Ian Watson

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Ian Watson

• Department for Education and Skills

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LA AUTUMN WORKSHOPS FOR PLASC AND SCHOOL CENSUS
2006
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PROGRAMME

• 1000 Registration and Coffee
• 1100 Welcome and Introduction Ian Watson,
  Department for Education and Skills
• 1110 PLASC 2005 Well Done Liz Tadd, Department
  for Education and Skills
• 1120 PLASC 2005 Issues S2S / DAZ / Service
  Desk Ian Watson, Department for Education and
  Skills
• 1150 PLASC 2005 Data Quality and What do we use
  it for? Jim Foley, Department for Education and
  Skills
• 1210 Funding Sara Krikorian, Department for
  Education and Skills
• 1230 2006 Timetable Jim Foley
• 1245 Lunch

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PROGRAMME

• 13.30 SCE Children CTF Ian Watson
• 1345 School Census / PLASC / SLASC Good Practice
  and New Data Items Terry Keane, Department for
  Education and Skills
• 1430 Future Plans Simon Grigor, Department for
  Education and Skills
• 1500 Question and Answer Session
• 1515 Close

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Liz Tadd

• Department for Education and Skills

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PLASC 2005 WELL DONE
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Ian Watson

• Department for Education and Skills

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PUPIL LEVEL ANNUAL SCHOOLS CENSUS 2005 ISSUES
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PLASC ISSUES 2005

• School Software
• Migration issues
• National Curriculum (NC) Year (Very important for
  NAA, Performance Tables and NPD)
• Action
• DfES working closely with suppliers
• Beta testing
• Better validation and school system reporting on
  NC Year, now reporting on individuals outside NC
  Year group. (more later)

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PLASC ISSUES 2005

• LA Data Checking Exercise
• Increased focus on data quality from 2006 DfES
  greater responsibility in distributing funding to
  Schools and LAs
• Pilot in June 05 (more from Sara later)
• DSG tightened up data processing (especially
  amendments)
• Action
• Data collectors must work closely with funding
  colleagues (including within DfES!)
• Data to be right, first time and submitted
  promptly

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PLASC 2005 ISSUES

• Service Desk
• Call processing issues
• Action
• Issues investigated and new telecoms system
  being introduced
• New PLASC/SLASC/School Census e-mail box
  School.CENSUS_at_dfes.gsi.gov.uk

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PLASC 2005 ISSUES

• School to School
• Action
• Significant amount of work put into investigating
  problems
• New version of site live (More from Steve later)

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PLASC 2005 ISSUES

• Duplicate Pupil/UPNs
• Action
• Duplicate action to be taken once only (January)
• Scope for reduction in sensitivity of Duplicate
  Pupils report?

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S2S UPDATE

• A new version of the website (2.41) went live on
  28th
• This version will restore the site to normal
  operation
• Upload and download will work correctly
• Regular checks will be made to ensure the system
  stays in shape
• As a result of a series of inappropriate and
  unsecured emails (including specific details
  about children) the facility to email has been
  removed

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DAZ - PLASC AND SCHOOL CENSUS (1)

• In 2006 there will be 2 separate intermediary
  systems
• DAZ/PLASC
• DAZ/School Census
• They are independent of each other and will not
  cross-reference
• DfES will make a country-wide assessment on
  duplicate pupils (and UPNs)

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DAZ - PLASC AND SCHOOL CENSUS (2)

• The DAZ School Census application covers three
  termly collections without re-installation
• The database file needs renewing for each
  collection after the first
• Guidance describes how to secure and replace a
  used database file. If in doubt please contact
  us
• There is a slightly different loading process for
  School Census. This is covered in the guidance
• For 2006 we have a Census e-mail box.
  PLASC/SLASC/School Census e-mail to be sent to
  School.CENSUS_at_dfes.gsi.gov.uk

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DSG SERVICE DESK

• Would like to acknowledge problems
• We experienced an 80 increase in call volumes
  during July and September 2005
• We have installed a new (interim) telephone
  system. There have been teething problems. We
  are working closely with our service provider to
  resolve
• We are aiming to improve our processes and focus
  our efforts on improving the service offered to
  our customers and partners
• Would like to thank everyone for their
  forbearance

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DISC (1)

• DISC is the web-based successor to DAZ (from
  mid-2006). Issues with S2S have raised concerns
  about the ability of DISC to cope
• DISC has been designed from day one to handle
• Multiple concurrent data collections
• Thousands of schools accessing concurrently
• All anticipated file sizes
• S2S was never managed that way and that is why
  recent service has been poor

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DISC (2)

• Were struggling with the name DISC. We have been
  advised it could be confusing
• I have asked colleagues for suggestions
• Some are not repeatable in public
• Perhaps you would like to suggest something?
• Email to steve.bibby_at_dfes.gsi.gov.uk

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PLASC 2005 ISSUES

• Questions

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Jim Foley

• Department for Education and Skills

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PLASC 2005THEY THINK ITS ALL OVER.
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INTRODUCTION

• 2005 fourth full PLASC
• Successful but not without problems
• Quicker returns
• but large amount of error correction
• Increased use of pupil data
• More focus on data quality
• New data items

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PLASC RETURN RATES
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NEW IN 2005

• ICT in schools
• Infant class admissions appeals
• HLTAs
• More Nursery schools made PLASC returns

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DATA QUALITY

• More error correction required
• NC Year Group
• Mis-matches between NC Year and Age
• Large amount of manual intervention
• Duplicate UPNs Around 4,500 flagged and 1,500
  unresolved
• Duplicate pupils Around 5,700 flagged and 4,700
  unresolved

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DATA ISSUES

• Exclusions
• Continued under-reporting by schools
• Change from 9,216 to 9,884 after checking
• Pupils in Care
• Continued under-reporting
• Funding data checking exercise
• Raised some concerns

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DATA ISSUES

• Borders
• Class Size Check
• Unclassified Ethnicity
• PLASC 2003
• Primary 111,000 (3.2) Secondary 161,000
  (4.9)
• PLASC 2004
• Primary 80,000 (2.3) Secondary 113,000
  (3.4)
• PLASC 2005
• Primary 64,000 (1.9) Secondary 98,000 (3.0)
• Ethnicity data improving

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USES OF DATA

• Funding allocations, Test Registrations (NAA),
  ONS population estimates, policy monitoring,
  evaluation and development, Ofsted, LSC
• Published statistics
• More detailed analyses of pupil characteristics
• Linking to attainment data (NPD) gt Research
• Very high demand for PLASC data

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CHALLENGES FOR DfES

• Better management of PLASC software testing and
  relationships with software suppliers (improving)
• How to provide better feedback (management
  information) to LEAs
• Data checking and sign off
• Improve data dissemination processes

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SUMMARY

• Successful in spite of problems
• Increased demand for data
• Challenges
• THANK YOU!

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ANY QUESTIONS?

• If you want any more information about anything
  covered in this presentation then please do not
  hesitate to contact me
• E-mail schools.surveys_at_dfes.gsi.gov.uk
• If you would like to view the publications
  containing PLASC data please go to the Research
  and Statistics Gateway
• Website http//www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/

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Sara Krikorian

• Department for Education and Skills

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PUPIL NUMBER DATA AND LOCAL AUTHORITY FUNDING
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HOW DO WE USE PUPIL NUMBERS NOW?

• Pupil numbers are a fundamental part of the
  Governments education funding formula
• The formula uses data from PLASC / SLASC,
  September Pupil Count, Form 8B, Early Years
  Census
• Much of the formula is based on pupil numbers
  basic entitlement top-ups for additional needs
  (including deprivation, sparsity and higher area
  costs)

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WHATS THE CURRENT FUNDING TIMELINE?

• Tied in with wider local Government finance

Provisional Local Govt Settlement
Final Local Govt Settlement
Start of FY
April
November
April
January
January
September
January
PLASC
SPC
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ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD KNOW?

• Local Authorities are funded through a
  combination of central Government grant and
  council tax
• The Education Formula Spending Share (the
  authoritys share of the Education pot) is a
  notional amount used by the Government to
  distribute revenue support grant
• Authorities decide how much to spend on education
  and other services, and raise council tax
  accordingly
• An authoritys education budget may be more or
  less than its Education Formula Spending Share
  (EFSS)

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OR, TO PUT IT ANOTHER WAY ...

• GOVERNMENT FUNDING
• LOCAL AUTHORITY BUDGET SETTING

Share of the Education and other pots (Formula
Spend Shares, e.g. EFSS)
Government Grant (Revenue Support Grant mainly)
Ability to raise Council Tax
-

Budgets (including Education budget) set
Council Tax needed to meet budgets

Government Grant received

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SO, WHATS NEW?

• The Prime Minister announced that schools would
  have multi-year budgets so that they could plan
  with more certainty
• Ministers are keen to ensure that increases in
  education funding reach every authority. So from
  April 2006 the DfES will set the size of the
  Schools Budget in every authority
• The Schools Budget delegated budgets for
  schools plus central pupil provision (around
  27bn)

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HOW WILL THIS BE ACHIEVED?

• Funding for Schools removed from the local
  Government finance system, and paid to
  authorities through a grant from DfES - the
  Dedicated Schools Grant (LAs are still
  responsible for funding schools)
• Authorities will be given a guaranteed per pupil
  unit of funding for 2006-07 and 2007-08 this
  autumn
• Schools will receive budgets for 2006-07 and
  2007-08 in the spring. 2007-08 budgets will be
  indicative

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CHANGES IN PUPIL NUMBERS USED

• We propose that DfES and Local Authorities should
  use the same pupil numbers for funding January
  2006 for the 2006-07 financial year
• For funding from DfES to authorities, this will
  replace a mixture of January 2005 and September
  2005 data.
• Some Local Authorities already fund their schools
  like this, but many currently use a mixture of
  January and projected September numbers. Still
  under discussion)
• Initial funding allocations to authorities from
  DfES will be based on projected numbers, but
  replaced with real ones as soon as we get them in
  and finalised

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IMPLICATIONS

• We all need January numbers to be finalised more
  quickly so that
• Authorities have their Dedicated Schools Grant
  finalised as early as possible and that we use
  pupil numbers that they are happy with
• Schools have their budgets finalised without
  subsequent changes in pupil numbers
• We need (together) to design a process which is
  as smooth as possible more later today

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IS THE 2005 DATA BEING USED?

• Yes and thank-you for all the checking
• Ministers have announced that 2006-07 funding
  will be increased by at least 5 per pupil. The
  pupil data is being used to create the per pupil
  baseline
• Also, some Local Authority education funding
  remains in the local Government system (the LEA
  block around 3bn). This will be based on 2005
  pupil numbers

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WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?

• Reviewing the checking exercise and designing a
  better system for finalising the pupil data
• Final decisions on the new funding system will be
  announced later this autumn
• A review of the new arrangements will begin ready
  for the new spending review period (2008-09)

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MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ON FUNDING CAN BE
FOUND HERE

• www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/schoolfunding/
• Our contact details
• Mary.Holland_at_dfes.gsi.gov.uk
• Annabelle.Smith_at_dfes.gsi.gov.uk
• Sara.Krikorian_at_dfes.gsi.gov.uk

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Jim Foley

• Department for Education and Skills

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TIMETABLE 2006
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TIMETABLE 2006

• From 2006 DfES assumes greater responsibility for
  distribution of funding to schools and LAs
• Introduction of new method and timetable of
  calculating allocations
• Increased focus on data quality (all maintained
  school including pupil referral units and General
  Hospital schools) and requirement to set LA
  allocations earlier

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(PROPOSED) KEY DATES

• Census date 19 January 2006
• Census return date 15 February
• Duplicate Pupil/UPNs issued 3 March
• Duplicate Pupil/UPNs returned by 21 March
• Database frozen feedback to LAs 31 March
• LA data checking continues early mid April
• Data confirmed/amended by LAs by 23 April 2006
• Census database closed end April
• Allocations made early May 2006

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TIMETABLE 2006

• Implications of not adhering to timetable
• Allocations impacted?
• Preparations for May/October Censuses hampered?

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TIMETABLE 2006

• Questions

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Ian Watson

• Department for Education and Skills

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SERVICE CHILDRENS EDUCATION - COMMON TRANSFER
FILES

• SCE are proactive users
• There is some good practice
• School admin staff mobility is a factor
• We have limited resources to support them
• Reciprocation promoting our cause with LEAs

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SERVICE CHILDRENS EDUCATION - VITAL STATISTICS

• Currently some 11,000 pupils in 43 schools in 10
  countries around the world
• Approximately 40 of our pupil population changes
  every academic year
• Schools vary in size from 20 to 700 pupils
• 35 primary, 2 middle and 6 secondary
• Free places are provided for 3 years olds
  (part-time) and 4 year olds in 48 settings
• SCE employs about 2,000 staff - teachers, civil
  servants and locally engaged support staff
• All schools have a DfES number and we can be
  found on Edubase (just enter 702 as the LEA
  number)

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SCHOOL SECRETARIES- MOBILITY

• Heide School, Fallingbostel
• Mountbatten School, Celle
• Montgomery School, Celle
• Haig School, Gütersloh
• Sir John Mogg School, Detmold
• St Andrews School, JHQ
• St Patricks School, JHQ
• St Davids School, JHQ
• Blankenhagen School, Gütersloh
• Andrew Humphrey School, Wildenrath
• John Buchan School, Sennelager
• SHAPE International School, British Section,
  Mons, Belgium

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AKROTIRI PRIMARY SCHOOL- A CASE STUDYPART
1LEAVERS AND ARRIVALSSEPTEMBER 03 AUGUST 04
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AKROTIRI SCHOOL, CYPRUSLEAVERS (184) SEPTEMBER
03 AUGUST 04
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AKROTIRI SCHOOL, CYPRUSCTF UPLOADS SEPTEMBER 03
AUGUST 04
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AKROTIRI SCHOOL, CYPRUSARRIVALS (183) SEPTEMBER
03 AUGUST 04
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AKROTIRI SCHOOL, CYPRUSCTF DOWNLOADS SEPTEMBER
03 AUGUST 04
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AKROTIRI PRIMARY SCHOOL- A CASE STUDYPART
2LEAVERS AND ARRIVALSSEPTEMBER 04 AUGUST 05
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AKROTIRI SCHOOL, CYPRUSLEAVERS (174) SEPTEMBER
04 AUGUST 05
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AKROTIRI SCHOOL, CYPRUSCTF UPLOADS SEPTEMBER 04
AUGUST 05
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AKROTIRI SCHOOL, CYPRUSARRIVALS (167) SEPTEMBER
04 AUGUST 05
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AKROTIRI SCHOOL, CYPRUSCTF DOWNLOADS SEPTEMBER
04 AUGUST 05
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SUMMARY- AKROTIRI SCHOOL
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SCE SCHOOLS INFORMATION SHEET

• Name of school
• Location
• BFPO number
• Telephone number
• Email address
• Primary, middle or secondary
• DfES number

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• Thank you for your time
• Any questions?

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Terry Keane

• Department for Education and Skills

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CENSUS DETAILS AND GOOD PRACTICE
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PLASC

• No new data items for 2006

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PLASC

• However
• Nursery Schools must do PLASC in 2006
• PRUs and General Hospital Schools will do SLASC

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SLASC

• No changes for General Hospital Schools
• PRU changes
• Include 3 and 4 year old pupils
• Include contact time for 3 and 4 year old
  pupils
• Show other support staff under the same
  categories as for schools (HLTAs, IT Technicians,
  Technicians etc.)
• And...

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SLASC

• Absence data for pupils of compulsory school age
• Relates to the Autumn Term 2005
• Data required is the same as the Annual Absence
  Survey completed by schools each May/June
• Number of possible sessions
• Number of authorised absences
• Number of unauthorised absences
• Plus numbers of pupils on roll for at least 1
  session, number with at least 1 authorised
  absence, number with at least 1 unauthorised
  absence

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SCHOOL CENSUS

• 3 collections a year
• Not all data each time
• Historic data included exclusions and absence
• 7 separate data collections dropped (or planned
  to be dropped) and replaced by
• 11 additional data items at pupil level
• 2 additional data items at school level

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SCHOOL CENSUS

• Additionally, 2 new items added as part of the
  commissioning process
• Member of SEN Unit, special class or resourced
  provision
• Provision of extended services

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SCHOOL CENSUS
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SCHOOL CENSUS

• Gifted and talented indicator
• Required to evaluate success of several
  initiatives targeting provision at GT pupils
• DEFAULT entry of false
• Date of Leaving
• To identify those who have left the school (for
  exclusions and attendance)
• Child may legitimately appear in more than one
  schools return

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SCHOOL CENSUS

• Member of SEN Unit
• For pupils with SEN provision and School Action
  Plus
• Default value will be false
• Collected in the Spring Census only for all
  pupils on roll on census day
• Will enable benchmarking against pupils in
  Special Schools with similar characteristics

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SCHOOL CENSUS

• Home Info
• Sub-dwelling and dwelling (postcode already
  collected)
• Year 11 pupils only
• To facilitate the regular sample survey of young
  people after they leave compulsory education
  (YCS)

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SCHOOL CENSUS

• Exclusions
• 3 new fields
• Exclusion type (permanent, fixed term and
  lunchtime)
• Exclusion reason
• Sessions missed
• Start date of exclusion from September 2005,
  start date is the date the pupil is excluded by
  Headteacher

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SCHOOL CENSUS
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SCHOOL CENSUS

• Exclusions
• January 06 perm exclusions for whole year 04/05
• May 06 exclusions in Autumn term 05
• September 06 exclusions in Spring term 06
• Termly exclusions includes SEN provision and In
  Care indicator at date of exclusion

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SCHOOL CENSUS

• Attendance
• 3 items of data
• Possible sessions
• Sessions missed due to unauthorised absence
• Sessions missed due to authorised absence
• January 06 Autumn 05 term
• May 06 collect Spring 06 term
• September 06 collect Summer 06 term (end of
  May) as well as whole of academic year 05/06 (to
  the end of May)

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SCHOOL CENSUS

• Post-16 courses
• Relates to
• Pupils aged 16 or above as at 31 August 2005, or
• In Year 12 and above (e.g. include Year 11 pupils
  aged 16 on 31 August 2005, who are just studying
  GCSEs)
• Note this is a change from PLASC 2005

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SCHOOL CENSUS

• School characteristics
• Gender of entry
• Gender of sixth form
• Address
• Phone number
• Specialist school type (can pick 2 specialism
  from list of 10)
• Miscellaneous
• Extended services (can pick up to 16 from list of
  16)

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SCHOOL CENSUS
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SCHOOL CENSUS

• Childcare breakfast clubs
• Childcare after school clubs
• Childcare wrap around childcare to a nursery
  education place
• Childcare during school holidays
• Other forms of childcare
• Childcare is provided in partnership with other
  nearby schools
• Study support
• Community use of sports facilities
• Community use of arts facilities

• Community use of other school facilities
• Parenting support activities
• Lifelong learning/adult learning
• Family learning (i.e. parents/carers/other
  adult/family members and children learning
  together
• Health services to children, young people,
  families school staff and the community
• Social services to children etc
• Other category of extended service

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PLASC AND SCHOOL CENSUS

• Selected time for class related data
• Different times specified for secondary schools
  in SC from those specified in PLASC for primary
  and special schools
• Does not affect what each school does i.e. follow
  guidance

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PLASC AND SCHOOL CENSUS

• Actual NC Year Group
• The year group in which the pupil is taught for
  the majority of their time, regardless of their
  chronological age
• NOT the year group in which the pupil should be
  taught according to their chronological age
• Data used for
• Attainment tracking by DfES in NPD (and similar
  use by LSC)
• KS test purposes by NAA

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PLASC AND SCHOOL CENSUS

• Acceptable values

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PLASC AND SCHOOL CENSUS

• Uncertainty regarding accuracy of data impacts on
  key activities
• Validation now more sensitive will report a
  query on any case where the actual (NC) year
  group is different to that implied by their
  chronological age
• Run reports, where available, in advance of
  Census to check accuracy

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PLASC AND SCHOOL CENSUS

• PLASC/School Census January 2006
• Collection of Admission Appeals
• Appeals against refusal to admit at any time
  during the Academic Year 2004/05

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PLASC AND SCHOOL CENSUS
PLASC/School Census January 2006 Collection of
Admission Appeals Appeals against refusal to
admit at any time during the Academic Year
2004/05
Academic (Admission) Year 2004/05
Sep 04
Jul 05
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PLASC AND SCHOOL CENSUS
PLASC/School Census January 2006 Collection of
Admission Appeals Appeals against refusal to
admit at any time during the Academic Year
2004/05
Appeals in respect of 2004/05 Academic Year
Academic (Admission) Year 2004/05
Sep 04
Jul 05
March 04
June? 05
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GOOD PRACTICE

• Starting Friday, there are
• 50 shopping days to Christmas
• 42 preparation days to PLASC/SC 2006

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GOOD PRACTICE

• School email address
• An email address accessible by the Head
• Not personal email address of Head or Secretary
• Connexions default still UNS but needs Y, N or
  SNR
• Have schools issued new Fair processing notice
  for all pupils?

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GOOD PRACTICE

• Give clear, early advice to schools on
  new/changed data requirements
• Encourage schools to update pupil data before
  Christmas
• SEN and member of Unit, special class or
  provision
• Connexions
• Test the DAZ software with dummy files from
  schools

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GOOD PRACTICE

• Organise training courses for those who have not
  done PLASC before
• Include those LEA staff who will manage incoming
  files via DAZ and/or those who will be providing
  feedback to schools
• Get dummy run files from these schools

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GOOD PRACTICE

• Arrange briefing sessions/seminars in
  December/January for all schools
• Draw attention to changes
• Remind staff of the software
• Highlight potential problems
• Confirm timetable and process for returning files

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GOOD PRACTICE

• Establish a helpline facility for schools to call
  you with queries
• Ensure there are sufficient staff/lines to meet
  demand
• Note that the DfES service desk (helpline) is
  designed to help LEAs with PLASC queries
• Schools will be referred to their LEA

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AND FINALLY

• Prepare early
• Prepare the data
• Prepare the staff
• And good luck!

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Simon Grigor

• Department for Education and Skills

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INCLUSION CONSULTATION, CENSUS COMMISSIONING AND
ALTERNATIVE DATA COLLECTION METHODS
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INCLUSION CONSULTATION

• Public consultation, Summer 05, regarding data
  issues on Faith, First Language, Traveller Status
  and Disability
• 116 responses, many from Authorities thank you
• Results on two websites
• Lots of support for First Language
• Support for Traveller Status and Disability but
  issues need sorting first
• Faith mixed views

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CENSUS COMMISSIONING 2007

• Delicate balance needs vs burdens
• 38 business cases received
• Recommendations to Ministers for inclusion in
  SC07
• SEN unit/special class or resources provision
  split
• Pupils home address
• Attendance by reason for absence (for those who
  have integrated absence modules)
• Mode of Travel (for those participating in Travel
  Plan initiative)
• First Language (optional)
• Extended Services (revised codeset and Q on
  places)
• Post-16 Learning Aims awaiting steer from
  Ministers

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ALTERNATIVE COLLECTION METHODOLOGY

• Alternative needed Census under pressure, too
  many items all schools or nothing schools also
  hit by separate sample surveys
• Proposal all schools take part in a sample one
  term every two years that is, each term would
  sample 1/6 of schools
• Data items first trialled with volunteer schools
• Proposals being taken forward through assorted
  consultation means at present

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