and it is important that any changes made to the way the school processes personal data are highlighted to data subjects.

Legal duties under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018: data security

Schools and local authorities have a (legal) duty under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 to ensure that any personal data they process is handled and stored securely. Further information on data security is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Where personal data is not properly safeguarded, it could compromise the safety of individuals and damage your school’s reputation. Your responsibility as a data controller extends to those who have access to your data beyond your organisation where they are working on your behalf – for example, where external IT suppliers can remotely access your information.

It is vital that all staff with access to personal data understand the importance of:

• protecting personal data
• being familiar with your security policy
• putting security procedures into practice

As such, schools should provide appropriate initial and refresher training for your staff.

Information Commissioners Office and Department for Education websites:

Autumn Census 2024 

• Schools funding for the 2025/26 financial year is based on this census. It is therefore vital that your pupil information is complete and accurate.

• The Pupil Premium funding for the 2025/26 financial year is based on this census.  It is therefore vital that your pupil information is complete and accurate – Free School Meal eligibility, Post Looked After Arrangements (previously Adopted from Care) and Service Children indicator.

• Whilst the Early Years Block of the school funding allocation to the Local Authority is based on the Spring census for existing entitlements (funded hours and extended hours), the DfE advise that the new expanded hours entitlement will be based on termly data from the 2024 summer term, 2024 autumn term and the 2025 spring census. It is therefore vital that your Early Years pupils and hours is complete and accurate.

• The Early Years Pupil Premium for the 2025/26 financial year for the new 2yr old to 9mth old entitlement will be based on termly headcounts in summer and autumn 2024, and the January 2025 census. It is therefore vital that the Early Years Pupil Premium indicator is complete and accurate.

• The take up of Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) informs the Universal Infant Free School Meals Grant so it is important that the School Dinner Taken section of the census is correct (schools with infant pupils only).
• High Needs funding. The Department for Education is using the top-up funding indicator in the new high needs national funding allocation. As such, it is very important that all schools complete census returns correctly and follow the guidance provided. 

Spring Census 2025  

• The Early Years Block of the school funding allocation to the Local Authority is based on the Spring census for existing entitlements (funded hours and extended hours).  The new expanded hours entitlement (2yrs to 9mths) will be based on termly data from the 2024 summer term, 2024 autumn term and the 2025 spring census. It is therefore vital that your Early Years pupils and hours is complete and accurate.

• The Early Years Pupil Premium for the 2025/26 financial year is based on this census for 3 and 4 year olds. EYPP for 2yr olds to 9mths will be based on termly headcounts in summer and autumn 2024, and the January 2025 census. It is therefore vital that the Early Years Pupil Premium indicator is complete and accurate.

• The take up of Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) informs the Universal Infant Free School Meals Grant so please ensure that you complete the School Dinner Taken section (Schools with infant pupils only).

• High Needs Funding.  The Department for Education is using the top-up funding indicator in the new high needs national funding allocation. As such, it is very important that all schools complete census returns correctly and follow the guidance provided.

Schools with early years provision need to determine which census should record their provision by applying the DfE’s guidance as indicated below;

Schools with funded onsite early years provision make their return via either the school census or the early years census, but not both:

• registered pupils of the school (2, 3 and 4 year olds depending on the statutory age range of the school) are recorded via the school census
• children (aged 2, 3 and 4) attending a separate Ofsted registered PVI (private, voluntary or independent) provider on a school site are recorded via the early years census
• children attending provision provided by a maintained school governing body under Section 27 of the Education Act 2002 – (s27 (governor run) provision) should be either:
  • recorded via the school census if they are registered pupils of the school (can include 2-year olds if the school’s statutory age range covers 2-year olds); or
  • recorded via the early years census if they are not registered pupils of the school.

Where a child’s free entitlement is split between more than one setting they may appear on the two different censuses. In such cases, the number of funded hours for the child across all provision is limited to 15 hours (free entitlement) and 15 additional hours (extended entitlement or expanded entitlement).

Early Years Pupils NCY E2 and E1

Children turning 2 years old fall into the ‘E2’ year group and, if on the schools’ admission register and in receipt of education, they must be included in your census return.

Any younger children falling into the ‘E1’ year group would not be expected to be in receipt of education and should not be on the school’s admissions register.  If there is a need to record children in ‘E1’ within your MIS, these should be recorded with an enrolment status of ‘Guest’ and not brought through into the census.

The pupil enrolment status ensures funding is accurately targeted.  Any conflicts with enrolment statuses of other schools may affect your funding if they remain unresolved when the census closes.

It is important that each pupil recorded within the school census be assigned a correct enrolment status. This ensures the pupil is correctly registered at a school in line with the pupil registration regulations. Pupils recorded as ‘guest’ will not be included in the census return.  Sample scenarios of pupil enrolment status are provided below.

1. Managed Moves

Where a pupil is on a managed move, the pupil will be dual registered at the original school and the receiving school. The financial arrangements between the schools are a matter for their mutual agreement, but it is important to be able to identify pupils in this situation.

While the pupil is on a managed move:

• the original school maintains the pupil’s record with an enrolment status of ‘M’ (current main – dual registration)
• the receiving school maintains the pupil’s record with an enrolment status of ‘S’ (current subsidiary – dual registration)

When the pupil has ceased to attend one of the schools, that school will, with the agreement of the other school, delete the pupil from the register.

2. Traveller Pupils

A traveller pupil may attend another school during periods when his/her parent is travelling in the course of trade or business.  It is recommended that while the pupil is attending another school:

• the ordinary school of attendance maintains the pupil’s record with an enrolment status of M (current main – dual registration)
• the receiving school maintains the pupil’s record with an Enrolment status of S (current subsidiary – dual registration)

3. Family Units

In many areas, early education is being provided in schools whose proprietors also provide wider childcare and/or family support services.  Often, the proprietor wishes to maintain a single management information system for all the children it serves and equally often it is the school management information system that is used for this purpose.

When submitting information for census purposes, it is important to distinguish between those children who are receiving early education from those who are receiving other services.

It is recommended that:

• For children receiving early education, the school/establishment maintains the pupil’s record with an Enrolment Status of C (current single registration)
• For children receiving childcare provision but not early education, the school maintains the pupil’s record with an Enrolment Status of G (guest – not a pupil at the school).

4. External candidates

Occasionally adults are entered in a school MIS for them to enter an examination and, perhaps, receive some level of tuition towards this aim.  In such cases the providing school maintains the adult’s record with an enrolment status of ‘G’ (guest – not a pupil at the school).

5. Approved educational activity

Some schools have registered pupils who attend approved educational activity. An approved educational activity is either:

• an activity that takes place outside the school premises which is of an educational nature, approved by the school and supervised by someone authorised by the school; or
• attendance at another school at which the pupil is registered (as set out in regulation 6(4) of the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006).

When the pupil is attending an approved activity outside the school premises (not at another school) the pupil should be recorded with an enrolment status of ‘C’ (current – single registration at this school).

When the pupil is attending another school, they will be dual registered:

• the ordinary school of attendance maintains the pupil’s record with an enrolment status of ‘M’ (current main – dual registration)
• the other school maintains the pupil’s record with an enrolment status of ‘S’ (current subsidiary – dual registration)

6. Hospital Special Schools – Dually Registered Pupils

Pupils attending a ‘hospital special school’ should only be recorded on the register if they are receiving education provision.  They should not be recorded if they are only attending the hospital for hospital check ups, day surgery, any other form of medical appointment or an operation.

Where a pupil is registered at a mainstream school and receives education at the hospital special school, the pupil will be dual registered:

• the mainstream school maintains the pupil’s record with an enrolment status of ‘M’ (current main – dual registration)
• the hospital special school maintains the pupil’s record with an enrolment status of ‘S’ (current subsidiary – dual registration)

Where a pupil is originally solely registered at the hospital special school and then also begins to attend a mainstream school as part of a reintegration programme, the pupil will be dual registered with the hospital special school holding the ‘main registration’ and the mainstream school holding the subsidiary registration.

7. Post 16 Overseas Pupils

Students, who are not citizens of the UK, have a right to attend post 16 provision in a state-funded school or 16 to 19 academy, if they reside in the UK. The funding regulations provide full rules that determine which overseas students can be funded.

For post-16 students, there is a distinction between “overseas” and “home” students;

• overseas students are not eligible to receive public funding,
• home students are eligible to receive public funding.

Overseas students are those students who do not normally reside in the UK and who have entered the UK to study on a Student Visa.  Such students are not permitted to enter the UK to attend a state-funded school or 16 to 19 academy.  They may enter the country to attend a non-maintained special school, independent school or FE provider which is a licensed sponsor.

International students can visit a state-funded school or 16-19 academy as part of a 6 month visit to the UK. They cannot study at the school or academy without breaching their UK entry terms.

These international students on census day should be recorded with an enrolment status of ‘G’ (guest – not a pupil at the school) and therefore not included on the school census returns.

The tables below list the data items collected in the school census and indicate the census return the items are collected in and the school phase that must return this information.

To minimise the impact of the rollout of universal credit and the introduction of an income threshold for eligibility purposes, transitional arrangements are in place to ensure that no pupil loses a meal as a result of these changes.

The transitional protections ensure that any pupil in receipt of free school meals on 31 March 2018 or after, should continue to receive free school meals until the end of the universal credit roll out period, and then until their phase of education ends. This covers until at least March 2025 and applies even if their circumstances change and they would no longer meet the eligibility criteria.

Consequently, schools should not enter FSM end dates in the school census unless;

• a parent has said that they do not wish the child to be recorded as eligible for free school meals and receive a free school meal
• a pupil transfers from another UK country – their non-English free school meals must have an end date
• a parent notifies the school that their support under the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999 or the pension credit has ended
• a parent notifies the school that they no longer qualify for free school meals under the criteria for families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)

Note:

• If an end date is required against a pupil’s free school meal record, then a suitable note will need to be added to your census in COLLECT. For example, parent has been informed that the FSM is protected but they wish to cancel their claim.

• The DfE transitional status only applies at a child claim level and not at family level. This means that a claim must be made for each child as there is no longer an automatic entitlement resulting from siblings already being eligible.

Further information is available from:

FSM website: Free school meals – Support for schools and settings (devon.gov.uk)  Free school meals FAQs – Support for schools and settings (devon.gov.uk)

Schools should check that the pupils recorded in the school census as being eligible for free school meals is accurate.  Census data should be compared against the latest pupil listing provided by Devon County Council’s Free School Meal Team and any subsequent email notifications relating to individual applications. To assist schools, the census has a ‘Free School Meal Eligibility’ Detailed Report which lists all pupils in the return with a free school meal record.

NOTE: The FSM pupil listing (as provided by the FSM Team) includes pupils where eligibility has been checked by the DCC Free School Meal Team. Pupils with transitional status from another LA may not appear.   For further guidance please refer to the Free School Meal Team.
 Free school meals and new pupils: CTFs for any new pupils admitted to your school include any free school meal eligibility from the pupil’s previous school.  The pupil’s record in SIMS may therefore need amending for the school census depending on the pupil’s circumstances;

• If the pupil is transferring from another LA Maintained school within Devon no action needs to be taken in the census as the free school meal eligibility will still be relevant to the pupil. You will need to email the Free School Meals Team freeschoolmeals@devon.gov.uk with the pupil’s details and start date.
• If the pupil is transferring from another County, free school meal eligibility will still be relevant to the pupil, as per transitional protection. If the transitional status cannot be confirmed as indicated in the three steps below, the parent will need to apply for Free School meals through DCC’s FSM team.

Please note the DfE advise that there are three steps to checking if a pupil should be receiving transitional protections:
Step 1: the school should consult the pupil’s Common Transfer File. This is a form that should be completed whenever a child moves school (either as an in-year transfer, or if moving from primary to secondary). The form should indicate whether the pupil was previously eligible for FSM – if they were, they should be receiving transitional protections.
Step 2: if the Common Transfer File does not provide the required information, the school should contact the pupil’s previous school or local authority to find out if they were previously eligible for FSM. If they were, they should be receiving transitional protections.
Step 3: if the previous school/LA are unable to provide this information, the school or local authority should check their Key to Success download. This will indicate whether the pupil was previously eligible for FSM – if they were, they should be receiving transitional protections.
Should schools have any Free School Meal eligibility queries please email the Free School Meal team at freeschoolmeals@devon.gov.uk
Note:  Pupils in receipt of FSM inform pupil premium funding.

The following checks are no longer undertaken by the school census checking service and it is the school’s responsibility to ensure the accuracy of data;

1. Post Looked After Arrangements (prev. Adopted from Care)
2. Universal Infant Free School Meals
3. Post 16 Learning Aims

1. Post looked after arrangements (prev. adopted from care)

Schools need to ensure that pupils recorded in the previous school census as being Post Looked After Arrangements continue to be recorded in the current census.  Schools should check the previous census Post Looked After Arrangement Detailed Report and ensure that pupils listed in the report are also appearing in this census.
Note: Children who have left care for one of the reasons in this category inform pupil premium.

2. Universal Infant Free School Meal

Schools need to check the School Dinner Taken panel of the census each time a census file is generated and uploaded to COLLECT.  There have been occasions historically where schools have uploaded amended census files and information in this section has not been retained.  Where schools have to generate amended census files, a copy of the original authorised census file should be taken.  Taking a copy ensures that data held in the original return will also be in the amended return.
When the copy file is opened the ‘Create and Validate’ button should be clicked and not ‘Calculate All Details’.  If schools ‘Calculate All Details’ then any data added manually, such as the school dinners taken will be removed.
Note: if this section has not been completed the census will generate query 1878Q Please check: No infant pupils are recorded as having a school lunch on census day.  To assist schools, there is a ‘School Dinner Taken’ detail report which lists pupils who have been recorded as taking a school dinner on census day.

3. Post 16 learning aims

The DfE have produced an interactive school census tool aimed at helping schools return accurate data. The tool will help schools understand how their data is used to calculate their post 16 funded as well as how common data errors affect their funding.  It’s available via,
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/interactive-post-16-school-census-tool

Full details on data collected for post 16 pupils is available via the DfE school census webpages and details of 16 to 19 funding reports is available via Complete the school census – Check your data – Guidance – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).  The reports are based on the data you submitted in your autumn census, and will help you check, validate and quality assure your submission.  There is also guidance on correcting data errors highlighted by the reports, e.g. out of date qualification numbers, incorrectly recorded start, planned end or actual end dates…

To prepare for each census, it is recommended that schools complete a dry-run as soon as possible to check for validations errors and to examine the Summary and Detailed reports which should bring any errors/omissions to your attention.  This gives schools time to amend the data (most of which is date specific) before the census date.  Please make sure any other members of staff involved in this process (including those dealing with attendance and exclusions) are given enough notice.

You are advised to check the following:

• All new pupils are on your MIS system, including pupils who deferred entry until this term.
• Any leavers have been properly removed from the system.
• Periods of Free School Meal eligibility are up to date.

Note: Pupil Premium funding is generated by full-time pupils in Years R-11 who are/have been eligible for Free School Meals during the last six years (except pupils aged 5 or over with Subsidiary Registration or whose FSM Country was Wales, Scotland or North. Ireland).

• Special Education Needs pupils are properly recorded (remember that pupils on SEN Support or who have an EHCP also need a SEN Need Type, e.g. SLD, ASD and may also need a Resourced Provision or Special Unit indicator).
• Service children are recorded in sims.

Note: Pupil Premium will be generated for Service Children in years R-11 who are single or dual main registered.

• Schools with pupils aged two, three or four on 31/08/24 have entered Hours at Setting, Funded Hours, Extended Hours and Expanded Hours (See Early Years section in each quick guide for any additional data requirements)
• Primary and all-through schools should check you have not included pupils in Governor run pre-schools. Funding for these pupils is via Early Years Census and not School Census.  For further clarification please see ‘Which census should Early Years children be reported in’.  If you have entered these children on SIMS ensure their enrolment status is Guest so that they are excluded from the census (via Routines | Pupils | Change Enrolment Status).
• Schools with Part-Time pupils in Reception or Nursery must be recorded as such (see Pupil Level Data for further instructions). However, statutory age pupils on part-time timetables or flexi-schooling arrangements must be recorded as full-time and the school is deemed to be ‘authorising’ the agreed times when a pupil is absent.
• All Schools except Nursery must ensure that attendance data for the previous term is free of missing marks and N codes. N codes (No reason given) should only be used temporarily and as it counts as an unauthorised absence it will impact on your performance data.
• Ensure exclusions and suspensions data is accurate, census collects this information for the previous two terms
• Top-up Funding indicators have been applied.
• Post Looked After Arrangements indicators have been applied.  NOTE; Pupil Premium will be generated for post looked after children in years R-11 who are single or dual main registered.
• Schools with pupils in Year 8 and above should check the Youth Services Support Agreement information is up to date.
• Alternative provision placements have been recorded against the pupil

Sims Upgrade

Schools must have upgraded to the latest version of sims and imported the latest fileset as indicated in each census quick guide.  If you are a hosted school, ScoMIS will apply this automatically for you.  Non-hosted schools need to import the fileset and further details can be found by searching for the latest fileset information on the ScoMIS website.  If you are encountering difficulties in upgrading please contact ScoMIS on 01392 385300 and send an email notification to census@devon.gov.uk.
As you are aware it is not unusual to have School Census filesets containing fixes issued close to the census date.  It is therefore important that schools check the ScoMIS webpage and search for the latest information on any further filesets
If this is the first time that you are running a school census or need further advice please email census@devon.gov.uk and someone from the Education Information Team will contact you to provide guidance and support.

Running the Census

Information on running each census can be found in the relevant quick guide on our website.  The quick guide provides information on each of the sections to be completed within the census process and is based on information from the DfE School Census guide and ESS sims Preparing and Producing the School Census guides.

Once the create and validate process is complete the Validation errors summary screen will appear at the bottom of the census window and you can click on Report icon to print a report of all the errors and queries.
Red error messages (type F) must be corrected and cleared whilst black queries (type Q) are acceptable as long as the data is true.  If you have black queries that are true you will need to add an explanatory note in COLLECT.

Once you have cleared your errors and checked your queries you should print the summary and detail reports to check that the information is correct, for example; number of pupils eligible for free school meals, SEN status of your pupils.

SIMS.net cannot know if there are pupils missing, exclusions missing or that pupils have left (if they haven’t been given a leaving date or a reason for leaving) etc. You must check the summary and detail reports thoroughly. The absence of any validation errors or queries does not guarantee a successful return!

Information on the detailed reports can be found in the relevant quick guide on our website.

All schools must upload and submit their census return direct via COLLECT, which is available via the DfE Sign In portal (https://services.signin.education.gov.uk/).

Once you have uploaded your file into COLLECT you can then check immediately for any queries that might have been generated and enter explanatory and/or confirmation notes (there is no longer any need to wait 24 hours before checking).

It is advisable to check your file in COLLECT as Term on Term queries are only generated in COLLECT (they do not appear in SIMS). Even though the return might show 0 errors and 0 queries on the front screen, please Open the Return to check (some queries are not visible in the initial screen).

To assist you, a list of the Department for Education’s acceptable notes for queries commonly generated in COLLECT is available in each census quick guide.

NOTE:  Please ensure your notes adhere to the minimum acceptable note criteria in order to meet the Department for Education requirements.  Failure to meet the minimum acceptable note criteria may delay authorisation of your statutory return.

There are a number of reports within the COLLECT portal available to help schools validate their data and check data used in the census to inform funding allocations.  All available reports can be accessed via the ‘launch reports’ button on the school ‘source page’ of COLLECT.

Note: Some reports are populated overnight and therefore where new files are loaded or data is amended on screen, this may not be reflected in the reports until the following day.

Pupil number report

This report provides a headcount of your pupils by NC year group, plus a headcount of your pupils minus subsidiary registrations.  It also provides the number of pupils that will be used in numerous funding streams including the dedicated schools grant calculation and will account for funded and extended hours and unresolved duplicate UPNs..

Duplicate UPN and duplicate pupil report

The duplicate UPN report shows any pupils appearing on your census and that of another school where there is an invalid combination of enrolment statuses.  Your school’s funding may be affected if these remain unresolved within the census.  The duplicate pupil report identifies pupils whose personal details are the same but the UPN differs. Please refer to the DfE’s Duplicate reports guidance available via https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/check-your-data

Free school meals report (FSM)

Allows schools to check the FSM eligibility data submitted in their census return. This report refers only to FSM eligibility reported in the current census and not the FSM ever measure used to allocate the pupil premium.

Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM)

This provides a breakdown of the infant pupils the DfE will use in the UIFSM funding calculation.

Zero funded hours

Highlights the number of early years pupils who have ‘zero’ funded hours recorded on the school census return. The DfE use funded hours to calculate the early years block of the dedicated schools grant, therefore, it is important that schools check and verify this data.

Pupil premium

Allows schools to check and verify the data contained in their autumn and spring census, which will feed into the deprivation, service child and post looked after child (LAC) elements of the pupil premium allocation.

Early years pupil premium

Allows schools to check and verify the data contained in their spring school census which the DfE use for the early years pupil premium allocations.

Post 16 funding reports

Schools will be able to access a series of ESFA funding reports in the autumn census which show schools the data the DfE will use for their post-16 funding calculations;

• Funded student summary report
• student detail report
• 16 to 19 Maths & English GCSE status by student.
• T Level students report

Schools are strongly advised to use these reports to help quality assure census returns.

If you need some assistance in completing your return, further help is available:

Education Information Team: Additional guidance notes are available via our website.

If this is the first time that you are running a school census or need further advice please email census@devon.gov.uk and someone from the Education Information Team will contact you to provide guidance and support.

Scomis: For the latest SIMS information please view the Scomis website.

Schools with service level agreements may also contact Scomis for technical support on 01392 385300.

Department for Education: School census guides for submitting data can be found via the DfE webpages.

Special Education Needs                                                                                                                    
The following fields are in Focus | Pupil | SEN or via the pupil in Pupil Details and then SEN in the Links section to the right of the screen and section 3. Basic SEN Details.

Exclusions and Suspensions                         (all schools except nursery)
Information on permanent exclusions and suspensions is collected for the previous two terms.

Schools are only expected to provide data about a permanent exclusion once it has been upheld by the governing body or Independent Review Panel (IRP), following, where applicable, the appeal window. The DfE advise that collecting data for the previous two terms will make sure that any exclusions still going through the review process at time of the census are not missed and would be picked up in the following term, where the review result was later determined as upheld.

This means some permanent exclusions may be returned on two consecutive censuses. This will not result in double counting in national statistics, as only the latest information returned for each term will be used.

The table below illustrates the normal collection period

Full information on exclusions can be found on the Department for Education’s School Exclusion webpages at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-exclusion

Adding an exclusion in SIMS.net:   You can either select Focus | Pupil | Exclusions, or you can open the pupil’s record and click on Exclusion in the Links panel (right of the screen);

Click on New in the Exclusions page and enter the exclusion details in the “Add Exclusion” screen, click ‘Ok’ (bottom of the screen) and then click on ‘Save’ in the Exclusion Details screen save the pupil’s record;

To edit or amend existing data, click in the appropriate exclusion record and click open.  If data has been entered in error, click on Delete.

Note: When entering exclusion details, if the pupil has left since the exclusion, you will need to make a note of, then remove, his/her date of leaving and reason for leaving.  This will make the record ‘live’ again which will allow you to add the exclusion or make the necessary changes.  Once you have finished and saved your changes add the date of leaving and reason for leaving to the pupil’s record.

Permanent exclusions and school leaving date

Where a pupil is permanently excluded, the exclusion start date is unlikely to be the same as the pupil leaving date, as the pupil will remain on the school’s roll for a period after the exclusion start date to allow for the exclusion review process to take place.  Only once the review process has concluded may a school leaving date be entered.

Information collected for an exclusion record is listed below.

Attendance Data                                                          (all schools except nursery)
Information on a pupil’s attendance is collected in each census return for the term prior to the census. This may include information for pupils who left the school prior to census day.  Attendance data is collected for all day pupils (non-boarders) aged 4 -15 as at the 31^st August of the academic year of the attendance, who were on the school roll for at least one session during the term.

Note: from autumn 2024 schools must keep the attendance register electronically and use the national attendance and absence codes.

Publication of absence data
Absence data collected termly at pupil level through the school census is published at national and local authority level through the school absence national statistics releases. The underlying absence data, at a school level, is published alongside the absence national statistics.  It is essential that schools ensure that this data is returned correctly in the termly School Census as the Department for Education will publish this data.

Note: The DfE do not publish absence data collected for the second half of the summer term for 15 year olds (year 11 pupils). This data does not feature as part of the standard measures of attendance statistics.

Pupil absence and attendance codes
The data required for each pupil is the aggregate number of possible attendance sessions and the actual number of absences and attendances (by reason) for the attendance period.
Schools will be aware of the full range of absence and attendance codes, which include values for attendance and for approved education activities, as these codes are used by schools MIS when recording pupil attendance.  For pupils aged 4 years, schools are not obliged to use individual absence and attendance codes,  please see next section for further information.

Pupils aged 4
For pupils aged 4 years, the recorded number of sessions possible are those they are expected to attend and will vary from pupil to pupil and from school to school.  Attendance code ‘X’ (non-compulsory school age absence – not counted in possible attendances) is used for sessions when a 4-year-old is not expected to attend, for example those attending part-time.
For pupils aged 4 years schools are not required to state whether absences are authorised.  If schools do not wish to use the absence codes, then they should just provide the total number of absences for the attendance period by recording these as sessions missed due to authorised absence. Absences recorded for 4-year-olds will not be treated as ‘authorised’ or ‘unauthorised’ and instead will be reported, and published, as overall absence.

Note: from Autumn 2024, attendance code ‘X’ (non-compulsory school age absence – not counted in possible attendances) is used to record sessions where the pupil is not timetabled to attend.

Sessions missed due to Authorised Absence
Authorised absence is absence which has been authorised by a teacher or other authorised representative of the school.  This includes where a parent has provided a satisfactory explanation (e.g. illness).  Schools can retrospectively authorise an absence if the teacher or other authorised representative of the school subsequently ‘accepts’ a reason for the absence.

Sessions missed due to Unauthorised Absence
Unauthorised absence is absence without permission from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school.  This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences, e.g. arriving late for school after the register has closed.  Unauthorised absences do not apply to pupils of non-compulsory school age (i.e. those aged 4 years).

Dual Registered pupils
Each school should only record the attendance and absence for the sessions the pupil is required to attend at their school. They should use code D for all of the sessions that the pupil is due to attend the other school.  This will avoid the double counting of attendance and absence for pupils who are registered at more than one school. Attendance code D (dual registered at another establishment) is collected in the census but it is not counted as part of possible sessions.

Zero Sessions Possible
Zero sessions possible should only be recorded where a dual registered pupil has spent all of the previous term for which attendance data is being collected at the other school at which they are registered.  For example, if a dually registered pupil spent all of the autumn term at his/her subsidiary registration then the main registration would have zero sessions possible recorded in the spring census (collects attendance for the autumn term).

Summer Half Term
The Department for Education advise that study leave should be used sparingly and only granted to year 11 pupils during public examinations. As study leave is unsupervised, schools must record it as an authorised absence. Study leave is no longer applicable once examinations are concluded.

Note: year 11 pupils must remain on the school roll until the last Friday in June of the school year in which they reach 16. This means that year 11 pupils must remain on the school roll and schools must record their attendance to this date.

Note: Attendance data for the second half of the summer term in respect of pupils aged 15 years old is not published in any national statistics.

Pupils unable to attend school due to exceptional circumstances – Code Y
Attendance code Y (unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances) is collected in the school census but is not counted as part of possible attendance sessions.  Schools will use code Y to record the sessions where a pupil is unable to attend because:

• The school site, or part of it, is closed due to an unavoidable cause;
• The transport provided by the school or LA is not available and their home is not within walking distance; or
• A local or national emergency has resulted in widespread disruption to travel, preventing the pupil from attending school.

This code can also be used where a pupil is in custody detained under a court order for a period less than 4 months or is returning to the school at the end of their custodial period.

New Y codes are introduced from autumn 2024 which will be collected in the spring 2025 census;

N Codes in Attendance
The DfE advise that absence code N must not be left on a pupil’s attendance record indefinitely, if a reason for absence cannot be established within 5 school days, schools must amend the pupil’s record to Code O – Absent in other or unknown circumstances (unauthorised absence).  Please ensure that there are no missing marks or ‘N’ codes in your data before running the school census.  For safeguarding reasons, schools must follow up all unexplained and unexpected absences.

Sessions attending an approved educational activity
An approved educational activity is where a pupil is taking part in supervised educational activity such as field trips, educational visits, work experience or alternative provision. The activity must be of an educational nature approved by the school and supervised by someone authorised by the school. The activity must take place during the session for which the mark is recorded.

For further information, please refer to the school attendance guidance for schools.

Persistent Absentee Thresholds
Schools are judged against a persistent absence rate of 10%, and pupils are identified as persistently absent based upon their individual absence level.  If a pupil’s individual overall absence rate is greater than or equal to 10% they will be classified as a persistent absentee.  For example, a pupil has 12 absence sessions out of a possible 100 sessions.  This results in an absence rate of 12% and the pupil is classed as a persistent absentee.

Further information on persistent absence methodology is available in the DfE’s ‘Guide to Absence statistics’.