Spring School Census 2025 – Bulletin
This FAQ lists the latest information regarding the School Census. It contains information on the latest filesets, patches and errors.
To jump to the latest SIMS Census documentation and FAQ’s Click here.
For Schools wanting the latest documentation for Census and using Arbor or Bromcom Click here to jump to the relevant section.
For information preparation for the upcoming Census click: How can I prepare data and be ready for the School Census Return?
Census Date: Thursday 16th January 2025
Current fileset: Fileset 2901 (Click Here)
Hosted Schools – Fileset 2901 has been applied to all Hosted Schools on 15th November, 2024
Latest Census Information
02/12/2024 |
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.
Changes to the collection of early years data
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27/11/2024 |
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.
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07/11/2024 |
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.
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05/11/2024 | Important news about the new ethnicity codes
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.
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.
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05/11/2024 |
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.
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30/05/2024 |
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. |
15/04/2024 |
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. |
Error 9999 – Module is missing
Unable to run Create and Validate on School Census
Submit Census Files from within Hosted Applications
SEN Provision in the School Census
Statutory Returns Errors and Solutions for England
Documentation – SIMS The Handbooks for Spring 2025 Return have now been updated with online documentation : Click Here
Producing the School Census Return – Spring 2025 * New link (English Nursery schools)
Producing the School Census Return – Spring 2025 * New link (English All-Through schools)
Producing the School Census Return – Spring 2025 * New link (English Special schools)
Producing the School Census Return – Spring 2025 * New link (English Pupil Referral Units)
* New link – Previous style handbook no longer available, new link – You will find that most of the checklist items include a link to information very similar to that provided in previous handbooks.
Arbor and Bromcom
Documentation – Arbor
- Thursday 16th January 2025 is census day
- Dry run opens two weeks before census day
- Wednesday 12th February 2025 is your census submission deadline (unless otherwise advised by your Local Authority)
Please find a link to Arbor’s main census page here and a link to Arbor errors and queries here.
Census guides – Guide now available – School census guides – Arbor Help Centre (arbor-education.com)
Documentation – Bromcom
All Information released by Bromcom can be found on the Bromcom Census page (Autumn Guide date TBA) – School Census – Bromcom
- Thursday 16th January 2025 is census day
- Wednesday 12th February 2025 is your census submission deadline (unless otherwise advised by your Local Authority)
Census guides and errors (Spring Guide – date TBA) Census – Bromcom