Management Information Sheet

School and Pupil Census Spring 2024

MI Sheet TypeAction
To Be Completed By: 18/01/2024
MI Number:2/24
Publication Date:03/01/2024 10:00:00
LA Contact:i&a@norfolk.gov.uk
Audience:Headteachers, all staff

School and Pupil Census Spring 2024

Quick Guide

Important Dates

Familiarisation Period for test filesCloses at 4pm Friday 12 January 2024
Summer School Census DayThursday 18 January 2024
LA Maintained Submission Deadline Wednesday 14 February 2024

LA Maintained Schools must upload and submit to COLLECT no later than Thursday 18 January 2024. Any LA Maintained school that cannot meet this deadline must email the Intelligence & Analytics Team (I&A) at i&a@norfolk.gov.uk. It is requested that schools submit their data as soon as they can after the Census day on 18th January so we can begin work on any errors or queries to resolve in time for the Wednesday 14 February deadline. As well as being the final submission deadline, this is also a deadline for us to get the data approved by.

Academies, please note that the Local Authority (LA) is not able to see or assist with your School Census. Academies with any questions relating to completing the school census should contact the DfE (Department for Education) helpdesk via email edd.helpdesk@education.gsi.gov.uk

Why is this Census Important?

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.

Changes since the last Census

There have been no changes of note since the Autumn 2023 Pupil Census.

DfE Sign in

Please remember to check you can login to COLLECT before Census Day, using the following link: https://services.signin.education.gov.uk/

Before Census DayCheck you can log into COLLECT using DfE Sign-In
Check your entry in GIAS (Get Information About Schools) is correct
Ensure that all relevant pupil data is correct on your MIS
Upload a file into COLLECT during the familiarisation period. This will enable you to check for any unexpected errors and queries that may not necessarily show up in your Management Information System (MIS). Please note this familiarisation period closes 4pm on Friday 12 January 2024, and the Census will not show up when you log into COLLECT. The blade will return on Census Day ready for you to upload and submit your return.

Census DayUpload to COLLECT via Secure Access

Once you have had your return approved by your Head/ Data manager then: Login to COLLECT via the DfE Sign-in https://services.signin.education.gov.uk/ and upload your xml file.

Check for Errors & Queries

Open your return and check for errors and queries within COLLECT. To clear errors, amendments may need to be made within your MI (Management Information) system and a new file uploaded. Queries need checking and amending within COLLECT along with an appropriate note. Please see notepad guidance notes for acceptable wording.

Submit your file

Once you have cleared all errors and attached all notes to queries within COLLECT you can submit your file

After Census DayApproval and Authorisation

If you are an LA Maintained School, NCC (Norfolk County Council) will check through your Census looking for additional errors. We may contact you if we have any questions regarding this. Once we are happy with your Census file, we will approve it and send it to the DfE to authorise. If there is a problem with the data, the DfE will not approve the file and we will be in touch

Post Approval Checking

NCC will continue to run checks on the Census data and may still contact you with queries even after the DfE have approved your file.

Guidance

Further guidance on submitting your school Census can be found at Norfolk Schools website or on the DfE website at www.gov.uk/guidance/school-census