Spring School Census 2025 – Bulletin

Changes provided by Fileset 2904 comparted to Fileset 2903

Version 2024.2.1 of the DfE validation files

ESS have provided the below information in regard to errors below.

The Fileset 2904 should clear the below errors and should be available by the middle/end of this week.  We will keep you informed of when  Fileset 2904 will be available.  Additionally we will inform you of when/if it will be applied to Hosted Schools.

Error 2167: Each SEN type must be unique

The DfE has modified its coding to deal with the issue where this validation was incorrectly not triggering for a pupil with ‘DS: Down syndrome’ recorded more than once.

Error 2984: Childcare before 8am is missing or invalid

The DfE has modified its coding to deal with the issues where this validation was incorrectly triggering for childcare types of than ‘Childcare for 8am’ AND was incorrectly referring to ‘Opening time’, ‘Closing time’ and ‘Opening 8am to 6pm’.

Error 2985: Childcare cover 8am to 6pm is missing or invalid

The DfE has modified its coding to deal with the issue where the validation we incorrectly triggering for childcare other than ‘8am to 6pm’ and for ‘under 5’ childcare.

Error 2987: Childcare until 6PM is missing or invalid

The DfE has added this validation error to ensure the correct data has been provided for ‘After School Childcare’.

Error 2988: You have not indicated whether holiday childcare hours are provided

The DfE has added this validation error to ensure the correct data has been provided for ‘Before School Childcare’.

Version 2024.2.1 of the SIMS transformation file

Error 2936: Ability to accept pupils from other schools is not required for under 5 childcare

We have updated our transformation file to take account of the DfE’s very late change to its specification by exclude ‘On Site’ data being reported for ‘Under Fives’.

This is in line with the DfE’s approach of removing the data on upload to COLLECT and will mean that validation Error 2936 will not be triggered when the DfE validation is run by SIMS or when it is run by COLLECT.

Issue with identifying the application of CDPau3 in School Census Spring 2025

ESS have informed us that the application of CDPau3 is correctly removing the identification of the application of CDPau1 and CDPau2 in the School Census Spring 2025 application, but it is not adding the identification of the application of CDPau3. This issue will be dealt with for the application of CDPau4 and CDPau5.

U P D A T E –    ESS have now withdrawn their warning regarding finalising the return

ESS have stated that the DfE provided MIS suppliers with a new version of their School Census Spring 2025 specification on the 15/01/2025 at 16:32.  The changes in this new version caused us to advise schools against finalising their return. ESS are now able to withdraw all aspects of this advice. 

Following further discussion with the DfE we understand that a corrected version of their specification is to be provided and any unhelpful triggering of validation error 2936 will not occur on COLLECT from tomorrow (17/01/2025) onwards. Unhelpful triggering of validation error 2936 will continue for school validation where a school provides on site under five childcare, but this can be safely ignored as the DfE will remove the data on upload to COLLECT.

Childcare panel of Focus | School | School Details

Consolidated Database Patch (CDPau3) –  Has now been made available 

SOLUS 3 Identification  –  Patch Number: 30470

This was applied to all Hosted Schools and authorised for Non-Schools on Solus – overnight on 15th January, 2025 

A. Issues that have also been dealt with via CDPau2

All improvements previously provided via CDPau2 are included in CDPau3. Schools can upgrade to CDPau3 regardless of whether they have applied CDPau2.

B: Issues this are dealt with for the first time via CDPau3

Issue 10:  En  School Census Spring 2025: Unable to generate the return file

If clicking on Create & Validate fails by being unable to generate the return file, the most likely explanation is that the software has detected the use of a session attendance code that became invalid from the 19th August onwards. This can be checked by examining the Attendance panel, which will have warned of this issue when Calculate All Details was run.

For clarity we should be repeating this warning when Create & Validate is run.

Solution:

Application of this patch will ensure that Create & Validate provides a message to indicate that it could not proceed because an invalid session attendance code was detected. The following is an example of the message that will be displayed when an invalid attendance code is detected by Create & Validate.

Issue 09:  En  Data fix for the issue described in 08 above

When exceptional circumstances codes Y1 to Y6 or # have been removed from a register all statutory explanations will have also been removed.

Solution:

Application of this patch is likely to restore most if not all the statutory explanations removed by issue 8 above. We will provide a separate ‘diagnostic script’ to identify any instances where it has not been possible to restore the statutory explanation.

Issue 08:  En  Statutory explanations text being removed for attendance codes B, K and Y7

If a school removes exceptional circumstances codes Y1 to Y6 or # from a pupil register all pupils statutory explanations that have been provided for use of attendance codes B, K and Y7 will also be removed.

Solution:

Application of this patch will ensure that any removal of exceptional circumstances codes from a register has no impact on the storage of statutory explanations, except where an exceptional circumstances code Y7 is removed from a register, where (correctly) just the statutory explanation for that use of Y7 will be removed.

Fileset 2903 will be needed to run Census and we will inform you as soon as it is available for download.  For Hosted Schools this will be applied as soon as it is available.

If you are running your Census early you will may get some error codes 2475 or 2490 which are being falsely flagged, there may also be some error codes 2531 that could falsely flag up – if you do get these codes they will clear once the Fileset 2903 has been applied.

Selected time on census day for class information 

ESS have informed up that the DfE has recently updated its table for calculation the time on census day that schools should use for class information. You can click here (external link) to view the latest version of this DfE guidance.

Schools with timetables should reflect the time on census day in the Period Name they choose in the Selected Period on Census Day panel of Routines | Statutory Returns | School Census.

Selected Period on Census Day panel of Routines | Statutory Returns | School Census

Main changes compared to School Census Spring 2024 

ESS have released the following in regard to changes since School Census Spring 2024

Please note that Childcare has been by far the most volatile of the DfE changes to specification and this is reflected in the modification that will be needed via CWPau1 (Consolidated Workstation Patch Autumn Release1). Please refer to the Childcare section of this newsfeed item below.

ESS are also looking into the possibility of improving the Childcare screen display via the workstation patch.

Normal yearly update to dates and date spans

Primary schools

Routines | Statutory Returns | School Census – Defaults to Spring 2025 Term

Secondary schools

Routines | Statutory Returns | School Census – Defaults to Spring 2025 Term

New set of DfE session attendance codes to be reported in school census for the first time

Checks that the new version of the DfE attendance code is available

Attendance panel of Routines | Statutory Returns | School Census

Checks that none of the defunct codes have been used

In the example below the now defunct H code has been entered in advance for a pupil and before the new set of codes was introduced. This checking take place when Create & Validate is run.

Message 1 appears at the bottom of the screen to indicate that the return file could not be be generated and Message 2 appears adjacent to the Create & Validate button to explain why the return file could not be generated.

Message 1

Message 2

Reports the new two-character session attendance codes in the XML return file and reflects this in the detail report

Attendance Report from Routines | Statutory Returns | School Census

Childcare changes

1. Places can be offered to everyone.

Select Before School Childcare row in Childcare Details panel of Focus | School | School Details

2. Where signposted is set to ‘Yes, formal arrangements including escort to/from the site’, opening or closing data becomes editable.

Select Before School Childcare row in Childcare Details panel of Focus | School | School Details

Select After School Childcare row in Childcare Details panel of Focus | School | School Details

3. Where signposted is set to ‘Yes, list of providers that pick up from school’, listed providers coverage data for 8am to 6pm becomes editable.

Select Before School Childcare row in Childcare Details panel of Focus | School | School Details

4. Signposted has been moved down the screen so that it is above the two new data items, e.g.

Childcare Details panel of Focus | School | School Details

Questions in the blue box above are relate to Type plus On Site, while question in the purple box are related Type plus Signposted.

5. Other Schools will be available for Under Fives Childcare

As you probably know, the DfE has made a very late change to it specification so that Other Schools becomes editable for Under Fives Children in the same way as it is editable for Before School Childcare and After School Childcare.

The new ethnicity codes

The following new ethnicity codes will be included in the census where they have been entered for a pupil. However, the DfE will not be making use of them where they are reported in this census. With this in mind, the DfE suggests that schools that have not already made use of these new ethnicity codes delays use of them until academic year 2025/26.

• ABRI: Asian – British
• AWEL: Asian- Welsh
• BBRI: Black – British
• BWEL: Black- Welsh
• WIRI: White – Irish Traveler
• ORAB: Arab (extended code for main code OOTH: Any other ethnic group)

Changes to the collection of early years data

Childcare – Very late changes to the DfE specifications 

ESS have confirmed the following:

The DfE has announced the following two changes to its specification.

Change 1

The “Childcare for Children aged between 0-4 years” question have been updated to include Is it open to children from other schools? (YES / NO / UNKNOWN)

Childcare penal of Focus | School Details

Currently the ‘Other Schools’ cell for ‘Under Fives Childcare’ is greyed out but will need to be made active.

Dealing with this very late change in the DfE specification will need to be part of a Workstation Patch for the SIMS Autumn Release 2024. CWPau1 is in the final stage of testing ready for expected provision during week beginning 02/12/2024, so this change will be provided via CWPau2.

Change 2

Two of the childcare tags in the XML return file have been changed by the DfE as follows.

From

<ChildcareCovers8AMto6PM>A</ChildcareCovers8AMto6PM>

To

<ChildcareCover8AMto6PM>A</ChildcareCover8AMto6PM>

Dealing with this very late change in the DfE specification will need to be part of Fileset 2903.

Preparing attendance data for reporting in this census

ESS have recommended as this will be the first school census to provide attendance data to the DfE that is based on the new DfE attendance codes introduced in August 2024 we recommend that you check the schools use of attendance for the autumn term against the DfE regulations.

You can click here (external link) to obtain a copy of the DfE guidance on their regulations.

In particular we suggest that you check any use of attendance codes ‘C’ and ‘T’, as we understand that there is some confusion regarding their use, e.g. code ‘C’ should only be used in exceptional circumstances.

ESS have confirmed the DfE has informed software suppliers that they will not be making use of any of their new ethnicity codes when reported in the 2024/25 round of censuses. However, they are expecting to make use of their new ethnicity codes in their next round of censuses in academic year 2025/26.

They have also let us know that there is no need for schools to reallocate ethnicity codes where the new codes have already been applied, but the DfE would be happy for no further application of these new codes/ to take place until further notice.

The new ethnicity codes that the DfE will NOT be making use of for School Census Spring 2025 are as follows.

• ABRI: Asian – British
• AWEL: Asian- Welsh
• BBRI: Black – British
• BWEL: Black- Welsh
• WIRI: White – Irish Traveler
• ORAB: Arab (extended code for main code OOTH: Any other ethnic group)

I will be adjusting previous newsfeed items to take account of the changes in the DfE approach for reporting their new ethnicity codes in this academic year’s round of censuses.

Questions and Answers 

ESS have supplied the following Questions and Answers:

Question 01 (Relevant to all schools subject to the School Census Spring 2025)

Re: Applying CDPau (Consolidated Database Patch Autumn Release) 1 and importing Fileset 2901.

Once a school is updated to the SIMS Autumn Release 2024. do I have to wait for CDPau1 to be applied and for Fileset 2901 to be imported before carrying out the first ‘dry run’ of School Census Spring 2025.

Answer

CDPau1 and Fileset 2901 will be made available a week or so after the SIMS Autumn Release 2024 is made available, so waiting for them would be a viable option. However, given that there are no relevant improvements provide by CDPau1 and that the DfE validation and summary reports included in Fileset 2901 are very little better for this census than those provided in the SIMS Autumn Release, I recommend carry out a dry run as soon as possible without waiting for CDPau1 or Fileset 2901.

DfE Session Attendance codes Academic year 2024/25 

ESS added the following table to help clarify the significant impact on School Census Spring 2025 compared to the relatively small impact on School Census Autumn 2024.

Early years data required for School Census Spring 2025 

ESS produced the following table to help with any confusion regarding what data the DfE requires for early years in School Census Spring 2025. The table is based on version 1.5 of the DfE specification for 2023/24 school censuses and version 1.0 of the DfE specifications for 2024/25 school censuses. I will update the table to take account of any changes beyond these versions of the DfE specifications in this area.