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School census

Preparing for Census
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The upcoming School Census dates are listed below and we will update this page as and when we receive information from the Department for Education. The School Census guide from the DfE lists in detail what should be included in your census.

Census Return

Census Day

Deadline for Submission to LA**

Autumn 20235 October 6 October
Spring 2024 18 January 19 January
Summer 202416 May17 May

**maintained schools only

We strongly recommend that schools begin to prepare for the School Census by keeping all pupil databases up-to-date and ensuring those in charge of the return have access to the relevant systems.

Information for maintained schools
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Please be aware that although your file may appear as if it has no queries, some may generate when the return is loaded into COLLECT, for example, term-on-term validations appear when your data is compared to your previous census. Also, if a pupil from your school appears on the duplicate reports, we may need to contact you to resolve this. Therefore we ask that you submit your file to us through Perspective Lite by the submission deadlines listed above to allow time to resolve any additional queries to ensure that funding is not impacted.

We also require an explanation for all queries in your census return with appropriate notepad entries where relevant, as these are then submitted to the DfE along with your file. Please send these explanations to our inbox MIEducation&WiderEH@kent.gov.uk as we cannot see notes that you put in the authorisation box in SIMS.

Key information for all schools
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For the Spring 2024 census return, if you are a SIMS schools you must ensure you have upgraded to:

  • SIMS version - 7.214 Autumn 2023 Release
  • Fileset version - 2604 (may be subject to change)

Please ensure you send the correct file. For this census the filename will follow the pattern of 886XXXX_SC1_886LL24_nnn.XML where XXXX = DFE number and nnn = how many times the file has been created e.g. if created three times it will be 003.

Time frames for data items:

Attendance01/08/2023 to 31/12/2023
Exclusions10/04/2023 to 31/12/2023
Free School Meal Eligibility06/10/2023 to 18/01/2024

General information to help complete your return
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Submitting your file to Management Information:

Other Important Information and Documents
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Reduced Timetable
Data Submission Guidance
Pupil Privacy Notice
First Language Questionnaire
Ethnic Monitoring Questionnaire

Contact information

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For any queries regarding the data items within your census, the use of Perspective Lite or the resolution of errors and queries, please contact our team:

Phone: 03000 42 24 70
Email: MIEducation&WiderEH@kent.gov.uk

Please note any queries relating to software or system problems should be directed to your software supplier's helpline.

Some of the files on this page may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. See our accessibility statement for information on how to request an alternative format.