BROMCOM – Quick Summary Guide – Pre-checks and Generating School Census
This FAQ is a quick check list for updating information before Census.
For Schools wanting the latest documentation for Census and using Bromcom – Click here to jump to the relevant section.
- Thursday 15th January 2026 is census day
- 11th of February 2026 is your census submission deadline (unless otherwise advised by your Local Authority)
PRE-CHECKS BEFORE YOU START YOUR CENSUS
| School Characteristics |
Config>Admin>Characteristics |
| School Core details |
Config>Admin>Core Details |
| Attendance N Codes |
Reports>Attendance>Attendance by Code/Meaning – using ‘Code’ and selecting ‘N’ to search – Remember to tick the use detailed breakdown box to show the detail of mark. Note: If you do not have many N codes you can also check via Modules>Attendance>Manage Attendance and then select search by ‘code’ selecting ‘N’ code. |
| Attendance Missing Marks |
Reports>Attendance>Attendance Analysis Exports which will print the missing marks report, or Reports>Attendance>Attendance by Code/Meaning – using ‘Meaning’ – ‘Missing Mark’ and ‘Cancelled’ to search, or you can go to Reports>Attendance>Attendance by Code/Meaning – using ‘Code’ using ‘?’ and ‘blank’ (blank will pick up cancelled marks) – Remember to tick the “use detailed breakdown” box to show the detail of mark when selecting search. Note: If you do not have many missing marks you can also check via Modules>Attendance>Manage Attendance and then select search by ‘meaning’ selecting ‘missing’ mark.. |
| *Select Students Module and ‘Add/Remove Additional Columns’ to check what information is in your MIS | If you find information is incorrect or missing – please see below quick routes to amend the information as required. (You can additionally, use “Quick Edit” to bulk update many of the area’s needed for your students in bulk.) |
| If unsure of any of the below areas check DfE guidance link here | Complete the school census – Data items 2025 to 2026 – Guidance – GOV.UK |
Access to areas listed below are subject to Roles and Permissions – if not available speak to your Administrator
| Students Registration Enrolment Status |
Students – Select Student/View – Select Enrolment from left menu – then select the ‘Enrolment Status’ panel and add/edit to the correct Enrolment Status. (If you need to change an enrolment status remember to put in an end date on the old status and then the new status from the next date). |
| Missing UPN or ULN – (In Key Data panel) |
Students – Select Student/View – Select Enrolment from left menu – on right hand side go to Key Data panel to change click on edit pencil and add UPN or ULN number |
| SEN Provision and Needs |
Students – Select Student/View- Select Special Education Needs from left menu – add SEN details |
| FSM |
Students – Select Student/View – Select Profile from left menu – Scroll down to find Meal & Transport (or select from ALL menu at top right) – add Free School Meal start date |
| Pupil Premium – (The Pupil Premium area is used for reporting purposes only and does not affect the Census) |
Students – Select Student/View – Select Profile from left menu – Scroll down to find Funding & Allowances (or select from ALL at top right) – Pupil Premium Tab (Note: If you have imported your Pupil Premium previously, you may still need this area to add pupil premium for pupils who have enrolled since last import) |
| Top Up Funding |
Students – Select Student/View – Select Profile from left menu – Scroll down to find Funding & Allowances (or select from ALL at top right) – Top Up Funding Tab |
| Early Years Pupil Premium |
Students – Select Student/View – Select Profile from left menu – Scroll down to find Funding & Allowances (or select from ALL at top right) Early Years Pupil Premium Tab |
| Eligibility Code and Basis for funding – 2 year old |
Students – Select Student/View – Select Profile from left menu – Scroll down to find Funding & Allowances (or select from ALL at top right) – Additional Information Tab – Here you can enter the eligibility code for extended and expanded hours, remember for 9 month-2 year olds you will also need the Basis for Funding added) |
| Part Time Students – (Outside of statutory school age) |
Students – Select Student/View – Select Enrolment from left menu – on right hand side go to Key Data panel to change click on edit pencil and select the Attendance Mode Tab. Here you can enter the Full Time or Part Time attendance details for your student – You will additionally need to add their actual attendance into the register this will not update the attendance record. |
| Learner Monitoring – (in receipt of tutoring) |
Students – Select Student/View – Select Profile from left menu – Scroll down to find Funding & Allowances (or select from ALL at top right) – Learner Monitoring Tab |
| Service Child |
Students – Select Student/View and click on pencil edit icon to right on student name – Details are in Additional Details Tab (NOTE: Their is also a tick box on Contact details of parent (for reporting purposes) where you can tick the contact as a member of armed forces) |
| Youth Support Service Agreement |
Students – Select Student/View and click on pencil edit icon to right on student name – Details are in Additional Details Tab |
| Young Carer |
Students – Select Student/View and click on pencil edit icon to right on student name – Details are in Additional Details Tab |
| Post Looked After Arrangements |
Students – Select Student/View and click on pencil edit icon to right on student name – Details are in Additional Details Tab |
| Ethnicity, Religion & Language (Census specifically looks for First Language) |
Students – Select Student/View – Select Profile from left menu – Scroll down to find Ethnicity & Religion (or select from ALL at top right) – Select appropriate tab – (Note: memberships dates are not needed for this area the selection will cover the full enrolment time). |
| Traveller Status |
Students – Select Student/View – Select Profile from left menu – Scroll down to find Ethnicity & Religion (or select from ALL at top right) – Ethnicity Tab |
| EAL |
Students – Select Student/View – Select Profile from left menu – Scroll down to find Ethnicity & Religion (or select from ALL at top right) – Languages Tab |
| Alternative Provision |
Students – Select Student/View – Select Enrolment from left menu and Scroll down to Alternative Provision (or select from ALL at top right) – Add details |
| Suspensions and Exclusions |
Students – Select Student/View – Select Behaviour from left menu – Scroll down to Exclusions (or select from ALL at top right) – please remember if a permanent exclusion the “Confirmation and Appeals Record for the Exclusion” must be recorded or you will have errors on your census. |
| Looked After |
Students – Select Student/View – Select Safeguarding from left menu and Scroll down to Looked After (or select from ALL at top right) |
| Child Protection |
Students – Select Student/View – Select Safeguarding from left menu and Scroll down to Child Protection (or select from ALL at top right) |
CREATING CENSUS
| Create Census | Modules>Census>School – Check Term and Year are correct top right hand corner then Select – New and Generate |
| Check Parameters panel (Do not change any dates) | |
| Check School Details panel | |
| You will see two panels below “Pupil Reconciliation” panel and “Pupil School Lunch” panel. The Pupil Lunches are for Lunches taken on Census Day. (Note on Pupil Lunches – it will default to a tick on your census for pupils with FSM set in their student record and you will need to untick if lunch not taken on Census day) | |
| The Pupil Reconciliation is for your Early Years hours and can be added now or later on. | |
| The Pupil Lunches are for Lunches taken on Census Day. (Note on Pupil Lunches – it will default to a tick on your census for pupils with FSM set in their student record and you will need to untick if lunch not taken on Census day) | |
| You can now – Save & Validate your census – You will see you now have a file called “2025 Autumn Census – 001” | |
| Working on Census | Select latest copy of Census e.g. 001 and select then select View summary / View Errors etc. |
| Work on the errors you find on your Census | |
| You can tick the ‘x’ in far column on your errors screen when you have cleared the error for your own record of what you have done, but it will not clear the errors off this created census when you ‘save status’ it will just save the status of the errors you have worked on and ticked so far | |
| Generate new Census | If you have cleared multiple errors or all errors in your MIS you must then generate a New Census to see your errors removed from the Census – when done this will be called “2025 Autumn Census – 002” – you can do this as many times as you wish and you will see the errors and queries reducing on each NEW Census you create. However;…(see below note) |
| REMEMBER – when generating new Census | IMPORTANT NOTE: You will need to “reset to latest census“ each time you create a NEW Census for the Pupil Reconciliation and Pupil School Lunch if you have completed these area’s – IF YOU DO NOT YOU WILL NEED TO RE-ENTER THE INFORMATION. You therefore must “reset to latest census” BEFORE you Save & Validate the newly created census. |
| Reports for Census | Once you have created your first Census you will be able to use the reports in the Reports>Census area to print out and check information in your census |
| Summary Report | On your Census Screen, highlight the latest census you have created and click View Summary to get the latest Summary Report of your last Census created. |
| Please Note | Be aware that if you have made changes in your MIS AFTER you have made a final copy of your census, this information WILL NOT be in your your final copy unless you generate a new census (as above). |
| Authorise Census | When you are happy with your Census, (which may be called something like “2025 Summer Census – 015” by this point) you can highlight the appropriate census and click on Authorise – this will add a date to the Authorised Column and your Census will NO LONGER be editable. If you need to make further changes you will have to go to a previous copy (i.e. “2025 Summer Census – 014”) which may or may not have all your changes in it. You can not edit an Authorised copy of the Census. |
| Download your Census | Highlight the Authorised copy of the Census and click on View File – this will download an XML copy of your Census to your downloads ready to be uploaded to DfE |
* you can delete the older copies of Census (i.e. copy 001 / 002 etc), however, please be aware if you delete the last copy that you have “reset to latest census” you will have to re-do the information upon generating new census
Documentation – Bromcom
All Information released by Bromcom can be found on the Bromcom Census page – School Census – Bromcom
Census Date – Thursday 15th January 2026
Return Date – Wednesday 11th February 2026 (unless otherwise advised by your Local Authority)
Census guide Spring 2026 School Census Guide
Details of how to book onto a webinar Webinar
Errors guide Spring 2026 Error Resolutions Guide
For further information preparation for the upcoming Census click: How can I prepare data and be ready for the School Census Return?