ICES Information on Children, Education and Schools. Data Collection sub group

1
I C E S Information about Children,
Education and Schools
Welcome to the Data Collection Sub ICES
meetings 26th / 27th June 2007 1030 to
300pm LONDON Church House / YORK National
Railway Museum
2
Welcome And Introduction Michael Ellis DfES
3

4
Update on TAs, School to School and Key to
Success John Bertram DfES
5
Data management in RAISEonline Stephen
Jardine and Craig Whitlam DfES
6
RAISEonline Sub ICES 26/27 June 2007
7
Managing data in RAISEonline
RAISEonline Data loaded centrally How is the
database organised? Importing data What data can
a school import? How is data imported? Validation
matching
8
Data loaded by Ofsted/DfES

• National
• Business rules (Achievement Attainment Tables)
• National reference data
• School-level
• School context (current year)
• Historical attainment (2001 2003)
• Pupil-level
• DfES Achievement Attainment Tables (from 2004)
• KS2, KS3 KS4 unamended, amended final
• National Pupil Database KS 1 (from 2004)
• Question-level
• QCA/NAA KS3 English (from 2005)

9
Data loaded by Ofsted/DfES
10
Pupil Level Teaching groups School-defined
fields (CSV)
Question Level Optional Progress Tests (CSV)
Pupil Level Attainment PLASC (CTF XML)
11
RAISEonline Database
Reset data (copy)

• Pupil record
• Attainment context end of key stage from
  Achievement Attainment Tables
• Additional derived fields (e.g CVA)
• School Record
• Context data (Ofsted/DfES)
• Aggregations

12
School Data Management
13
Choose upload option Pupil Census
attainment QLA Teaching group School defined
fields
14
School Data Management
15
(No Transcript)
16
Amend Pupil Record

• Edit Pupil
• Update pupil characteristics (Ethnicity, FSM, SEN
  etc)
• National Assessment
• National test results by subject for each key
  stage
• Teacher Assessment
• Question Level Analysis
• Select National Curriculum Year Group, Subject
  and Test Paper
• Option to move to next pupil
• Pupil Teaching Groups
• Subject
• Teaching Group

17
Other Data Management Functions

• Copy cohort of pupils
• Move pupils to next academic year
• Reset data
• Option to reset all or selected data

18
Importing data from school

• School Data Administrator
• Options
• On-screen
• Bulk upload from file
• End of key stage and interim year groups
• Matching by UPN
• Audit report

19
Consultation Collecting attendance data for
the sixth half term Terry Keane and Arun
Arul DfES
20
Collecting Attendance data for the 6th half term

• Terry Keane and
• Arun Arul

21
Summary of Proposal

• DfES is consulting Local Authorities on proposals
  prior to submission to Star Chamber
• These proposals are also subject to
  prioritisation of all demands on software
  suppliers in accordance with the MoU
• In essence, the proposal is to extend the School
  Census absence data collection to three full
  terms
• This could be achieved from the 2009 Census
• DfES would also want to work with volunteer
  schools prior to 2009 to assess the impact of
  including the 6th half term data

22
Why collect the 6th half term?

• Attendance data from the 6th half-term is not
  currently shown in national figures (though it is
  recorded by schools)
• Avoids signals to schools that attendance in this
  last half-term doesnt matter, and results in
  an incomplete national pupil record
• DfES is seeking to correct this, so that School
  Census includes attendance data for all six
  half-terms, matching the academic year

23
Proposed Timetable

• Autumn 2007 Census specification issued to
  suppliers, for development of the three termly
  collections in 2009
• Autumn 2008 development and testing by
  suppliers, followed by software updates to
  schools
• During 2009 Census termly collections for
  autumn, spring and (complete) summer terms
• November 2009 internal analysis of first dataset
  with three full terms
• February 2010 first Statistical First Release
  published with three full terms, with information
  packs on new dataset

24
Help requested from Local Authorities

• Support for the principle of collecting data for
  the 6th half term
• If agreed by Star Chamber and Suppliers, help
  with communicating to schools the proposals and
  reasons for collecting data on the 6th half term
• Help with identifying schools which could
  volunteer to provide data on the 6th half term in
  2007 and 2008

25
What would volunteer schools need to do?

• In late September, run a report in the MIS system
  for the period of the 6th half term e.g.
• CAPITA SIMS Group Analysis by Attendance Code
• RM Integris Attendance breakdown
• Pearson Phoenix Summary of half day absences by
  category
• Email a copy of the report to school.attendance_at_df
  es.gsi.gov.uk and/or to an email address in the LA

26
Some issues

• Will Year 11 pupils be included?
• Yes
• Will school level data which includes Year 11
  pupils be published?
• To be decided
• Will the 6th half term data be included in SCAA
  tables (Performance Tables)?
• Under current arrangements, no

27
What next?

• LAs should offer comments on these proposals by
  13 July 2007
• Comments can be submitted by email to
  school.attendance_at_dfes.gsi.gov.uk
• LAs submit a list of volunteer schools (name, LEA
  and DfES Estab No.) by the same date with an
  indication of whether reports could be submitted
  via their LA or direct from the school

28
LUNCH
29
Collection of admissions data on parental
preferences met Terry Keane DfES
30
Background

• Every year, around national offer day for
  secondary schools (1 March), there are a number
  of press stories focussing on the number of
  unhappy families who didnt get their first
  choice school.
• LAs are required to comply with parental
  preferences as far as possible when allocating
  school places.
• Every LA has data on the number of preferences
  (whether first preference or second/third etc)
  met each year for the parents in their LA.
  However at present, DfES does not routinely
  collect this information centrally.

31
Admissions data collection proposal

• To counter press stories and present an accurate
  reflection of the situation around the country,
  DfES has previously had to contact every LA for
  their latest data around 1 March each year.
• This has been by telephone/email in an
  uncoordinated and ad hoc way.
• Each LA interprets the requirements in their own
  way.
• Consequently, DfES is now looking to improve the
  data collected by the Department from 2008.

32
Admissions data collection proposal

• It is proposed to collect data from LAs utilising
  a pre defined report from each LAs admissions
  process software
• Each LA would be required to run the report and
  submit it to DfES twice a year as follows

33
Report requirements

• Data requirements would include ..... link to
  Word doc
• Guidance on the classification of offers would
  be circulated
• Software suppliers would be asked to include the
  reports as standard reports (in Excel or CSV
  format) in their admissions software
• LAs would be asked to submit the reports to DfES
  via email to a specified address

34
Audience participation

• How many passed on the ICES slides to Admission
  Office colleagues and asked for their comments?
• How many dont know?
• How many forgot?

35
Comments submitted

• They do not present a problem for us as we
  currently report 1st, 2nd 3rd preference rates
  
• We have no concerns regarding the proposal to
  get the software providers to include a report
  format as a standard report
• We do submit this info every year to Dfes, along
  with LAF Forum and local press
• It would probably not be too onerous to provide
  the report required

36
Comments submitted

• All of the data you would wish to collect is
  easily available as we already produce it.  I
  note that you suggest the software suppliers
  would be asked to include a standard report
  format in their system and this would of course
  make life a lot easier
• Yes a report of these figures in csv format
  could be produced by that date
• This looks a simple enough report.  No comments
  of objections

37
Conclusions

• Its not difficult
• The data is readily available
• A standard report would be helpful
• No problem with the dates
• Any dissenting views?

38
More comments submitted

• There is a concentration on measuring home
  applicants and no recognition of the Greenwich
  judgement
• Comment
• Parents apply to the home LA
• If a preference cannot be offered, the home LA
  must offer an alternative
• Only the home LA knows what vacancies exist as
  at 1 March

39
More comments submitted

• Why is there a concentration on secondary
  schools. Surely you should collect similar
  information for primary schools
• Comment
• It is secondary school offers (or not) that
  attract media attention
• There is not a perceived problems with refusals
  of primary school places

40
More comments submitted

• This information in a standard form would be
  very helpful for LA to benchmark with statistical
  neighbours
• Comment
• Agreed

41
Next steps

• Submit a Star Chamber template outlining the
  proposed data collection and data requirements
• Finalise the report specification/template and
  circulate to software suppliers/local authorities
  by August at the latest
• Consider the need for, and develop, regulations
  requiring the collection of this data

42
Timing of data collections and the burden on LA
staff Diana Blackburn (Northumberland) and
Sharon Barker (Northamptonshire)
43
Northumberland County CouncilTimings for Census
Returns

• Diana Blackburn
• June 2007

44
Introduction

• Aim of this presentation is to look at the work
  loads for Local Authorities at Census time.
• Staffing first put into place for PLASC returns
  and not expanded.
• New returns and expansion of original data items
  / frequency putting strain on staff.

45
Census Returns in January 2008

• School Census-205 schools in Northumberland
• Early Years Census- around 80 settings
• PRU- one in Northumberland
• Alternative Provision Return
• Pilot for Workforce Return

46
Northumberland Set up

• Two teams involved
• Computer Services team.
• Technical support.
• They write instruction books and provide helpdesk
  support for all Sims users. We also have 9
  schools using Serco facility who do not have our
  technical support

47
Northumberland Set up

• Data Systems Team.
• Two members of staff who provide guidance and
  support to all schools regarding the data quality
  of all returns.
• Accept all files from schools and enter into Daz
  (Collect from Sept) and EMS to check data.
• Liaise with all schools when any re-submissions
  required.
• Collect all data for Early years/Alt.Prov and PRU
  census ready to pass to computer services to
  compile files for submission.

48
Timing

• With all these separate returns we need to look
  at the increased workloads being put on small
  teams and see a way forward.
• School Census must be done quickly and as
  accurately as possible due to budget
  considerations.
• How best to fit the new returns in.

49
Timing

• Can we stagger the submissions for Early Years
  etc to be after School Census but still relate it
  all back to the Census date.
• Does the DfES have the staff to clean all this
  data at the same time?

50
Conclusions

• We have to achieve all these statutory returns.
• Funding in LAs very tight and no scope for extra
  staffing without extra funding.
• Look to a way forward that will keep all parties
  happy.

51
How far can LA data teams stretch?

• Sharon Barker
• Principal Information Officer
• Northamptonshire

52
Northamptonshire in numbers

• 326 schools
• 104,483 pupils in Census 2007
• 323 Early Years settings
• 3 Pupil Referral Units (one of which has 4
  satellite units Not School etc.)
• Piloting EY, AP, PRU Workforce

53
Data collection changes

• Move from Form 7 to School Census
• Welcome improvement in accuracy and reliability,
  but at a cost

54
Will Collect help?

• Validation is 3 three stage
• School MIS
• DAZ/Collect
• LA Data Quality Checks

55
Data Collections who does them?

• Termly Census
• Additional pupil level returns
• Early Years (7,500 children, 25 data items 323
  settings)
• Alternative Provision (c 200 pupils)
• Pupil Referral Units (484 pupils 3 units)
• SSDA903 (c. 1000 pupils multiple data items)
• CPR3 (c. 200 young people)
• Others e.g. Private Fostering Formerly Adopted
• School Workforce (13,500 staff 48 data items per
  staff member)

56
Data Collections

• LA data teams cover
• Statutory local returns Children Services
• Performance monitoring (APA, JAR , BVPI datasets)
• Database management (central pupil databases,
  Contact Point)
• Access to information (web publishing, electronic
  communications, emails)
• etc, etc.

57
The world in LAs

• Three Rs
• Restructuring
• constant cycle of change in local government,
  whether driven by political, financial or
  efficiency agendas, results in on-going
  reorganisation
• Resources
• Or the lack of them .
• Representation
• RIG, ICES, IRU, Star Chamber, but to what effect?

58
When will this actually make a difference?

• A government strategy to reduce bureaucracy for
  front line workers so that public services can
  work more efficiently without compromising on
  standards was published 21 June 2007 by Cabinet
  Office Ministers Hilary Armstrong and Pat
  McFadden.
• The plan sets out how the Government is going to
  reduce bureaucracy by
• Getting Whitehall departments to identify, for
  the first time, the bureaucracy burden on public
  services.
• Identifying top 10 irritants in each field,
  publishing them in late 2007.
• Reducing duplicate or unnecessary information
  requests by Departments which tie up people on
  the front line
• Giving public sector workers a clear mechanism to
  challenge bureaucracy which doesn't work.

59
Where are we now?

• We need help
• Re-assess the numbers of data collections on LAs
• Re-evaluate the scheduling of data collections
• Reduce the burdens of data collections on LAs
• Or, provide copious amounts of Valium..

60
The future of Data Collection Sub ICES group
meetings Michael Ellis DfES
61
The future of Data Collection Sub ICES group
meetings Michael Ellis DfES
62

• It is probably a good time to review DCSI
  meetings
• Change of LA personnel
• Developments in the range of data-collection work
  carried out by LA officers
• Current meeting programme is heavy
• ICES
• SWFC
• EY/AP/PRU
• COLLECT

63

• Content of DCSI meetings
• Needs to contrast with more general nature of
  ICES
• More technical in nature
• Detail, minutiae, practicalities
• Avoid overlap with other meetings

64

• The agenda and timing of meetings
• We need sufficient items it's OK to cancel
• Don't just meet because it's in the diary
• Even 'classic' DCSI items should be avoided if
  they are covered elsewhere
• Traditionally driven by needs of LA colleagues
• Should we treat DCSI as an ICES 'sub-committee'?
• Should we meet termly, or is that too often?

65

• Moving forward
• DCSI seems worthwhile - do you agree?
• How would you like to influence the content?
• Are there issues which are never discussed
  anywhere that DCSI could cover?
• How should DCSI relate to ICES?
• As data-collection people, do you have views on
  the main ICES?
• Are we just "meetinged out"?!

66
DISCUSSION FORUM - open discussion of topics
raised by LA delegates QUESTIONS and AOB
Chair Michael Ellis DfES
67
Farewell until the next Data Collection Sub ICES
meetings to be announced
I C E S Information about Children,
Education and Schools