Management Information Sheet
Spring 2016 School Census
This is a reminder that 2016 Spring Census day is Thursday 21st January 2016. Please ensure that your census file is uploaded and submitted to COLLECT no later than Friday 22nd January 2016. If you have any problems meeting this deadline please email the Business Intelligence and Performance Service (BIPS) at bi@norfolk.gov.uk explaining the problems you are having and when you expect to upload your census file.
Why is this census important?
Data provided in the Spring School Census is used by various organisations for many purposes. Among these are:
- Pupil Premium allocations
- Information to be published in school Performance Tables
- Allocation of the Early Years Block of the 2016/2017 dedicated schools grant (DSG)
Therefore it is important that your return is completed accurately and on time.
Important message about submitting your census:
When your Management Information System (MIS) indicates there are no errors or queries you may still have errors or queries in COLLECT. You are recommended to upload your file to COLLECT as early as possible and check for any unexpected errors or queries, to allow time to resolve them before the submission deadline. All errors in COLLECT must be resolved. All queries in COLLECT must be investigated and resolved with appropriate notes where necessary. (The list of "Minimum Notepad Entries" will be provided in the COLLECT guidance during the week of the census.)
Early checking:
A 'familiarisation' release of the 2016 spring school census COLLECT blade is available now, until 4pm on Friday 15 January 2016, at which point the blade will be removed and cleared out ready for the live collection on Thursday 21 January 2016. The DfE strongly recommend that, where possible, all schools take the chance to load a file output from their management information system (MIS) into the COLLECT familiarisation blade. This will allow schools to carry out an early test of their data, and check for any unexpected errors or queries in their data when loaded into COLLECT.
Guidance:
Guidance on submitting your school census and links to DfE support documents can be found at Norfolk Schools website. Please ensure you familiarise yourself with the guidance in advance of the collection date (21/01/16) so that you are able to resolve any data errors or queries as described above, in good time.
If you have already referred to the available guidance but still require clarification on a complex issue, please email the BIPS team via bi@norfolk.gov.uk. A member of the BIPS team will respond to your email as soon as possible. Note that BIPS are not able to assist with queries relating to Secure Access or in respect of your MIS.