Data items 2025 to 2026
Source: gov.uk (2025-10-07)

Guidance about every piece of information you need to send us in autumn 2025, and spring and summer 2026.

You can also download a spreadsheet of all the information we ask for (ODS, 16KB) (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/678928202080f65f988bd310/Data_Needed_on_the_school_census_24_25.ods).

All data items are present within management information systems (MIS), but they may be implemented and named in different ways. Therefore, we’d recommend you also consult your MIS guidance for further information.

School identifiers

We ask all schools for their:
- local authority number
- departmental establishment number
- school name
- school phase - find your school phase code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#school-phase)
- type of school - find your school type code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#school-type)
- maximum year group
- minimum year group
- intake type - find your intake type code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#intake)
- governance - find your governance code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#governance)
- school telephone number
School email address

The email address for official communications must be present and include the character ‘@’. The email address you provide must be for an account that is used on a regular basis and one that the headteacher has access to, such as ‘head@’ or ‘office@’.

This would not normally be an email address that identifies a particular individual by name.

We may use this email address for future correspondence.

Special school organisation

You only need to send us this data in the spring census.

Only special schools need to send us this information.

Whether the school:
- mainly provides accommodation for day pupils
- mainly provides accommodation for boarding pupils
- is a hospital school
Maximum day pupils

The highest number of day pupils the school is approved to have.

Maximum boarding pupils

The highest number of boarding pupils the school is approved to have.

Minimum age - boys

The youngest boys can be to attend your school.

Maximum age - boys

The oldest boys can be to attend your school.

Minimum age - girls

The youngest girls can be to attend your school.

Maximum age - girls

The oldest girls can be to attend your school.

School SEN type (as used in the school census)

The type of special educational needs (SEN) your school is approved to make provision for.

Check your school SEN type code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#SEN-type).

Alternative provision (including PRUs) indicators

You only need to send us this data in the spring census.

Only AP schools (including PRUs) need to send us this information.

Child mother indicator

Whether an AP school (including PRUs) has provision for child mothers.

Teenage mother places

How many places for teenage mothers an AP school (including PRUs) has.

Childcare facilities indicator

Whether the PRU or AP has childcare facilities.

School time

All schools except nurseries are asked to send us this information in the spring census.

Schools should provide the total compulsory time pupils spend in school in a typical 5 day week. The number of hours must be recorded to 2 decimal places to the nearest 15 minutes (that is, where a school is open for 32 and a half hours, for example, this is recorded as 32.50, with 32 and three-quarter hours being 32.75). Refer to converting minutes to decimal minutes (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code#converting-minutes-to-decimal-minutes) for help converting hours to decimals.

This includes the total time each day from the official start of the compulsory school day (the start of morning registration) to the end of the compulsory school day (official home time).

This figure will be inclusive of breaks, as these form part of the total compulsory school day, but it will not include optional activities either before or after school. The data entered should be representative for pupils aged 5 to 16 in the school.

We recognise that some schools have different school weeks for different pupils or key stages. In these circumstances, schools should report a middle year group - for example, national curriculum (NC) year 3 in primary or NC year 9 in secondary schools. For all other schools, such as all-through schools or middle schools, you should use a middle year group or age group, which represents an average week in your school.

Admission appeals

You only need to send us this data in the spring census.

Figures on admission appeals are collected in the spring census from schools that were responsible for their own appeals related to applicants having not received a requested offer of a place for the start of the current academic year.

We do not need information about:
- appeals lodged on or after 1 September in the current academic year
- in-year appeals (appeals against a refusal to admit a pupil during the course of the current academic year) - just those that relate to entry at the start of the academic year
Recent academy converters (including a conversion of an existing school into a sponsored academy) should complete this module if they converted before spring census day.

You should only include appeals that are the responsibility of the school’s governing body. If a school has contracted another agency, such as their home local authority, to administer their admissions appeals process and the school’s governance code is ‘VA’, ‘FO’ or ‘CA’, the school should complete the module. If your school operates arrangements jointly with other schools, your return will include appeals for your school only.

Primary admission appeals

Only primary, middle-deemed primary and all-through schools need to send us this information.

Collects information about admissions appeals from primary schools (or the primary years of an all-through school).

These are required from schools in the spring census, with the phase and governance.

Primary and middle-deemed primary schools should provide information on all their appeals.

All-through schools must provide information on all their admissions appeals that relate to entry into years reception to 6 inclusive.

Infant admissions appeals data are also contained within the primary admissions appeals data.

Infant admission appeals

Only primary and all-through schools need to send us this information.

Collects information about admissions appeals from schools that have infant classes. It is a subset of the primary figure provided.

These are required from schools in the spring census, with the phase and governance.

Infant is defined as ‘NC year actual’ equals ‘reception’, ‘1’ and ‘2’ (inclusive).

All-through schools must complete this module if they teach one or more of these years.

Primary and all-through schools include their admission appeals figures for infants in both the infant and primary admission appeals modules.

Secondary admission appeals

Only middle-deemed secondary, secondary and all-through schools need to send us this information.

Collects information about admissions appeals from secondary schools (or the secondary years of an all-through school).

These are required from schools in the spring census, with the phase and governance.

Middle-deemed secondary and secondary schools are to provide information on all their appeals.

All-through schools must provide information on all their admissions appeals that relate to entry into years 7 upwards.

Appeals relating to sixth forms and 14 to 19 schools are included within the secondary admission appeals module.

As such, any appeals for year 12 and above are included within this module.

Details of the admissions appeals figures to be returned

Information is required on the number of appeals:
- lodged
- withdrawn
- heard
- rejected
- decided in favour of the parent
Admission appeals lodged

Total number of admission appeals lodged by parents between March 2025 and August 2026 inclusive against non-admission to the school for the start of the academic (admission) year beginning September 2025.

Appeals lodged as ‘refusal to admit for academic year 2025 to 2026’ are included if the appeal was lodged before 1 September 2025.

This will include:
- appeals lodged prior to 1 September, where the hearing or decision took place after that date
- appeals not pursued to the hearing stage, and those not resolved
- appeals that did not reach a hearing because a place became available (at your school or another) which was accepted by the parent
The number of admissions appeals withdrawn and heard should normally be a subset of the number of appeals lodged.

Admission appeals withdrawn

Total number of the above-heard admission appeals withdrawn by parent before reaching an independent appeals panel (a panel set up by the governors in accordance with The School Admissions (Appeals Arrangements) (England) Regulations 2012 (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/9/contents/made). For information on the panel requirements, refer to the School Admission Appeals Code 2022 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-admissions-appeals-code).This figure will include appeals that did not reach a hearing because a place became available and was accepted by the parent.

Admission appeals heard by independent admission appeals panel

Total number of the above lodged admission appeals heard by an independent appeals panel. This figure is then split into those decided in the parent’s favour and rejected.

Admission appeals heard by independent admission appeals panel - decided in the parent’s favour

Total number of the heard admission appeals decided in the parent’s favour by an independent appeals panel.

Admission appeals heard by independent admission appeals panel - rejected

Total number of the heard admission appeals rejected by an independent appeals panel.

Pupil reconciliation

You only need to send us this data in the spring census.

Primary, middle-deemed primary, middle-deemed secondary, secondary and all-through schools need to send us this information.

This checks that the number of registered pupils for whom the return contains individual pupil data is consistent with the number of pupils reported in classes as taught, after allowing for the fact that some registered pupils may not have been in class at the selected time.

To enable the pupil reconciliation to be carried out, the software will ask you to enter the number of pupils in each of the following groups:
- pupils engaged in private study at the selected time
- pupils attending another educational provision at the selected time
- pupils attending further education (FE) college – middle-deemed secondary, secondary and all-through schools only
- pupils attending work experience – middle-deemed secondary, secondary and all-through schools only
The software will then check the data and generate an error message if pupil numbers do not agree.

The reconciliation consists of the following calculation:
- number of pupils from this school scheduled to be in the class at the selected time summed over all classes as taught
- plus, pupils engaged in private study at the selected time
- plus, pupils from this school who were part-time pupils not scheduled to be in attendance at the school at the selected time
- plus, pupils attending another school or education provision at the selected time
This must equal the number of pupils on roll on census day that you have provided individual pupil data for (not including any guest children).

Class information

You only need to send us this data in the spring census.

Primary, middle-deemed primary, middle-deemed secondary, secondary and all-through schools need to send us this information.

We need details of all classes running at the selected time on spring census day.

If different parts of the school use different timetable structures, then systems should allow the school to return class information for the timetable structure that applies to key stage 1.

For example, where lunch is at midday for pupils following a primary timetable but at 1pm for pupils following a secondary timetable, then the end of morning school should be taken to be midday and not 1pm.

The ‘selected time’ is based on the last digit of a school’s departmental establishment number.

Where the selected time is not appropriate to the school timetable - for example, if the selected time is when the whole school or a large proportion of the school is in an assembly with the headteacher, schools can choose an hour or period that reflects a ‘normal’ class situation that applies at the selected time each Thursday of the term.

Do not record unusual situations (such as class amalgamation or school closure) which may have occurred on census day due, for example, to staff training or absence, severe weather conditions or religious observances. See the section on unusual circumstances (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/census-dates#unusual-circumstances) for more information.

Any group of pupils receiving instruction outside the normal class framework at the selected time, such as pupils in a special educational needs (SEN) unit, are treated as a separate ‘class as taught’ unless this is an atypical or temporary arrangement.

Infant class guidance

Only primary and all-through schools need to send us this information for key stage 1 and reception classes.

The School Admissions (Infant Class Sizes) (England) Regulations 2012 (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/10/contents/made) limit the size of an infant class during an ordinary teaching session to 30 pupils per schoolteacher. Infant classes are those in which most children turn 5, 6 or 7 during the course of the school year (reception and key stage 1 classes).

Primary and all-through schools with infant classes are asked to ensure that the selected period is one in which their infant classes are engaged in an ordinary teaching session.

An ordinary teaching session does not include school assembly, or any other school activity usually conducted with large groups of children such as:
- PE or games
- music
- singing
- drama
- watching television
- listening to the radio
Where, at the time of the count, infant class children would be involved in such an activity, the count is deferred to the next ordinary teaching session. This change of selected time is enacted for all classes in the school, not just the infant classes.

Where a key stage 1 or a reception class reports a pupil:teacher ratio greater than 30, schools must record in their MIS where this is due to:
- any pupils within the class recorded as excepted
- a teacher being on planning and preparation time or learning manager time and the class is being supervised by a teaching assistant
The calculation is based on the pupil:teacher ratio not pupil:adult ratio therefore, regardless of the number of teaching assistants, if there are no exceptions or teachers on PPA reported, the class will be treated as unlawful in Department for Education (DfE) publications if there are more than 30 pupils to one teacher.

Class reference name

This records the class name with space for 30 characters.

Number of teachers in the class

The number of teaching staff taking the class. Include all qualified or unqualified teachers - exclude those wholly or mainly providing support to individual pupils.

Number of adult non-teachers in the class

The number of education support-staff present in the class. Include teaching assistants, special educational needs support staff, minority ethnic pupils support staff, and other education support staff. Exclude non-teaching staff wholly or mainly providing support to individual pupils.

Number of teachers on PPA, LMT or NQT time

Only primary and all-through schools need to send us this information for key stage 1 and/ or reception classes.

The number of teachers who are on planning and preparation time (PPA) or learning manager time (LMT) or newly qualified teacher (NQT) time at the selected time.

Class year group

The curriculum followed by the class and hence the values of the national curriculum year groups for pupils in the class, rather than their dates of birth. Mixed year groups are those containing pupils from more than one national curriculum year group.

The presence of one pupil who has been held back or advanced a year, so is of a different chronological age to the rest of the class, does not render the class as a mixed year group class.

Find a year group code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#year-group).

Class type

Only primary and all-through schools need to send us this information.

Indicates whether a class is a designated ‘nursery class’. A ‘nursery class’ is one designated as such by the local authority - any class not so designated is counted as an ‘other’ (‘O’) class even if it contains nursery-age pupils.

Class key stage

Only primary and all-through schools need to send us this information.

Indicates which key stage is taught in the class.

Class activity

Only primary and all-through schools need to send us this information.

The data item highlights a single activity that takes place in a classroom - for example, private studies or group project work.

Primary and all-through schools with infant classes are to ensure that the selected period is one when the class (key stage 1 and ‘reception’) is engaged in academic activity rather than the excepted activities above.

This change of selected period should be enacted for all classes in the school and not just for the infant classes.

Find a class activity code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#class-activity).

Number of pupils from the host school in the class

The number of pupils from this school scheduled to be in the class at the selected time. Include any pupils temporarily absent on census day. Part-time pupils not scheduled to be in the school at the selected time are excluded and counted instead in the pupil reconciliation module.

Number of pupils from other schools in the class

The number of pupils from other schools scheduled to be in the class at the scheduled time. Include pupils from other schools for whom attendance in this class at the selected time is the normal arrangement.

Number of pupils admitted as exceptions to the infant class size limit by exception category

Only primary and all-through schools need to send us this information for key stage 1 or reception classes.

Where a key stage 1 or a reception class reports 31 or more pupils per teacher, schools must record in their MIS where this is due to:
- any pupils within the class recorded as excepted
- a teacher being on planning and preparation time or learning manager time and the class is being supervised by a teaching assistant
The School Admissions (Infant Class Sizes) (England) Regulations 2012 (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/10/contents/made) prescribe certain limited circumstances in which pupils may be admitted as exceptions to the infant class size limit.

Find an exception code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#infant-class-size).

These children will remain an ‘excepted pupil’ for the time they are in an infant class or until the class numbers fall back to the current infant class size limit.

Free school meals taken

You only need to send us this data in the spring census.

Nursery, primary, middle-deemed primary, middle-deemed secondary, secondary, all-through and special schools need to send us this information.

The total number of children who are ‘free school meal eligible’ who actually had one on the day. Include both day and boarding pupils to reflect what happened on census day.

If the situation at lunchtime was in some way unusual on census day, use the figures for the next normal day. See the section on unusual circumstances (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/census-dates#unusual-circumstances) for more information.

Pupils are free school meals eligible if they both:
- meet the eligibility criteria
- make a claim
Do not count:
- pupils who get a free lunch only due to the universal infant free school meal entitlement
- meals provided at the beginning or end of the day
For a child attending alternative provision in the form of home tuition who is a registered pupil of a school, refer to the free school meals guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools-and-local-authorities).

School childcare

You only need to send us this data in the spring census.

You must return 4 records for type of childcare – one for each of the following categories:
- before school
- after school
- holiday
- under 5s
For each record, you must provide an answer to indicate whether the school:
- provides childcare on site
- signposts people to other childcare
- does both of these
Where unusual circumstances affect data items as of census day, schools should report data based on the ‘normal’ situation. Refer to the section on unusual circumstances (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/census-dates#unusual-circumstances) for more information.

Before-school childcare service [type of childcare equals ‘B’]

By this, we mean a guaranteed, regular service provided on days when the school is open. This will provide a safe and secure place where working parents can leave their children before the school opens formally. The setting has the responsibility of taking the children to their classes when the school opens. This may take the form of a breakfast club and it may include structured activities of free play.

The question ‘How many places’ is a measure of total available capacity and not the number of children that attend each day.

If the provision has variable capacity across the week, the day with the largest capacity for supporting children should be provided.

Is there a regular before school childcare service on the school site? (yes / no)

Where yes:
- what time does it open?
- how many places does it offer?
- are you currently able to offer a place to every parent who wants one?
- who provides the service?
- is it open to children from other schools (with transfer included)? (yes / no / unknown)
Signposting:
- Is there a regular off-site service that the school promotes or signposts parents towards? (‘YF’ / ‘YL’ / ‘N’ / ‘U’)
Where:
- ‘YF’ equals Yes, we have formal arrangements with another provider for them to provide childcare to our pupils, including escort to or from the site
- ‘YL’ equals Yes, we keep a list of other local providers that will pick up from our school to help parents
- ‘N’ equals No
- ‘U’ equals Not known
Where YF is provided, a supplementary question is asked:

Is the provision open from 8am or earlier (if before school)? (yes, no, unknown)

Where YL is provided, a supplementary question is asked:

Do the listed providers offer childcare covering the time period 8am to 6pm? (all (100%), most (over 50%), some (less than 50%), none, unknown)

After-school childcare service [type of childcare equals ‘A’]

By this, we mean a guaranteed, regular service provided on days when the school is open. This will provide a safe and secure place where children spend time after the school day has finished. The setting will take the responsibility of collecting the children from their classes and looking after them until working parents can collect them.

The question ‘How many places’ is a measure of total available capacity and not the number of children who attend each day.

If your provision has variable capacity across the week, the day with the largest capacity for supporting children should be provided.

Is there a regular after-school childcare service on the school site? (yes / no)

Where yes:
- what time does it close?
- how many places does it offer?
- are you currently able to offer a place to every parent who wants one?
- who provides the service?
- is it open to children from other schools (with transfer included)?
Signposting:
- Is there a regular off-site service that the school promotes or signposts parents towards? (‘YF’ / ‘YL’ / ‘N’ / ‘U’)
Where:
- ‘YF’ equals Yes, we have formal arrangements with another provider for them to provide childcare to our pupils, including escort to or from the site
- ‘YL’ equals Yes, we keep a list of other local providers that will pick up from our school to help parents
- ‘N’ equals No
- ‘U’ equals Not known
Where YF is provided, a supplementary question is asked:
- Is the provision open until at least 6pm (if after school)? (yes, no, unknown)
Where YL is provided, a supplementary question is asked:
- Do the listed providers offer childcare covering the time period 8am to 6pm? (all (100%), most (over 50%), some (less than 50%), none, unknown)
Holiday childcare service [type of childcare equals ‘H’]

By this, we mean a service that usually opens Monday to Friday during school holiday periods. It may not cover all holiday periods, but should provide a useful service to working parents. We do not include activities that are only available for morning or afternoon sessions, such as a football class or a language school, although the service may be integrated with such offers. If the offer only applies during the summer break, we are aware that this may change, so answer for your current arrangements of plans.

Is there a holiday childcare service or scheme offered on the school site? (yes / no)

Where yes:
- what time does it open?
- what time does it close?
- for how many weeks is the service open?
- how many places does it offer?
- are you currently able to offer a place to every parent that wants one?
- who provides the service?
- is it open to children from other schools?
Signposting:
- Is there an off-site service or scheme that the school promotes or signposts parents towards? (‘YF’ / ‘YL’ / ‘N’ / ‘U’)
Where:
- ‘YF’ equals Yes, we have formal arrangements with another provider for them to provide childcare to our pupils
- ‘YL’ equals Yes, we keep a list of other local providers
- ‘N’ equals No
- ‘U’ equals Not known
Where YF is provided, a supplementary question is asked:
- Is the provision open from 8am or earlier and until at least 6pm? (yes, no, unknown)
Where YL is provided, a supplementary question is asked:
- Do the listed providers offer childcare covering the time period 8am to 6pm? (all (100%), most (over 50%), some (less than 50%), none, unknown)
Childcare for children aged between 0 to 4 years [type of childcare equals ‘U’]

By this, we mean a service that parents can use for at least 9 hours a day if they choose to.

Do not include provision that is only available during school hours or where children can only attend for a morning or afternoon session.

Does the school have an on-site offer of regular childcare for children aged under 5? (yes / no)

Where yes:
- what time does it open?
- what time does it close?
- for how many weeks is it open?
- how many places does it offer?
- are you currently able to offer a place to every parent that wants one?
- who provides the service?
Signposting:
- Is there an off-site service or scheme that the school promotes or signposts parents towards? (‘YF’ / ‘YL’ / ‘N’ / ‘U’)
Where:
- ‘YF’ equals Yes, we have formal arrangements with another provider for them to provide childcare to our pupils
- ‘YL’ equals Yes, we keep a list of other local providers
- ‘N’ equals No
- ‘U’ equals Not known
Signposting towards off-site childcare provision

This may include a service provided by another school, a voluntary setting or a private provider (which could include childminders). If you signpost towards off-site services for any of the types of childcare, we will ask:

Is there a regular off-site service that the school promotes or signposts parents towards? (‘YF’ / ‘YL’ / ‘N’ / ‘U’)
- ‘YF’ means – yes, we have formal arrangements with another provider for them to provide childcare to our pupils
- ‘YL’ means – yes, we keep a list of other local providers
- ‘N’ means no
- ‘U’ means not known
Surname

The pupil’s full legal surname as the school believes it to be (schools are not expected to have verified this from a birth certificate or other legal document).

Forename

In full - do not use a shortened or familiar version.

Middle names

In full - do not use a shortened or familiar version (leave blank if the pupil doesn’t have a middle name).

Preferred surname

If applicable, for on-roll pupils.

Former surname

If applicable.

Date of birth

In YYYY-MM-DD format.

Unique pupil number (UPN) [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll pupils.

The UPN is a 13-character code in the format Annnnnnnnnnnn that identifies each pupil.

You should not calculate it manually, as the UPN would either be:
- generated by your MIS
- transferred from another school in a common transfer file (CTF)
A UPN in the format of ‘AnnnnnnnnnnnA’ is a temporary UPN that you should only use as an interim measure. For further information, refer to the UPN policy and practice guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unique-pupil-numbers).

Unique learner number (ULN) [used for funding]

Middle-deemed secondary, secondary, all-through, special and PRU or AP schools need to send us this information.

We need this data for both on- and off-roll pupils.

ULNs are mandatory for all pupils on roll aged 14 and over on census day and for pupils no longer on roll who were aged 14 as at their leaving date.

ULNs are assigned to pupils aged 14 or over in publicly funded education and training.

The learning records service (LRS) (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lrs-help-and-support) allocates this number.

If you need to either get or verify a ULN, or make minor updates to a student’s data, you should send a partial common transfer file (CTF) from your MIS to LRS using school to school (S2S) (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-to-school-guides-for-schools-and-local-authorities). You will get a CTF back via S2S with the requested ULNs.

Schools should check with their software supplier if their MIS interacts directly with the LRS system via its application-programming interface (API).

Pupil’s former UPN

We need this data for both on- and off-roll pupils.

Where a pupil is adopted, a new unique pupil number (UPN) is issued with no link or reference made to their former UPN. You must not add the previous UPN for an adopted pupil in this field.

Where a non-adopted pupil has held another UPN while at your school (for example, a temporary UPN was allocated, but replaced by a permanent one), you should add the temporary UPN.

Sex

We (mandatory) require data on sex for all pupils. For census purposes, ‘sex’ is the sex of a person as recognised in law:
- F - female
- M - male
Ethnicity

You only need to send us this data in the spring census.

We require data on ethnicity for all pupils. The school must not ascribe any ethnicity to the pupil. This information must come from the parent or guardian or the pupil.

Where the ethnicity has not yet been collected, this is recorded as ‘NOBT’ (information not yet obtained). Where a parent or guardian or the pupil declines to provide ethnicity data, code ‘REFU’ (refused) is recorded and returned.

Find an ethnicity code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#ethnicity-aug-24).

Language code [used for funding]

We require data on language for all pupils. The school must not ascribe a specific language to the pupil. This information must come from the parent or guardian or the pupil.

You should only use codes ENB (not known but believed to be English) and OTB (not known but believed to be other than English) where all the following conditions apply:
- pupil’s first language is not known with absolute certainty
- parents have not responded to enquiries
- school can judge with a high degree of confidence whether the pupil’s language is English or not
Where a parent, guardian or pupil declines to provide a first language, you should record it as ‘REF’ (refused).

Where a pupil’s first language is other than English - that is, where the pupil has been exposed to a language other than English during early development and continues to be exposed to this language in the home or in the community - schools may record specific languages from the extended language codes or continue to use the codes used in their software.

Find a language code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#language).

Free school meal eligibility [used for funding]

We need this data for on-roll pupils.

Since 1 April 2018, all existing free school meals claimants have continued to receive free school meals whilst Universal Credit is rolled out. This applies regardless of any change in household circumstances, including if their earnings rise above the threshold during that time. Protections will remain in place until the end of the 2025 to 2026 school year.

From the start of the 2026 to 2027 school year, DfE will extend the entitlement to free school meals to include all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit. We will end transitional protections alongside this change in threshold, with eligibility for all pupils reverting to whether they meet the eligibility criteria, regardless of whether they were previously protected. We will issue further guidance before September 2026.

You should not enter end dates unless:
- a parent has said they do not wish the child to be recorded as eligible for free school meals and receive a free school meal
- a pupil transfers from another UK country – their non-English free school meals must have an end date
- a parent notifies the school that their support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 or the pension credit has ended
- a parent notifies the school that they no longer qualify for free school meals under the criteria for families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)
We use the following 3 data items to collect this information:
- free school meal eligibility start date
- free school meal eligibility end date
- country of UK (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#UK-countries) (this will be system generated and will not require any data entry by schools)
Recording children receiving free school meals under the criteria for families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF)

Since April 2022, free school meal eligibility was permanently extended to children from all groups with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), subject to the following income thresholds where applicable:
- £22,700 per annum for families outside London with one child
- £31,200 per annum for families within London with one child
- £26,300 per annum for families outside London with 2 or more children
- £34,800 per annum for families within London with 2 or more children
These children should be marked as receiving free school meals on the school census, in the same way that children who are eligible for free school meals under the benefits-based criteria would be.

You should retain any evidence of eligibility for audit purposes. More information on free schools meals (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools-and-local-authorities) is available.

Collection periods

Where schools have free school meals eligibility flagged for a pupil in their systems, they must ensure their systems include a free school meal start date ready for collection in census and transfer in common transfer files.

You can return multiple free school meals eligibility start and end dates falling within the periods above where applicable.

For example, a pupil had been eligible for free school meals from 1 September until 1 October in a school in Wales and moved to a school in England and claimed eligibility from the 2 October.

For the first period of eligibility, enter:
- a free school meal eligibility start date of 2025-09-01 and an ‘FSM’ eligibility end date of 2025-10-01. The UK country code must be recorded as ‘WLS’.
For the second period of eligibility, enter:
- a free school meal eligibility start date of 2025-10-02 and no ‘FSM’ eligibility end date. The UK country code must be blank or recorded as ‘ENG’.
Eligibility for free school meals

Schools should record periods of free school meals eligibility (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools-and-local-authorities) for pupils where a claim has been made by them or on their behalf and either:
- the relevant local authority or school has confirmed that they are entitled to free school meals
- the relevant local authority or school has seen the necessary documentation that confirms entitlement to free school meals
The Education (School Lunches) (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Order 2003 (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/382/contents/made) describes an additional requirement for children who have not attained compulsory school age but receive education in a maintained setting. Such children must be registered pupils and be ‘receiving education both before and after the lunch period’ before being eligible for free school meals.

It is not necessary for schools or local authorities to calculate a family‘s annual taxable income. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) performs this income calculation and this figure is used to determine free school meal entitlement.

Free school meals eligibility checking service

The free school meals (FSM) eligibility checking service streamlines the FSM eligibility checking process for both local authorities and parents.

Academies are not able to access the service directly. Some academies ask their local authority (often for a fee) to check eligibility via the eligibility checking service on their behalf. The service available, and its cost, varies between local authorities.

Pupil premium funding

The pupil premium directs extra funding to those children from disadvantaged backgrounds based on their eligibility for free school meals as recorded in the school census.

Pupils aged 4 and above in ‘reception’ to year 11 (or aged 4 to 15 where national curriculum year groups do not apply) are eligible for pupil premium funding. Pupils can only be recorded as eligible for free school meals if they meet the free school meals eligibility criteria and make a claim.

Pupils who are not eligible for pupil premium include:
- those who are solely in receipt of a free school lunch due to universal infant free school meals entitlement
- pupils attending nursery schools or classes
Pupil premium payment terms are described in the pupil premium conditions of grant 2026 to 2027 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-allocations-and-conditions-of-grant-2025-to-2026).

More information on pupil premium (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium) is available.

School lunches taken [used for funding]

We need this data for on-roll pupils.

This data item records whether an infant pupil has taken a school lunch on census day. This may include packed lunches provided by the school to children on school trips.

If infant pupils are on a school trip and they bring a packed lunch from home ‘school lunch taken’ will be returned as ‘false’ and the pupils will be excluded from the universal infant free school meal funding calculation.

This data item is collected each term from all schools with an appropriate age range and for the following pupils regardless of whether they are eligible for free school meals:
- all pupils on roll on census day in reception (NCYearActual equals ‘R’)
- all pupils on roll on census day in year 1 (NCYearActual equals ‘1’)
- all pupils on roll on census day in year 2 (NCYearActual equals ‘2’)
- all pupils on roll on census day aged 4 to 6 not following the national curriculum (NCYearActual equals ‘X’ and pupil born between 2018-09-01 and 2021-08-31 inclusive)
We collect this data each term from all schools and use it to allocate funding. Universal infant free school meal (UiFSM) payment terms will be described in the UiFSM conditions of grant 2025 to 2026 (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authorities-pre-16-schools-funding#universal-infant-free-school-meals-(uifsm)) once published.

If a pupil is absent on census day, assess which scenarios qualify as an unusual circumstance (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/census-dates#unusual-circumstances). You may need to record this information in a different way so it does not affect your funding.

This field may be defaulted to ‘true’ within school systems to minimise the burden of data entry by schools.

Youth support services agreement

Middle-deemed primary, middle-deemed secondary, secondary, all-through, special and PRU/AP schools need to send us this information.

There is a legal requirement under the Education and Skills Act 2008 for schools to pass information on request to the youth support service for pupils in or approaching the age of 13.

The information which schools are required to provide consists of:
- the names and addresses of pupils and their parents (must be provided to the youth support service)
- the date of birth of the pupil
- other information relevant to the provision of youth support services (optional)
Parents – or pupils themselves, if aged 16 or over – have the right to object to any information (over and above name, address and date of birth) being shared with the local authority or provider of youth support services. As part of a school’s privacy notice, you must advise parents and pupils of their right to object. Suggested wording for privacy notices is available in the privacy notice model documents (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-protection-and-privacy-privacy-notices).

You should return the youth support services agreement for all pupils who are aged 12 and above as at 31 August. If it is not completed, the system will default to ‘unsought’.

If the value ‘No’ is recorded, information beyond name, address and date of birth cannot be shared with the youth support service as the parent or pupil has successfully exercised their right to object to the data being shared.

Find a code to indicate youth support (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#youth-support).

Service children in education indicator [used for funding]

We collect the service child in education indicator for all on-roll pupils as at census day.

You must only record this information if it has come from the parent or guardian or the child. Valid codes are:
- ‘Y’ (yes)
- ‘N’ (no)
- ‘R’ (refused)
- ‘U’ (unknown) to indicate no response given or other reason for no information
This field defaults to ‘N’, so you only need to change it for entries for children from service families.

It is essential that you record this data item correctly on the school census, as we use this to determine the service pupil premium allocations for schools.

A ‘service child’ has parent(s) – or person(s) with exercising parental responsibility – who is or are service personnel serving:
- in regular HM Forces military units
- in full commitment as part of the full-time reserve service
- in the armed forces of another nation and stationed in England
Reserve units are not classed as the regular armed forces and such pupils are not recorded as service children on the school census. However, where a reserve soldier is acting in a full-time capacity, this is classified as regular service.

The service children indicator is only relevant to children whose parents are designated as personal category 1 or 2 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-status-category-definitions). All parents will be aware of their personal category.

Funded entitlement hours [used for funding]

This information is not required from city technology colleges or non-maintained special schools.

Funded universal entitlement hours [used for funding]

This information is not required from city technology colleges or non-maintained special schools.

Funded early years entitlement hours are collected for eligible pupils aged 2, 3 and 4 years in nursery provision. The total number of free entitlement to early education hours (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-and-childcare--2) spent in education provision at the school (following the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage) are recorded.

All children become eligible for funded early education from the term following their 3rd birthday, irrespective of background or family circumstances (the 3- and 4-year-old universal entitlement).

The Childcare Act 2006 and Childcare Act 2016 set out that children are only entitled to free early education entitlements until they reach compulsory school age (the beginning of the term following their 5th birthday).

A specified subset of disadvantaged 2-year-olds also becomes eligible from the term following their second birthday. Local authorities will confirm which 2-year-old children meet the eligibility criteria, if schools do not know.

Note, in some circumstances, 2-year-olds may be eligible for both the 15-hour entitlement for disadvantaged 2-year-olds and the expanded entitlement. In those circumstances, parents must use the disadvantaged entitlement first, then the working parent entitlement up to a maximum of 30 hours in total. For example, a parent eligible for both entitlements and using 25 hours of provision would record 15 hours of disadvantaged entitlement and 10 hours of the working parent entitlement.

The table shows the dates of birth and year groups of children for whom funded entitlement hours are required. Where a child falls into the cohorts listed below but is not in receipt of any funding via the funded early education entitlements, a value of zero is recorded for funded entitlement hours.

We will fund local authorities for the early years entitlements using data collected via the January censuses.

Funded entitlement hours contain only the hours the pupil is in education provision and following the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage. Such education will follow our statutory guidance for local authorities on early education and childcare. It excludes any hours where the pupil is not receiving education and any additional hours that are funded by other means (such as the parent).

Pupils aged 4 at the start of the academic year in ‘reception’ and above are funded as full-time equivalent pupils via the schools block of the dedicated schools grant. Therefore, funded entitlement hours are not relevant or required for those pupils, as they are not funded via the early years block.

For dual-registered pupils, record the funded entitlement hours spent in education at each school. The main registration records funded hours in education at the main registration, with the subsidiary recording funded hours in education at the subsidiary registration.

It is important that the funded entitlement hours recorded on the census accurately reflect the hours at the setting to 2 decimal places. It should be noted that this is a decimal of hours and therefore does not record hours and minutes. For example, where a pupil has:
- 10 and a half hours, this is recorded as 10.50
- 10 hours and 20 minutes, this is recorded as 10.33
Where funded universal entitlement hours are stretched, see the information on stretched funded universal, extended or expanded entitlement (#stretched-funded).

Where unusual circumstances affect data items as of census day and week, refer to the section on unusual circumstances (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/census-dates#unusual-circumstances).

Funded extended entitlement hours [used for funding]

This information is not required from city technology colleges or non-maintained special schools.

Extended funded entitlement hours are collected for 3- and 4-year-old children with working parents who are in education provision (that is, following the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage) at the school and on roll on census day.

As with the funded entitlement hours, extended funded entitlement hours become available – where the parent has an eligibility code – from the term following a child’s 3rd birthday until they reach compulsory school age (the term following their 5th birthday).

Extended funded entitlement hours are available for pupils aged 3 and those pupils aged 4 who are in year groups ‘E1’, ‘E2’, ‘N1’ or ‘N2’ only.

Pupils who are in ‘reception’ (or above) are not recorded as receiving the extended funded entitlement as they are in full-time education.

As with funded entitlement hours, extended funded entitlement hours are recorded to 2 decimal places. Note that this is a decimal of hours and therefore does not record hours and minutes.

For example, where a pupil has:
- 10 and a half hours, this is recorded as 10.50
- 10 hours and 40 minutes, this is recorded as 10.67 of extended funded entitlement hours per week (up to a maximum of 15 hours)
The extended funded entitlement hours field must not include any funded universal entitlement hours.

Where funded extended entitlement hours are stretched, see the information on stretched funded universal, extended or expanded entitlement (#stretched-funded).

Where unusual circumstances affect data items as of census day and week, see the section on unusual circumstances (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/census-dates#unusual-circumstances).

Funded expanded entitlement hours [used for funding]

This information is not required from city technology colleges or non-maintained special schools.

Expanded funded entitlement hours are collected for 9-month-olds to 2-year-olds with working parents (where the parent has an eligibility code), who are in education provision (that is, following the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage) at the school and on roll on census day.

Note, in some circumstances, 2-year-olds may be eligible for both the 15-hour entitlement for disadvantaged 2-year-olds and the expanded entitlement. In those circumstances, parents must use the disadvantaged entitlement first, then the working parent entitlement (up to a maximum of 30 hours) in total. For example, a parent eligible for both entitlements and using 25 hours of provision would record 15 hours of disadvantaged entitlement and 10 hours of the working parent entitlement.

As with funded and extended entitlement hours, expanded funded entitlement hours are recorded to 2 decimal places and it should be noted that this is a decimal of hours and therefore does not record hours and minutes.

For example, where a pupil has:
- 10 and a half hours, this is recorded as 10.50
- 10 hours and 40 minutes, this is recorded as 10.67 of extended funded entitlement hours per week (up to a maximum of 15 hours)
The expanded funded entitlement hours field must not include any funded universal entitlement hours or any extended entitlement hours.

Where funded expanded entitlement hours are stretched, refer to the information on stretched funded universal, extended or expanded entitlement (#stretched-funded).

Where unusual circumstances affect data items as of census day and week, see the section on unusual circumstances (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/census-dates#unusual-circumstances).

Stretched funded universal, extended or expanded entitlement

All cases of funded universal or extended entitlement should be recorded as 38 weeks, regardless of whether they are stretched or not. Part-time equivalent (PTE) will be calculated as funded universal or extended entitlement hours during census week divided by 15.

This means that you may need to convert funded universal or extended entitlement back to a term-time only basis for the purposes of making a school census return.

Where a child takes the full funded universal or extended entitlement (570 hours for each entitlement), this should be reported as 15 funded universal hours, extended hours or expanded hours irrespective of how many weeks of the year over which the entitlement is spread.

However, where a child takes only part of the funded universal or extended entitlement a conversion is required to calculate how many hours they take over the year.

For example, a child takes 11 hours a week over 45 weeks in the year, totalling 495 hours. To convert the funded universal or extended entitlement to the number of hours a child would attend each week if they were taking it over 38 weeks, divide 495 by 38 to get 13.03 hours.

The full funded universal or extended entitlement is 570 hrs (15 hrs x 38 weeks). Therefore, this child is taking 0.87 PTE (495/570) and will be funded at 0.87 PTE.

We will make no further adjustments to the funded universal or extended entitlement.

Eligibility code

The eligibility code indicator is an 11-digit integer that is required for pupils who claim extended or expanded funded entitlement hours. This applies to all eligible 9-month-olds to 3-year-olds and those pupils aged 4 in year groups ‘E1’, ‘E2’, ‘N1’ and ‘N2’ only, who are on roll on census day. The code confirms the eligibility of working parents to receive the 15 extended funded entitlement hours, or the 30 expanded funded entitlement hours. This is particularly important as parents may split this entitlement between 2 providers.

The code (not including temporary codes), once issued, remains fixed and refers to a single parent and child combination - where a parent has 2 children, each child will have their own code. However, when the school is presented with the code by the parent, the school must confirm the code’s validity with their local authority.

Where a child transfers school, the local authority must be informed of the transfer.

Foster children are eligible for the extended or expanded funded childcare in certain circumstances. Foster parents do not apply through the childcare service due to the additional eligibility checking steps required.

The eligibility code indicator will be issued by the local authority to the foster parents. Schools will still check the code in the same way as for any other parent taking up extended or expanded hours. It should be noted that, although it will still be an 11-digit code, it will begin with a different number to HMRC issued codes. This is to allow local management of the reconfirmation process.

Further information is available in our statutory guidance for local authorities on early education and childcare (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-and-childcare--2) and our early years entitlements operational guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/30-hours-free-childcare-la-and-early-years-provider-guide).

Hours at setting [used for funding]

This information is not required from city technology colleges or non-maintained special schools.

Hours at setting are collected for the same pupils and schools for whom funded entitlement hours are collected.

This data item records, for pupils aged from 9 months to 4 years old, the total number of hours they spent in education provision (that is, following the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage) at the school irrespective of who funded the hours. It is the total of:
- any hours funded under the free early education entitlements
- plus, any hours funded under extended funded entitlement (for working parents)
- plus, any hours funded under expanded funded entitlement (for working parents)
- plus, any additional hours of education funded from other sources such as parents
This information will allow us to monitor the hours attended at state-funded settings on the same basis as private, voluntary and independent provision.

For dual-registered pupils, record the actual hours attending each school. The main registration records the hours in education at the main registration. The subsidiary registration records the hours in education at the subsidiary registration.

Hours at setting records the hours in education to 2 decimal places (that is, where a pupil has 10 and a-half-hours, for example, this is recorded as 10.50, with 10 and three-quarter hours being 10.75).

Where unusual circumstances affect data items as of census day and week, see the section on unusual circumstances (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/census-dates#unusual-circumstances) for more information.

2-year-old basis for funding

This information is not required from city technology colleges or non-maintained special schools.

We collect the basis under which a 2-year-old has been funded whilst taking up a place in the school. This is not required for 2-year-olds taking up the expanded entitlement hours.

You can enter more than one code if needed. Since 1 September 2022, the funded early years entitlement for 2-year-olds was extended to children from all groups with no recourse to public funds (NRPF). The basis for funding for these children should be recorded as ‘ECO - economic criteria’. Further information on 2-year-old eligibility criteria (https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/free-childcare-2-year-olds) is available.

More information on early education and childcare (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-and-childcare--2) is available.

Disability access fund indicator

This information is not required from city technology colleges or non-maintained special schools.

The disability access fund (DAF) indicator records whether a child aged from 9 months to 4 years old is in receipt of DAF from the local authority. Receipt of this funding entitles the child to a fixed amount of funding per year from the disability access fund, which is paid direct to the establishment.

To be eligible for DAF, the child must be in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA) and one of the early years entitlements.

Pupils who are aged 4 as at the 31 August in reception and above, who are funded via the schools’ block of the dedicated schools grant, are not eligible for DAF funding. Further information on the DAF is available in the early years national funding formula operational guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-funding-2022-to-2023).

The DAF indicator should only be returned for eligible children within the date of birth range and year groups outlined who are on roll on census day.

This indicator should default to ‘0’ or ‘false’ to require a positive input from schools.

Early years pupil premium [used for funding]

The early years pupil premium (EYPP) (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-funding-2025-to-2026/early-years-entitlements-local-authority-funding-operational-guide-2025-to-2026) is additional funding for early years settings to improve the education they provide for disadvantaged 9-month-olds to 1-year-olds, 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds in ‘E1’, ‘E2’, ‘N1’ and ‘N2’ only.

Disadvantaged pupils taking the 15 hours expanded entitlement for working parents will become eligible to receive early years pupil premium from the term following the child turning 9 months old.

Disadvantaged pupils taking the 15 hours funded entitlement for disadvantaged 2-year-olds will become eligible to receive early years pupil premium from the term following their 2nd birthday.

Disadvantaged pupils taking the universal 15 hours funded entitlement will become eligible to receive early years pupil premium from the term following their 3rd birthday.

They will retain this entitlement until they move from nursery (‘N1’ and ‘N2’) class into reception (‘R’), when they become eligible to receive the ‘mainstream’ pupil premium.

Children in receipt of EYPP in census week should be recorded with early years pupil premium receipt equal to ‘true’.

EYPP is paid by local authorities direct to settings. Its award is dependent on the application by parents of eligible children to their local authority, which will use the eligibility checking service to verify their application against benefits-related data.

Children are eligible to receive EYPP if they are taking any of the following:
- universal funded entitlement for 3- and 4-year-olds
- disadvantaged entitlement for 2-year-olds
- expanded entitlement for 9-month-olds to 2-year-olds
They must also either:
- meet benefits-related criteria equivalent to those for free school meals (receipt of free school meals does not automatically qualify a child for EYPP (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-national-funding-formula-allocations-and-guidance))
- be in the care of the local authority (in England or Wales)
- adoption
- special guardianship
- a child arrangements order (formerly known as a residence order)
We will use this data, collected via the spring census, to determine the early years pupil premium allocation for local authorities to fund their early years providers.

EYPP is not payable on the extended entitlement for 3 and 4-year-old children of working parents.

This table shows the cohorts of children for whom early years pupil premium data is required.

Pupils aged 4 at the start of the academic year in reception and above are eligible to receive the school-age pupil premium (https://www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and-alternative-provision-settings) and therefore are not eligible to receive early years pupil premium funding.

For pupils in receipt of the early years pupil premium, we also need the reason why they are receiving.

Unit contact time

PRU and AP schools only need to send us this data in the spring census.

We need this data for on-roll pupils.

Unit contact time collects the number of contact hours the pupil spends with the PRU or AP in census week. This includes time at the PRU or AP and where pupils receive education through home visits (or in hospital) the time in contact with staff members of the PRU or AP.

Where the PRU or AP has arranged for the pupil to receive their education via another establishment (for example, an FE college or work placement), then the time under supervision of this establishment is counted as contact time. The PRU or AP remains responsible for recording attendance at the other establishment.

In some cases, pupils will remain in their registered school while being visited by PRU or AP staff (through an outreach programme). This is not included in the unit contact time.

Where unusual circumstances affect data items as of census day. Schools should report data based on the ‘normal’ situation, see the section on unusual circumstances (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/census-dates#unusual-circumstances) for more information.

Learner support code (bursary funding for 16- to 19-year-olds) [used for funding]

You only need to send us this data in the spring and summer census.

Middle-deemed secondary, secondary, all-through, special and PRU or AP schools need to send us this information.

The learner support code indicates the type of financial support awarded to pupils beyond compulsory school leaving age at any point in the academic year of the school census.

There are 2 types of 16 to 19 bursary fund support:
- a vulnerable bursary of up to £1,200 a year for young people in one of the designated vulnerable groups (code ‘55’)
- discretionary bursaries which institutions award to meet individual needs - for example, help with the cost of transport, meals, books and equipment (code ‘56’)
The learner support code is collected for all pupils who have been awarded bursary funding in the current academic year. This may include pupils who have left the school since the start of the academic year. For dual-registered pupils, the school holding the main registration for the pupil is responsible for awarding the bursary fund and return the required data.

From the 2025 to 2026 academic year, funding claims must be submitted directly to DfE at defined points in the year. While schools may be able to record in their systems other types of financial support awarded to these pupils, the school census only collects codes 55 and 56.

During the academic year the circumstances of a student awarded the discretionary element may change and they could become part of a designated vulnerable group. In such circumstances, the individual would also qualify for the award of the vulnerable payment (on a pro-rata basis for the academic year).

For example, a student may be awarded the discretionary element in September and then the vulnerable group bursary in the following February. In such a situation, code 56 would be returned in the spring school census and both code ‘56’ and code ‘55’ in the summer school census.

Information about whether a student is actually in receipt of funding is not required for the school census. The purpose of the collection is to establish how many students been awarded support from the bursary fund in the academic year.

Each new academic year requires a new application for funding by students.

Find a learner support code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#learner-support).

Top-up funding indicator [used for funding]

We use the top-up funding indicator to calculate high-needs funding allocations. In addition, we use this indicator for research purposes and to provide bench-marking information to local areas.

This is a true/false flag to indicate those pupils on roll for whom the school receives, on census day, high-needs top-up funding – either from a local authority or, in the case of a PRU or AP, a local authority or another school. Top-up funding is paid outside a maintained school’s budget share or academy’s general annual grant and relates to a pupil or student identified as requiring additional support, which costs more than a specified threshold. In many cases, the period for which top-up funding is paid may not be defined but the top-up funding will – as with the SEN provision to which it relates – be subject to periodic review.

Usually, but not always, the pupils for whom a primary or secondary mainstream school receives top-up funding are those with an education, health and care (EHC) plan. Sometimes local authorities may also provide support for pupils with code ‘K’ – SEN support.

Sometimes, terminology other than high-needs top-up funding is used locally. Schools should check with the local authority if they are in doubt about whether payments received from a local authority are high-needs top-up funding.

The specified cost threshold for additional SEN support varies according to the type of provision. For primary and secondary mainstream schools and academies, the threshold is £6,000 per pupil per annum in all cases. Top-up funding is paid in respect of individual pupils whose additional support costs more than this and is for the excess costs over the threshold. However, in the case of all special schools, special academies, special free schools, PRU or AP, the funding they receive is £10,000 per place, and the top-up funding will be for the costs incurred by the school in providing additional support in excess of this funding.

Because the full cost of places in special schools, special academies and special free schools, PRU or AP usually exceeds £10,000, these types of schools will normally receive top-up funding for most, if not all, of the pupils in the school.

Post looked-after arrangements [used for funding]

Post looked-after arrangements collects information regarding children, who have left local authority care in England and Wales through adoption, a special guardianship order, a residence order or a child arrangements order and are still subject to such orders on census day.

Children who have left care under one of the measures listed above will be eligible for the post looked-after element of the pupil premium.

From autumn 2022, we have extended these options to include code ‘O’ - children adopted from state care outside of England and Wales. ‘State care’ is care provided by a public authority, a religious organisation, or any other organisation whose sole or main purpose is to benefit society.

It is for those with parental responsibility (adoptive parents, special guardians and carers of former looked-after children on residence or child arrangements orders) to decide if they wish to self-declare their children’s status to schools. Schools should ensure parents and carers are aware of this and that this information is collected to help ensure that the designated teacher for previously looked-after children can support those children and the school can attract pupil premium funding to support this cohort. Parents are to provide supporting evidence - for example, a photocopy of the adoption order - and confirm that their child was previously in care in England or Wales.

Where parents choose to declare their child’s status as being adopted from state care from abroad, the school must be satisfied that the child has been in state care outside of England and ceased to be in state care as a result of being adopted. Parents will be expected to provide documentary evidence of their child’s adopted from abroad status. Where there is any doubt about whether evidence provided by a parent is acceptable, the school can request advice from their virtual school head.

Parents may conceal sensitive information - for example, the name of the birth parents - should they wish.

Schools are reminded that this is particularly sensitive data and of the ongoing need for confidentiality. They should ensure that, as for other pupil-level data items, they comply with their responsibilities with respect to UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) when processing this data.

Schools record the information using the following codes. Only one of the values will apply to each pupil and a school’s MIS should provide a default value of N – not declared.

Find a code for post looked-after arrangements (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#post-looked-after).

Young carer indicator

All schools (except nursery) must send us this information in spring census only.

The young carer indicator identifies, for those children on roll on spring census day, whether they have been identified as a young carer and if so, by whom.

Section 17ZA of the Children Act 1989 says a young carer is a person under 18 who provides or intends to provide care for another person (which isn’t to a contract or voluntary work).

The recording and handling of this information is at your discretion. If you have identified pupils as young carers, use code S to include them in the school census.

You do not need to get parental or pupil consent to the provision of information for the purposes of the census, but should respect the wishes and feelings of both young people and their parents.

Young carers carry immense responsibility in providing care and support at home, but their own needs may remain ‘hidden’ from wider view. The increased pressures young carers faced due to the pandemic has further highlighted the need to improve formal identification of this cohort in schools, understand their needs and to provide early help as outlined in the statutory guidance, keeping children safe in education (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2).

Working together to safeguard children (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children--2) also outlines how school and college staff should be particularly alert to the potential need of early help for students who have taken on caring responsibilities.

Schools record the information using the following codes. Only one of the values will apply to each pupil and a school’s MIS should provide a default value of N – not declared.

Learner funding and monitoring (FAM)

This data item identifies the type of funding and monitoring.

National learner monitoring (FAM NLM)

All schools (except nursery) with appropriate year groups or age ranges need to provide this information in each census, for pupils who are either on roll on census day or became off roll since the start of the academic year.

For the 2025 to 2026 academic year, it will identify pupils:
- in receipt of tutoring
- resitting or retaking up to one year of 16 to 19 funded provision
There is no action required by schools where none of these attributes applies to the pupil.

These data items are linked to individual pupil records within MIS, but may be implemented and named in different ways. We recommend you consult your MIS guidance for further information.

In receipt of tutoring (code 01)

For the 2025 to 2026 academic year, schools are required to identify pupils that receive tutoring.

This data item applies to all schools subject to the school census excluding nurseries. For the school census, tutoring is defined as intensive one-to-one or small group targeted academic support, used to improve the attainment of pupils and students. This is in line with existing definitions in the education sector.

Schools should only report tutoring that is funded through the school. The tutoring may be delivered through use of the school’s resources and staff, or through the use of external providers.

Between the 2020 to 2021 and 2023 to 2024 academic years, schools received funding to subsidise the cost of tutoring through the National Tutoring Programme and the 16 to 19 Tuition Fund. After the conclusion of these programmes, this data item is intended to collect information on pupils that receive tutoring.

This data item applies to pupils in national curriculum years 1 to 14 (NCYearActual 1-14), or to pupils where national curriculum year groups do not apply (NCYearActual ‘X’) and their age is 5 to 19 at 2025-08-31.

This data item is for all pupils in the specific year group who have received tutoring, regardless of their enrolment status. Where applicable, schools are required to submit information on this data item in each census for pupils who either:
- are on roll on census day
- became off roll since the start of the academic year
Where a pupil is dually registered, only enter whether the pupil has received tutoring in your school.

When completing each termly census, record all pupils who have received tutoring funded by the school at any point in the 2025 to 2026 academic year so far, up to and including on the census day. For example, if a pupil receives tutoring in the spring term only, they should be recorded as in receipt of tutoring in both the spring and summer term.

This data item may be linked to individual pupil records within MIS but it may be implemented and named in different ways for different MIS. We recommend you consult your MIS guidance for further information.

The information collected from the school census returns will allow the potential to understand the delivery of tutoring within schools in 2025 to 2026.

What is out of scope for ‘in receipt of tutoring’?

No action is required by schools where a pupil has not received tutoring during the academic year up to the relevant school census date.

Pupils who are expected to receive tutoring but have not started that tutoring as at the census date should not be recorded as receiving tutoring.

Schools are not required to provide information on tutoring for pupils in the reception year group.

Schools should not report pupils that are only in receipt of privately funded tutoring independently of the school.

In 2024 to 2025, the School Census does not require schools to provide information on the number of hours of tutoring received by a pupil.

Resit or retaking full or part academic year funding, including final year (code 22)

Applicable to secondary, all-through and PRU or AP schools with sixth forms.

Where students’ learning has been disrupted by exceptional circumstances outside the control of the student or institution, such as a period of long-term sickness or good educational reasons then the retake delivery hours for individual students may be included in the funded study programme hours. These students must only make up a small percentage of the total 16 to 19 student cohort.

You must record all eligible pupils repeating all or part of their year in your school census return.

More information about resits is available in the funding guidance for young people (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-funding-regulations-for-post-16-provision).

English and maths minimum hours

Prior to the 2025 to 2026 academic year, non-compliant students were those without a GCSE grade 9 to 4 in maths or English who did not enrol in an approved qualification in these subjects.

From the 2025 to 2026 academic year, the additional requirements to be compliant are that:
- students without a GCSE grade 9 to 4 in English or maths must be enrolled in approved qualifications
- students’ planned hours for English or maths must meet the minimum teaching hours via the required mode of delivery
Students recorded as enrolled in an approved qualification will be included in the maths and English condition of funding calculation as non-compliant if:
- their planned hours for the subject are below the minimum teaching hours
- they do not comply with the required mode of delivery
- their planned hours meet the minimum, but the qualification is not eligible
We are collecting data to indicate whether or not the student has at least the minimum teaching hours planned for an eligible maths or English qualification.

Schools must use the appropriate (FAM) codes for each student, as explained in the relevant sections that follow. Institutions must ensure that the data submitted reflects the teaching hours planned for each relevant student for their maths and English qualifications. We will use FAM codes to ensure schools receive the correct funding and for schools to accurately record this data.

This data is not required for students who do not have a level 2 qualification as described in the maths and English condition of funding guidance but are not studying an eligible qualification, as they may be covered either by exemptions or the tolerance.

This data is not required for students who have already achieved a GCSE grade 4 in English or maths who may be continuing to study these subjects to improve their grade.

Pupil enrolment status [used for funding]

The pupil enrolment status is recorded within the school’s MIS using one of the registration codes supplied. It is important that each pupil recorded within the school census be assigned a correct enrolment status. This ensures the pupil is correctly registered at a school in line with the pupil registration regulations.

Children recorded as ‘G’ – guest (not a pupil at the school) will not be included in the census return.

The MIS will automatically default the value of this field to ‘C’ - current (single registration at this school). Therefore, it is important that you check your school census data after submitting. There are COLLECT reports that show any pupils appearing on your census and that of another school where there is an invalid combination of enrolment statuses. Your funding may be affected if these remain unresolved at database closure.

Sample scenarios of pupil enrolment status are provided to assist, but many of these scenarios will not apply to a PRU or AP.

Schools will be aware of the advice on school attendance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-improve-school-attendance). Schools should be mindful of the guidance on school attendance with respect to dual registration.

Find a code to indicate pupil enrolment status (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#pupil-enrolment).

Managed moves

A managed move is used to initiate a process that leads to the transfer of a pupil to another mainstream school permanently.

Mobile child

A pupil who is a mobile child may attend another school during periods when their parent is travelling in the course of their trade or business and the pupil is travelling with them. To help ensure continuity of education, when their parent is travelling for occupational purposes, it is expected that the pupil should attend school wherever their parent is travelling in England and be dual-registered at both that school and the school they would normally attend when not travelling.

While the pupil is attending another school:
- the ordinary school of attendance maintains the pupil’s record with an enrolment status of ‘M’ (current main - dual registration)
- the receiving school maintains the pupil’s record with an enrolment status of ‘S’ (current subsidiary - dual registration)
Family units

In many areas, early education is being provided in schools whose proprietors also provide wider childcare or family support services. Often, the proprietor wishes to maintain a single management information system for all the children it serves and, equally often, it is the school management information system that is used for this purpose.

When submitting information for census purposes, it is important to distinguish between those children who are receiving early education and those who are receiving other services. For children receiving :
- early education, the school maintains the pupil’s record with an enrolment status of ‘C’ (current - single registration at this school)
- childcare provision but not early education, the school maintains the child’s record with an enrolment status of ‘G’ (guest - not a pupil at the school)
External candidates

Occasionally, adults are entered in a school MIS in order to enter an examination and perhaps receive some level of tuition towards this aim. In such cases, the providing school maintains the adult’s record with an enrolment status of ‘G’ (guest - not a pupil at the school).

Approved educational activity

Some schools have registered pupils who attend approved educational activity. An approved educational activity is either:
- an activity that takes place outside the school premises that is of an educational nature, approved by the school and physically supervised by someone approved by the school
- attendance at another school at which the pupil is registered
When the pupil is attending an approved activity outside the school premises (not at another school) the pupil should be recorded with an enrolment status of ‘C’ (current - single registration at this school).

When the pupil is attending another school, they will be dual-registered and:
- the ordinary school of attendance maintains the pupil’s record with an enrolment status of ‘M’ (current main - dual registration)
- the other school maintains the pupil’s record with an enrolment status of ‘S’ (current subsidiary - dual registration)
Dual-registered pupils - hospital special schools

Pupils attending a hospital special school are recorded on the register where they are in education. They are not recorded where they attend the hospital for:
- hospital check-ups
- day surgery
- any other form of medical appointment
- an operation
Where a pupil is registered at a mainstream school and receives education at the hospital special school, the pupil will be dual-registered and:
- the mainstream school maintains the pupil’s record with an enrolment status of ‘M’ (current main - dual registration)
- the hospital special school maintains the pupil’s record with an enrolment status of ‘S’ (current subsidiary - dual registration)
Where a pupil is originally solely registered at the hospital special school and then also begins to attend a mainstream school as part of a reintegration programme, the pupil will be dual-registered with the hospital special school holding the ‘main registration’ and the mainstream school holding the subsidiary registration.

Post-16 overseas students

Students, who are not citizens of the UK, have a right to attend post-16 provision in a state-funded school or 16 to 19 academy, if they reside in the UK. The funding regulations (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-education-funding-guidance) provide full rules that determine which overseas students can be funded.

No fee can lawfully be levied from the students or anyone else for the student’s education as a registered pupil at a state-funded school or 16 to 19 academy.

For post-16 students, there is a distinction between international or ‘overseas’ and ‘home’ students, which is that:
- overseas students are not eligible to receive public funding
- home students are eligible to receive public funding
Overseas students are those students who do not normally reside in the UK and who have entered the UK to study on a student visa. Such students are not permitted to enter the UK to attend a state-funded school or 16 to 19 academy. They may enter the country to attend a non-maintained special school, independent school or FE provider which is a licensed sponsor (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-of-licensed-sponsors-students).

International students can visit a state-funded school or 16-19 academy as part of a 6-month visit to the UK. They cannot study at the school or academy without breaching their UK entry terms.

On census day, these international students are recorded with an enrolment status of ‘G’ (guest - not a pupil at the school) and not included on the school census returns.

Class type

Only primary and all-through schools need to send us this information.

All-through schools only need to send us this information for their nursery and primary year groups.

We need this data for on-roll pupils.

Indicates whether the pupil is in a nursery class or not.

Class equates to registration group. A nursery class is one designated by the local authority – any pupil in a class not designated as a nursery class by the local authority should be counted as an ‘other’ (O) class, even if they are of nursery age.

Pupil date of entry [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll pupils.

This is the latest date of entry to the current school.

Pupils who transfer from nursery to reception in the same school are not given new entry dates.

Pupils entering year 12 or above from the same school are not removed from the admissions register and are not given a new entry date.

Where a new school replaces an existing school and retains the existing establishment number of the predecessor school, information is returned as if they were a continuing school (they return historic data for the preceding term(s) before conversion). Where this occurs, the date of arrival in school (the entry date) for pupils remains the date at which the pupil joined the original establishment.

Where a new school has been formed as a result of a merger and the establishment number from one of the predecessor schools has been retained, then historic attendance, and suspension and permanent exclusion data is only returned for those pupils who attended the predecessor school for which the establishment number has been retained.

For example, if the merger was between a junior and an infant school and the newly merged school retains the establishment number of the junior school, then only those pupils who previously attended the junior school are required to return the historical attendance, and suspension and permanent exclusion data from the previous term(s).

All the pupils from the predecessor infant school must be provided with a new entry date.

Where a new school opens with a new establishment number, all pupils are given a new entry date (the day that they start at the new school) and, consequently, any historical attendance, and suspension and permanent exclusion data from the predecessor school is not returned for the new establishment.

In all cases, post-16 data from the predecessor school must be returned to DfE.

Pupil date of leaving

Primary, middle-deemed primary, middle-deemed secondary, secondary, all-through, special, PRU and AP schools need to send us this information.

We need this data for off-roll pupils.

The date the pupil left the current school. This identifies pupils who are no longer on the school’s roll.

In the scenario where a pupil does not turn up as expected, schools should be aware that it is unlawful to backdate the leaving date. We would expect the school to record the appropriate absence code until such a time as they find out the pupil’s whereabouts. Once established, they can off-roll the pupil.

Part-time indicator

We need this data for both on- and off-roll pupils.

This indicates whether a pupil is part-time in education. We consider a pupil full-time where they are in education for 10 sessions per week. A pupil who attends for 9 (or fewer) sessions is part-time. It does not indicate that a pupil is part-time at one or more establishments.

For children in receipt of funded early education (those following the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage), a child should only be recorded as full-time where they attend education for 10 sessions per week irrespective of the number of funded or extended childcare hours.

Compulsory school-age pupils on a part-time timetable are recorded as full-time with the appropriate absence code used for the sessions they do not attend.

Pupil boarder indicator [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll pupils.

Indicates whether a pupil is a boarder (a pupil who lives at school during the term). The MIS automatically defaults the value of this field to ‘N’ - not a boarder.

Find a code to indicate pupils who board (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#pupil-boarder).

Pupil’s actual national curriculum year group [used for funding]

We need this data for on-roll pupils.

The year group in which the pupil is taught for the majority of their time, irrespective of their chronological age. Children turning 2-years-old fall into the ‘E2’ year group. If they are recorded on the school’s admission register and in receipt of education, they must be included in the census return.

We do not expect any younger children who fall into the ‘E1’ year group to be in receipt of education and should not be on the school’s admissions register. If you need to record children in ‘E1’ in your MIS, you should not include them in your census unless they are receiving an education provision.

Find a national curriculum year group code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#year-group).

Pupil’s actual national curriculum year group on leaving

You only need to send us this data in the autumn census.

Secondary, all-through and PRU or AP schools with sixth forms need to send us this information.

We need this data for off-roll pupils.

The year group in which the pupil was taught for the majority of their time, irrespective of their chronological age, at the date they left the school.

This data is only required from secondary schools with sixth forms, for pupils:
- who left the school prior to the autumn census date, and
- whose post-16 learning aims data are being submitted
Pupil SEN provision

SEN provision is collected for all pupils on roll on census day using the following codes:
- ‘E’ (education, health and care plan), or
- ‘K’ (SEN support)
SEN provision at the time of any suspension or permanent exclusion, and on entering and leaving an alternative provision placement, will also be collected in the school census.

Find a code to indicate pupil SEN provision (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#SEN-provision).

Pupil SEN-type ranking

You only need to send us this data in the spring census.

This data item is required in the spring census for all pupils with SEN provision and indicates the ranking of a pupil’s special educational need, as recorded in pupil SEN type.

The most significant or primary need is ranked as ‘1’, with any secondary need ranked ‘2’. Only 2 rankings are collected in the school census, with no 2 needs given the same ranking – that is, if there is more than one SEN type reported, they cannot both have a ranking of ‘1’.

Pupil SEN type

You only need to send us this data in the spring census.

This data item is required in the spring census for all on-roll pupils with SEN provision and records the nature (type) of a pupil’s special educational need. The primary need – and, where appropriate, any secondary need – is recorded.

There is no requirement for a pupil to have a specialist assessment to be recorded in the main SEN types.

The ‘No Specialist Assessment’ code (‘NSA’) should only be used in those very rare instances where a pupil is placed on SEN support (code ‘K’) but the school is still assessing what the primary need is - for example, where a child on SEN support has transferred into the school shortly before school census day. Where code ‘NSA’ is to be used, the pupil must have SEN provision of code ‘K’.

Code ‘NSA’ must not be used without the pupil having an appropriate SEN provision in place.

Find a code to indicate pupil SEN type (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#SEN-type).

Member of SEN unit

Nursery, primary, middle-deemed primary, middle-deemed secondary, secondary and all-through schools need to send us this information.

This field identifies pupils with SEN who are members of an SEN unit. SEN units are special provisions within a mainstream school where the pupils with SEN are taught within separate classes for at least half of their time.

Such units:
- are designated by the local authority specifically for making SEN provision, and sometimes accommodate pupils registered at other schools on a part-time basis
- receive funding of £6,000 or £10,000 per place and, usually, top-up funding for any additional costs of support required by individual pupils
- cater for a specific type or types of SEN (for example, autistic spectrum disorder)
- are usually for pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (but may also provide support for pupils with code ‘K’ - SEN support)
Schools and academies must only use this indicator if the SEN unit has been formally recognised as such by the local authority where the school is located. The school’s get information about schools (GIAS) (https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/) record should indicate if the school has an SEN unit.

Most pupils placed in units will have an education, health and care plan. It is unlikely that a child would be placed in a unit and also receive support from resourced provision, but a school could have resourced provision for one type of need and a unit for another.

Member of resourced provision indicator

Nursery, primary, middle-deemed primary, middle-deemed secondary, secondary and all-through schools need to send us this information.

This field identifies pupils who receive support for their type of SEN from a specialist-resourced provision.

Resourced provisions are places that are reserved at a mainstream school for pupils with a specific type of SEN and who are taught for at least half of their time within mainstream classes, but require a base and some specialist facilities around the school.

Resourced provisions:
- are designated by the local authority specifically for making this kind of SEN provision
- receive funding of £6,000 or £10,000 per place and, usually, top-up funding for any additional costs of support required by individual pupils
- cater for a specific area or areas of SEN (for example, specific learning difficulties)
- are usually for pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan, but could include pupils with code ‘K’ (SEN support)
Schools and academies must only use this indicator where the resourced provision has been formally recognised as such by the local authority where the school is located. The school’s get information about schools (GIAS) (https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/) record should indicate if the school has resourced provision places.

Most pupils placed in units will have an education, health and care plan. It is unlikely that a child would be placed in a unit and also receive support from resourced provision, but a school could have resourced provision for one type of need and a unit for another.

Alternative provision (AP) placements

Schools that have not arranged any placements during the collection period do not need to record and submit any information.

Collection period

Definition of alternative provision

For the purposes of this data collection, we have defined AP as follows.

AP is full- or part-time education arranged by:
- local authorities, either directly or working with schools, for pupils who, because of permanent exclusion, illness or other reasons, would not otherwise receive suitable education
- schools for pupils to improve their behaviour off-site or during a suspension
AP is not an out-of-school activity arranged in addition to a full-time education, including activities arranged primarily for recreational purposes or for SEN support. Nor is it educational home-learning resources provided by a school for pupils at home.

AP settings provide education for pupils who do not go to a mainstream school or special school full-time.

The education often takes place at a PRU, AP academy or free school, but placements can also be arranged in another mainstream or independent school that provides AP, or in an educational setting that is not registered with DfE.

Alternative provision module for single-registered pupils

PRU and AP schools only should complete this module for all pupils who have been single-registered (those with an enrolment status of ‘C’, ‘F’ or ‘O’).

This includes all:
- single-registered pupils on roll on census day
- pupils who were single-registered but who have been removed from the roll within the census period
If a pupil has been single-registered in your school on more than one occasion within the collection period, return the information for the most recent placement only.

If your school has arranged placements in other AP settings for these pupils, you should also complete the alternative provision placements arranged by the schools module for each placement.

URN of previous school

Record and submit the URN (unique reference number) of the establishment that the pupil attended prior to becoming single-registered at your school. You can find the URN on get information about schools (https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/) (GIAS).

If no URN is available - for example, because the pupil has recently moved to England from abroad - leave the URN field blank.

Alternative provision reason

Record and submit the primary reason why the pupil was placed in alternative provision.

Example If a pupil who has been placed in AP has a mental or physical health need but has also been permanently excluded, the primary reason for the placement would be the permanent exclusion that led to the arrangement of the AP placement.

This table provides examples of reasons for AP placements, to help schools select the most appropriate category.

Find an AP reasons code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#alternative-provision-placement-reason).

Alternative provision SEN provision on entry

Record and submit the pupil’s SEN provision on the date of entry to your school.

If this data is already within your MIS, this data item should be automatically populated. If it has not been automatically populated, you can find an SEN code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#year-group).

Alternative provision placements arranged by schools

This module should be completed by all types of school, including:
- primary
- middle-deemed primary
- middle-deemed secondary
- secondary
- all-through
- special
- PRU and AP schools
Single-registered pupils in PRU or AP should also be included in the alternative provision module for single-registered placements.

If your school has not arranged any AP placements during the collection period, you do not need to complete this module.

In this data module, you should record and submit information on all AP placements your school has arranged during the collection period for pupils both on and off roll.

This includes:
- AP placements that are taking place on census day
- previous placements, where the pupil has left the AP placement within the census period
Where pupils have attended more than one AP placement within the census period, including multiple placements with the same AP provider, you should record and submit information on each placement separately. If the pattern of part-time sessions changes during the placement, you should only submit details of most recent placement.

Who submits the data

Registration arrangements for AP, and types of placements, are variable.

These examples specify who should submit the information in the most common scenarios.

Example 1 If a mainstream or special school has arranged an AP placement, they should record and return the data items for this placement.

If the school has arranged multiple AP placements for the same pupil, they should submit information about each placement separately.

Example 2 If a pupil is single-registered at a PRU or AP school that arranges additional off-site AP with another provider, the PRU or AP school that arranged the additional AP placement should submit the placement information.

Example 3 If the local authority has arranged an AP placement and the pupil remains on the roll of a school that is responsible for their main education, the school should submit the placement information.

This includes instances where local authorities have arranged additional provision for pupils due to medical conditions or as stated on their education, health and care plan.

Alternative provision placement setting type

Specify the type of setting within which the AP placement has been arranged. You should select one of the following 3 options.

1. URN

Record and submit the get information about schools (GIAS) (https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/) unique reference number (URN), where available, of the establishment within which the AP placement has been arranged.

If the provider does not appear on GIAS (https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/), leave this field blank.

2. UKPRN

If the establishment does not have a URN, record and submit the UK provider register number (UKPRN) of the establishment within which the AP placement has been arranged. The UK Register of Learning Providers (https://www.ukrlp.co.uk/) provides details of UKPRNs.

If the provider does not have a UKPRN, you should leave this field blank.

3. Alternative provision placement type of setting

The placement type of setting data item records, where the placement does not have a URN or UKPRN (left blank) - for example, because it is not a school or a registered FE institution and is the type of setting within which the pupil has taken up an alternative provision placement.

Allowable values are:
- NFE for non-maintained further education (FE) provision
- OOT for one-on-one tuition
- OTH for other unregistered provider
- WBP for work-based placement
Where the type of setting is completed, URN and UKPRN must be blank. If URN or UKPRN are completed, the type of setting must remain blank.

Where the type of setting is included, the setting’s postcode must be returned. If the provision has one, its Companies House (https://www.gov.uk/get-information-about-a-company) company number must also be included.

Alternative provision placement Companies House company number

This data item records the Companies House company number for the setting in which the pupil has taken up an AP placement.

This data item is only required for placements where neither a URN nor UKPRN are available and instead an ‘AP setting type’ has been recorded.

If the setting does not have a company number, leave the field blank.

Alternative provision placement postcode

This data item records the postcode of the setting within which the pupil has taken up an alternative provision placement.

This data item is only required for placements where neither a URN nor UKPRN are available and an ‘AP setting type’ has been recorded.

Placement reason

Record and submit the primary reason why the AP was arranged by your school.

Example If an AP placement has been arranged for a pupil who has a mental or physical health need but the pupil has also been suspended, the primary reason for the placement would be the suspension that led to the arrangement of the AP placement.

This table provides examples of reasons for AP placement, to help schools select the most appropriate category.

Find a reason for placement (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#alternative-provision-placement-reason).

Alternative provision placement date of entry

Record and submit the date that each pupil began their AP placement.

If the pupil has had more than one AP placement with the same provider or different providers within the same census period, record and submit the information for each individual AP placement.

Alternative provision placement date of leaving

Record and submit the date that the pupil left their alternative provision placement for each individual AP placement within the census period.

If the placement is still taking place on census day, leave this field blank.

Alternative provision placement SEN at date of entry

Record and submit the pupil’s SEN provision on the date the placement began.

If this data is already in your MIS, this data item should be automatically populated. If it has not been automatically populated, you can find an SEN code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#year-group).

Alternative provision placement SEN at date of leaving

Record and submit the pupil’s SEN provision on the date the placement ended.

If this data is already in your MIS, this data item should be automatically populated. If it has not been automatically populated, you can find an SEN code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#year-group).

Alternative provision placement attendance pattern

Record and submit the pupil’s attendance pattern at the AP provider. If the attendance pattern has changed during the placement, only submit information on the most recent placement.

Use:
- FT if a pupil attends full-time
- PT if a pupil attends the placement part-time
Where the pupil is in part-time provision (for example, attending fewer than 10 sessions a week in the AP placement), record and submit the number of sessions they are expected to attend each week.

For the purposes of this data item, a session is either a morning or afternoon in school.

Home information

We only collect this information if the ‘pupil address type’ is ‘C’ (current).

Schools can provide us with their addresses in the format in which their MIS holds the data:
- BS7666 address format
- SAON, PAON, post town or other address item
- address line 1 to 5
Every format requires a postcode.

We expect schools to provide a valid home address for most of their pupils (including boarding pupils).

You should record boarding pupils from abroad using their ‘home’ address as their residence during term time, which may be the school’s address.

If a child has more than one address because they live with both parents at different times of the week, you should supply both addresses.

While every effort must be made to obtain these pupil details, if it is not possible to get the address, you should leave these fields blank or add a partial address and ignore the validation errors. Address fields should not be used to record notes such as ‘protected address’ or any other personal details about the pupil.

Postcode [used for funding]

The postcode, mandatory for both BS7666 and address-line format, is allocated by the Post Office to identify a group of postal delivery points.

Unique property reference number

A unique property reference number (UPRN) is a unique integer identifier for every address in Great Britain. The UPRN is a voluntary data item that you may choose to return alongside the full address (in either BS7666 or address-line structure).

We do not expect schools to collect or look up the UPRN. Instead, this will be automatically populated within your school system when entering addresses if the OS AddressBase database is used as a reference.

BS7666 format: SAON the secondary addressable object name (SAON), refers to the flat, apartment name, number or other sub-division of a dwelling.

BS7666 format: PAON the primary addressable object name (PAON), refers to the dwelling name or number.

BS7666 format: street refers to the street name or description. Validation will result in a query where there is a dwelling name or number but no street. If the address legitimately has no street, the query is ignored.

BS7666 format: locality refers to a neighbourhood, suburb, district, village, estate, settlement or parish that may form part of a town, or stands in its own right within the context of an administrative area. Where an industrial estate contains streets, it is defined as a locality in its own right.

BS7666 format: town refers to:
- a city or town that is not an administrative area
- a suburb of an administrative area that does not form part of another town
- a London district
BS7666 format: administrative area refers to a geographical area that may be the highest-level local administrative area - for example:
- a county
- a unitary authority
BS7666 format: post town is assigned by the Post Office based on the area sorting office.

Suspensions and permanent exclusions

For the purpose of this document, ‘suspensions’ refers to the definition of fixed-period exclusions as defined in Section 51a of the Education Act 2002.

Primary, middle-deemed primary, middle-deemed secondary, secondary, all-through, special, PRU and AP schools need to send us this information.

This module contains information on the suspension or permanent exclusion records of a pupil. Suspensions and permanent exclusions are collected for the previous 2 terms.

We only expect schools to provide data about a permanent exclusion once it has been upheld by the governing body or Independent Review Panel (IRP) following, where applicable, the appeal window.

Collecting data for the previous 2 terms will make sure that permanent exclusions that are still going through the review process at the time of the census are not missed and will be picked up in the following term if the review result is later determined as upheld.

This means some permanent exclusions may be returned on 2 consecutive censuses. This will not result in double counting in national statistics, as only the latest information returned for each term will be used.

We need this data for both on- and off-roll pupils.

All items in the pupil identifiers module (except preferred surname) are collected for those pupils no longer on roll but for whom the suspensions and permanent exclusions module is collected.

Where schools do not use a module in their MIS that records suspensions and permanent exclusions data, items are to be manually calculated for each pupil and manually added to the census return.

Suspension or permanent exclusion category

We need this data for both on- and off-roll pupils.

For each suspension or permanent exclusion, this indicates the type of:
- suspension
- permanent exclusion
Find a suspension or permanent exclusion category code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#exclusion-category).

Suspension or permanent exclusion reason

We need this data for both on- and off-roll pupils.

Up to 3 reasons can be recorded for each suspension or permanent exclusion, where applicable.

There is no requirement to order the reasons, which will be presented as unweighted counts in statistical outputs.

This table provides examples of reasons for suspensions or permanent exclusions, to help schools select the relevant reason. These examples are used as a guide and are not intended to act as a checklist.

Find a suspension or permanent exclusion reason code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#exclusion-reason).

Suspension or permanent exclusion start date

We need this data for both on- and off-roll pupils.

The suspension or permanent exclusion start date reflects the date that the head teacher asked the pupil to leave the school. Only suspensions and permanent exclusions that have been upheld and the pupil has not been offered reinstatement should be included.

For off-roll pupils, we would not normally expect the permanent exclusion start date to be the same as the pupil leaving date.

Actual number of sessions suspended

We need this data for both on- and off-roll pupils.

For each suspension, you should record the actual number of sessions for which the suspension is in effect.

For suspensions, each full school day counts as 2 sessions and a half school day counts as one session.

You should count suspensions that span 2 census collection periods as one exclusion in the first collection period.

Suspension sessions only cover the number of sessions the pupil is expected to be at the school. A suspension can be discontinuous, which means that there can be days between the start and finish dates of the suspension that are not included as part of the suspension.

Where a pupil is dual-registered, suspension sessions are not recorded for the day(s) they are attending the other organisation.

Example A pupil is suspended for 6 sessions starting on a Monday. However, the pupil is registered with another provider on the Wednesday – where no suspension is in place.

This means the pupil is suspended from the school for sessions on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. The other provider would record the pupil’s attendance on the Wednesday separately.

For the sessions where the school have agreed that the pupil is not attending, record these as ‘authorised absence’. Do not record the pupil as suspended for these sessions.

Example A pupil has been suspended for 8 sessions, starting on a Tuesday. However, the pupil already has authorised absence for Friday and Monday afternoons.

This means the pupil is suspended for all sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, as well as the morning sessions on Friday and Monday.

You should not record a suspension for sessions for the day(s) when the pupil is attending an approved educational activity.

Example A year 10 pupil has been suspended for 6 sessions starting on a Wednesday. However, the pupil attends work experience on a Thursday from which they are not suspended.

This means the pupil is suspended from the school for sessions on Wednesday, Friday and Monday.

Days on which there is a planned school closure do not count towards a suspension.

Example A pupil has been suspended from a school for 4 sessions starting on a Friday, but the school plans to be closed on the Monday for an in-service training (INSET) day.

This means the pupil’s suspension will include 2 sessions on the following Tuesday, rather than the Monday.

SEN provision at the time of the suspension or permanent exclusion

We need this data for both on- and off-roll pupils.

For each suspension or permanent exclusion record returned, the pupil’s SEN provision at the time must be included as:
- ‘E’ (education, health and care plan), or
- ‘K’ (SEN support)
Termly attendance

Primary, middle-deemed primary, middle-deemed secondary, secondary, all-through, special and PRU or AP schools need to send us this information.

The termly report by all schools on attendance – excluding nursery schools, which are not required to submit any attendance data via the school census, even where they have pupils aged 4 or 5.

Information on a pupil’s attendance during the term preceding the census is collected termly. This may include information about pupils who left the school prior to census day.

Information for each census should be included about pupils who:
- for the autumn 2025 census - aged 4 to 15 as at 2024-08-31
- for the spring 2026 and summer 2026 censuses - aged 4 to 15 as at 2024-08-31 (where their date of birth falls between 2009-09-01 and 2021-08-31)
- on the school roll for at least one session during the specified term
Attendance data is only required for non-boarder pupils (where pupil boarder indicator is equal to ‘N’).

Collection periods

The period covered by the termly attendance module is from the start of the autumn term (from 1 August) up to, and including, the Sunday before the usual late spring bank holiday.

From autumn 2024, schools must keep the attendance register electronically and use the national attendance and absence codes.

Dual-registered pupils

To avoid the double counting of attendance and absence for pupils who are registered at more than one school (referred to as ‘dual-registered’), each school will:
- record the attendance and absence for the sessions the pupil is required to attend at their school
- use code ‘D’ (dual-registered at another school) to record all the sessions that the pupil is due to attend at the other school
Attendance code ‘D’ is collected in the school census, but it is not counted as part of possible sessions.

The number of ‘sessions possible’ for a dual-registered pupil against the main school should exclude those when the pupil is due to attend the subsidiary school, and vice versa.

Code Q: Unable to attend the school because of a lack of access arrangements

Code Q is only used where a pupil is absent because the:
- local authority has a legal duty to arrange home to school travel for the pupil and they has not done so
- pupil has no choice but to attend a school that does not qualify for such travel arrangements and it is more than walking distance from where they live
These circumstances are set out in law but, in summary, are where either:
- the local authority has a duty to arrange the pupil’s home to school travel and has not done so
- the pupil is registered at a private school that is beyond walking distance from their home and the local authority has not arranged boarding for them or enabled them to go to a state school nearer to their home
- the pupil lives in Wales and a Welsh local authority has a duty to provide home to school travel and has not done so
Attendance code ‘Q’ is collected in the school census, but it is not counted as part of possible sessions.

Pupils unable to attend school due to exceptional circumstances – code ‘Y1-Y7’

Attendance codes Y1 to Y7 are collected in the school census, but are not counted as part of possible sessions.

This table explains the new ‘Y’ code.

Sessions possible

This records the number of sessions possible for the attendance period (term or half-term). There are 2 sessions for each school day (morning and afternoon).

Every pupil aged 4 to 15 (excluding boarders) at the previous 31 August who was on the school roll for at least one session during the specified attendance period (term or half-term) should have an entry for the number of possible sessions.

Zero sessions possible

Zero sessions possible are recorded where a dual-registered pupil has all their previous attendance (term or half-term) for which attendance data is collected at the other school at which they are registered.

For example, where a dual-registered pupil has all the attendance at his or her subsidiary registration, the main registration would have zero sessions possible recorded for that period in the census.

Pupils aged 4 years

For pupils aged 4 years, the recorded number of sessions possible are those they are expected to attend and will vary from pupil to pupil and from school to school. Attendance code ‘X’ (non-compulsory school age absence - not counted in possible attendances) is used for sessions when a 4-year-old is not expected to attend, such as those attending part-time.

Schools are still required to record the absence reasons, but absences recorded for 4-year-olds will not be treated as ‘authorised’ or ‘unauthorised’ and instead will be reported and published as overall absence.

Find a pupil attendance code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#pupil-attendance).

Number of sessions

The number of sessions for each specified attendance or absence reason. Schools that use electronic registration that is not integrated with their main MIS will manually calculate the number of sessions and add them to their census return.

Summer half-term

Study leave should be used sparingly and only granted to year 11 pupils during public examinations. As study leave is unsupervised, schools must record it as an authorised absence. Study leave is not applicable once examinations have concluded.

The official school leaving date is the last Friday in June of the school year in which a child reaches age 16. This means that year 11 pupils must remain on the school roll and you must record their attendance to this date.

Where pupils were born on or after 2007-09-01, they must remain in some form of education or training until their 18th birthday.

Attendance data for the second half of the summer term in respect of pupils aged 15 are not published in any national statistics.

Publication of school absence data

It is essential that schools ensure that absence data is returned correctly in the school census, as we publish this data.

Absence data are collected termly at pupil level through the school census and published at national and local authority level through the school absence national statistics releases (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-pupil-absence). The underlying absence data, at a school level, is published alongside the absence national statistics.

We do not publish the absence data collected for the sixth half-term (second half of the summer term) for 15-year-olds (year 11 pupils). This data does not feature as part of the standard measures of attendance statistics.

Information on how pupil absence statistics are produced is available in the methodology publication (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/pupil-absence-in-schools-in-england).

Post-16 data [used for funding]

You only need to send us this data in the autumn census.

Secondary, all-through and PRU or AP schools with sixth forms must send us this information.

Post-16 data is a combination of student level and learning aim data items.

Interactive post-16 school census tool

Some schools risk not getting the funding they should because of inaccurate data.

We have produced an interactive school census tool (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/use-the-esfa-post-16-census-tool) aimed at helping institutions return accurate data.

The tool will help schools understand:
- how their data is used to calculate their post-16 funding
- how common data errors affect their funding
Business managers and staff responsible for preparing and submitting the autumn school census return will find it useful.

The tool is in an Excel workbook. Make sure that macros are enabled (https://support.office.com/en-sg/article/Enable-or-disable-macros-in-Office-documents-7b4fdd2e-174f-47e2-9611-9efe4f860b12) so the workbook functions properly.

In addition, there are several post-16 reports available on the COLLECT portal which summarise the post-16 data in your census return to help institutions return accurate data.

All 16 to 19 funded schools and academies should use both the interactive census tool and post-16 reports before submitting a final autumn census return to ensure data in the return is accurate.

Post-16 student data [used for funding]

Recording of planned hours [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll pupils.

The planned, timetabled hours for each student are recorded in these fields:
- planned learning hours (delivery of qualifications)
- planned employability, enrichment and pastoral hours (for all eligible non-qualification activity)
- T Level planned learning hours (delivery of qualifications specifically for T Level programmes)
- T Level planned employability, enrichment and pastoral hours (for all eligible non-qualification activity specifically for T Level programmes)
Industry placement hours are recorded within the work placement entity (#work-placement) module.

All planned hours data are collected and returned by the school that holds the student’s ‘main’ registration. Where a student is dual-registered, the school with the ‘main’ registration makes the return.

We do not generally expect the planned hours to change, but there are some circumstances in which institutions can amend planned hours. This should be done in the previous-year fields.

Returning no planned hours for a 16 to 19 funded student will negatively impact funding.

Where a student is only undertaking a T Level programme in the year, only return T Level planned learning hours and T Level planned employability, enrichment and pastoral hours.

Where a student is only undertaking a study programme or a T Level foundation year programme, only return planned learning hours and planned employability, enrichment and pastoral hours.

The only scenarios we envisage where a student should have both sets of planned hours recorded in the same academic year is where they undertake a short T Level foundation year programme, progressing onto a T Level programme in the same year or transfer from a T Level programme to a study programme in-year.

Planned learning hours [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll students undertaking 16 to 19 study programmes (including T Level foundation year programmes but excluding T Level programmes that have their own planned hours fields).

The planned learning hours field records the total planned hours for the student for the current academic year spent on eligible qualification activity.

The value you record is the number of hours planned to be delivered for the student’s programme for the academic year.

Planned employability, enrichment and pastoral hours [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll students undertaking 16 to 19 study programmes (including T Level foundation year programmes but excluding T Level programmes which have their own planned hours fields).

The planned employability, enrichment and pastoral hours field records the total planned hours for the student for the current academic year spent on eligible non-qualification activity.

The value you record is the number of hours planned to be delivered for the student’s programme for the academic year.

Planned learning hours and planned employability, enrichment and pastoral hours – previous year [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll students undertaking 16 to 19 study programmes (including T Level foundation year programmes but excluding T Level programmes which have their own planned hours fields).

The previous year’s planned hours are collected for all post-16 students who were on roll in the previous academic year and in national curriculum year 12 or above, including those who started at the school after the previous autumn census day.

This will allow institutions to:
- correct errors in the previous year’s return
- record information related to the previous year for pupils who started after census day
This information will be collected in the fields:
- planned learning hours previous year
- planned employability, enrichment and pastoral hours previous year
For students who were on roll at the time of the previous autumn census, the fields will be automatically populated by your MIS provider using the value recorded in systems from the last autumn census return. For students who have joined since the last census, you must manually add this information.

These fields can be completed or corrected, where appropriate, so the previous-year data is complete and accurate.

Planned hours data should not be changed to reflect actual hours except in very limited circumstances.

Circumstances in which these fields should be returned

This table sets out the circumstances in which these fields should be returned in the autumn 2025 census.

Refer to the ‘changes to planned hours’ section in the rates and formula guidance (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-education-funding-guidance) for further information on the circumstances where we expect planned hours to be amended.

T Level planned learning hours and planned employability, enrichment and pastoral hours [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll T Level students.

T Level planned hours must be returned for all students undertaking T Level programmes. As T Levels are 2-year programmes, the value should cover the whole programme, and will, in all but a few exceptional circumstances cover multiple years. This differs from planned qualification hours and non-qualification hours for study programmes that are recorded annually for each student.

We therefore expect T Level students to have the same T Level planned hours recorded in the 2 autumn census periods that cover these 2 year programmes unless they change their T Level programme partway through.

T Level planned hours must include:
- the technical qualification
- specialist content
- non-qualification activity
T Level planned hours must not include:
- English and maths delivery
- industry placements - see work placement entity (#work-placement)
- other qualifications that are not part of the T Level
There are no previous year T Level planned hours fields, as the hours recorded for T Levels cover the whole programme and are not annual, like they are for study programmes.

Maths and English condition of funding [used for funding]

Students must study maths and/or English as part of their programme in each academic year where they do not hold a grade 4/C or above in each subject. This applies to students:
- aged 16 to 18 and 19 to 24 with an education, health and care (EHC) plan who do not hold a GCSE grade 9 to 4, A* to C (a standard pass grade) or equivalent qualification in these subjects
- doing a programme of 150 hours or more, which started on or after 1 August 2024
Maths or English study is a condition of funding. We will remove funding for students who do not meet the condition.

More information on the condition of funding (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-funding-maths-and-english-condition-of-funding) is available.

You must complete the following fields:
- maths and English GCSE highest prior attainment
- maths and English GCSE funding exemption
Maths and English GCSE prior attainment [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.

The highest GCSE prior attainment (grade achieved) for each student is recorded for maths and English. The grade is used to determine whether a student is required to undertake maths and/or English GCSE, functional skills or another approved stepping stone qualification in order to meet the maths and English condition of funding. It is also used in the calculation of the level 3 programme maths and English payment.

Find a maths and English prior attainment code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#prior-attainment).

Maths and English GCSE prior attainment – previous year [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.

The highest prior attainment for the student in the previous academic year is also collected for all post-16 students who were on roll in the previous academic year and in national curriculum year 12 or above, including those who started at the school after the previous autumn census day.

This will allow institutions to:
- correct errors in the previous year’s return
- record information related to the previous year for pupils who started after census day
- record where the pupil’s status has changed between years
For students who were on roll at the time of the previous autumn census, the fields will be automatically populated by your MIS provider using the value in the systems from the last autumn census return. These fields can be added or corrected, where appropriate, so previous year data is complete and accurate.

Circumstances in which these fields should be returned

This table sets out the circumstances in which these fields should be returned in the autumn 2025 census.

Maths and English GCSE funding exemption [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.

The exemptions field records whether the student is exempt from the condition of funding, or whether they have prior attainment that meets the condition of funding by holding UK or overseas equivalent qualifications.

There are only 2 exemptions to the condition of funding:
- code ‘L’: the student has SEN and/or disability and an EHC plan, and is assessed as not able to study GCSE or stepping-stone qualifications
- code ‘O’: the student’s overseas qualification is equivalent to GCSE ‘9’ to ‘4’, ‘A*’ to ‘C’
Students who hold an equivalent UK qualification are recorded with code ‘U’.

Students holding a pass grade in functional skills level 2 maths and/or English should be recorded with code ‘F’.

To reduce burdens, systems should default to ‘N’ (no exemption).

Maths and English language GCSE prior attainment at end of year 11 [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.

These fields record whether a student has achieved maths and English language GCSEs at grades ‘9’ to ‘4’, ‘A*’ to ‘C’ by the end of year 11. This is used to determine whether a student is eligible for block 2 disadvantage funding.

Find a maths and English GCSE prior attainment year 11 code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#maths-english).

More information on disadvantage block 2 funding is available in the funding rates and formula guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-rates-and-formula).

Post-16 students who are in full-time employment [used for funding]

We need this data for on-roll students.

Under the raising the participation age (RPA) policy, post-16 students must be in full-time education/training unless they are in full-time employment (20 hours or more per week). More information on RPA (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/raising-the-participation-age) is available on GOV.UK.

Where a young person’s employment hours vary, we consider employment of an average of 40 or more hours over a 2-week period as meeting the requirement. Part-time work (for example, a weekend or evening job) is not affected by these requirements. This field indicates students who are in full-time employment and are therefore eligible for part-time education/training.

Post-16 learning aims [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.

Secondary schools with sixth forms, all-through schools, pupil referral units, alternative provision academies (including free schools), city technology colleges and academies (including free schools) must return this module.

Where a school does not have a sixth form, this information is not collected. Learning aims data is used to calculate funding allocations.

While students at other schools (such as special schools or middle-deemed secondary schools) may undertake learning aims, information about those learning aims are not collected as part of the school census.

Schools must only include post-16 data, including learning aims, for those students who have (or had at the time of the learning aims) their current or main registration at the school. For dual-registered students, funding is allocated to the main school. All post-16 data, including learning aims, for dual-registered students must be returned by the school that holds the student’s main registration (the main school returns the learning aims being taken at both the main and subsidiary schools). Subsidiary schools do not submit learning aims in respect of students with subsidiary registration.

Re-sits and re-takes

A re-sit occurs when an examination is taken again but the student does not attend regular lessons for the course (attendance at revision classes may occur). Information in relation to re-sits is not required for the purposes of this collection and therefore must not be returned by schools.

A re-take occurs when a student is retaking a complete qualification or part of a modular qualification, including attendance at regular classes. This will be treated in the same manner as any other course and recorded as a new learning aim.

For more information on re-sits and re-takes, refer to the funding regulations (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-funding-regulations-for-post-16-provision).

Learning aims to be included [used for funding]

Learning aims that are being undertaken in the current academic year are returned in the 2025 autumn school census for any students who:
- were on roll at the school at any point between 2025-08-31 and census day
- were in actual national curriculum year group 12 or above in that period, regardless of their age
- the school wishes to claim 16 to 19 funding
Learning aims that were taken in the previous academic year are collected for any students who:
- have been on roll in the school at any point between 2024-08-01 and 2025-07-31
- were in actual national curriculum year group 12 or above in that period, regardless of their age
- the school wishes to claim 16 to 19 funding
This may include students who have left school prior to the autumn census day.

For information on which students are eligible for 16 to 19 funding, refer to the funding regulations guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advice-funding-regulations-for-post-16-provision).

Where students move between year groups during an academic year, it may not be possible for a school’s MIS to automatically identify the appropriate students or learning aims that need to be included in the school census return. In such cases, advice should be sought from the software provider and the school may need to make its own judgements according to the criteria set out above to decide whether the student and the learning aims should be included in the school census return.

Processes for recording learning aims [used for funding]

Prior to or at the start of the academic year

Before recording details of learning aims for individual students, we recommend that schools produce a list of the qualifications that they will be providing. This school list will then be used for allocating specific learning aims to students. This list should only contain qualifications that are valid for the academic year in question. Qualification validity dates are shown on the QN Web Services website (QWS) (https://collectdata.education.gov.uk/qwsweb/(S(bb4rppbei4ilcm45hm12wi3y))/default.aspx) and find a learning aim (https://submit-learner-data.service.gov.uk/find-a-learning-aim/). Invalid qualifications can result in negative impacts on your 16 to 19 funding.

Each qualification in the school list is identified by:
- a qualification number (QN)
- a subject classification code (SCC)
- a learning aim start date (the date the learning activities for the qualification will start for each student – students may have differing start dates for the same learning aim)
- a learning aim planned end date (the date the learning activities for the qualification are planned to end for each student – students may have differing end dates for the same learning aim)
Schools will need to use the QN Web Services website (QWS) (https://collectdata.education.gov.uk/qwsweb/(S(bb4rppbei4ilcm45hm12wi3y))/default.aspx) to identify the correct QN and SCC for each learning aim.

QNs are available for the overall International Baccalaureate (IB) and for each component (subject) qualification. When students take the full IB Diploma, schools must record the QN for the IB Diploma, and not the QNs for the individual components. When students are only taking components of the IB, but not the whole qualification, schools must return the QNs for those components.

The IB Organisation also offer the International Baccalaureate career-related certificate. This can include components from other awarding organisations. Schools return the overall QN, along with the QNs for components offered by non-IB awarding organisations.

At the start of the academic year

At the beginning of the academic year, schools enter details for each learning aim undertaken by a student, using the school list described. This includes those courses starting in the current year and those continuing from the previous academic year(s).

Recording core aims

Schools must identify and record a core learning aim (the principal or most important qualification) for all students undertaking a vocational study programme.

Students undertaking academic study programmes must not have a a core aim recorded.

For vocational students, one core aim must be recorded for the academic year. A student may transfer off one core aim and on to another – in this scenario, you should record learning aim status 4 for the core aim transferred off and the new core aim should have a start date at least one day later than the actual end date of the previous core aim. There should only be one current core aim in any vocational programme, and core aims should not overlap.

There is more information about the core aim in the funding rates and formula guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-rates-and-formula).

Throughout the academic year

Throughout the academic year, schools update the actual end date and status of the learning aim as appropriate.

When the learning aim status is continuing (the default value), the learning aim actual end date is left blank. When the student has completed, withdrawn or transferred from the learning aim, the learning aim actual end date reflects the date the status changed.

For the autumn school census

Schools must ensure that records are up to date and include all learning aims in scope.

Performance measures for all qualifications are calculated according to the planned end date. Where a student continues their study beyond the planned end date entered at the start of the learning aim, schools must not change the planned end date.

Learning aims submitted in error

Any learning aims that were active at any point during the current or previous academic year that have been submitted in error during a previous census must not be returned in the current census.

In such situations, schools are required to keep their local MIS up to date with the correct learning aims information with only the correct learning aims being returned in the next census.

Example ‘A’: correcting the recording of an incorrect learning aim in a previous census

During the 2024 autumn school census, the following learning aim was submitted as being undertaken during the 2023 to 2024 academic year:
- qualification number equals Z9999999
- subject classification code equals 1234
- learning aim start date equals 2024-09-01
- learning aim planned end date equals 2025-07-31
- learning aim actual end date equals NULL (as aim not completed as at 2024 autumn census)
- learning aim status equals ‘1’ - the learner is continuing or intending to continue the learning activities leading to the learning aim
Following completion of the 2024 autumn census, the school subsequently discovered that they had recorded the incorrect subject classification code for this learning aim – this should have been 4321, rather than 1234.

To correct this error, the school must update the learning aim in their system with the correct details (either by amending the existing aim or by deleting the incorrect aim and creating a new one) and only the correct aim must be returned in the following census.

In this example, the correct aim was completed on 2025-07-31 and therefore the following information would be returned in the 2025 autumn census:
- qualification number equals Z9999999
- subject classification code equals 4321
- learning aim start date equals 2024-09-01
- learning aim planned end date equals 2025-07-31
- learning aim actual end date equals 2025-07-31
- learning aim status equals ‘2’ - the learner has completed the learning activities leading to the learning aim
Example ‘B’: correcting the recording of a learning aim that was never started by the student

During the 2024 autumn school census, the following learning aim was submitted as being undertaken during the 2023 to 2024 academic year:
- qualification number equals Z9999999
- subject classification code equals 1234
- learning aim start date equals 2024-09-01
- learning aim planned end date equals 2025-07-31
- learning aim actual end date equals NULL (as aim not completed as at 2023 autumn census)
- learning aim status equals ‘1’ - the learner is continuing or intending to continue the learning activities leading to the learning aim
Following completion of the 2024 autumn census, the school subsequently discovered that they incorrectly recorded the learning aim, as the student did not start the course.

To correct this error, the school must delete the learning aim in their system and ensure that only the correct aims are returned in the following census.

As the autumn census drives funding, it is important that this amendment is made before the final submission of the autumn return. Failing to correct this error may also affect the school’s retention measures.

Programme aim [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.

There are 3 types of 16 to 19 programmes:
- study programme
- T Level foundation year programme
- T Level programme
With multiple types of programmes available to students, it is important to be able to:
- identify the type of programme a student is undertaking
- record programme level information for each student
- link component learning aims to a programme
This is particularly important where a student undertakes more than one type of programme in the same academic year.

All pupils undertaking 16 to 19 programmes must have a programme aim recorded which encompasses the component learning aims.

The programme aim is ZPROG001 and is used for all 3 programme types. The programme type field identifies the type of programme undertaken.

The programme aim captures information about the whole programme. Therefore, the start and end dates reflect the overall programme duration, and the completion status reflects whether all the components in that programme were completed or not.

Programme type [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.

The census records a programme type against all learning aims. The programme type indicates what type of programme each learning aim belongs to.

A student undertaking one type of programme should have only one programme type recorded against all learning aims, whereas a student undertaking 2 different programmes will have more than one programme type, each recorded against the learning aims that belong to the different programmes.

The programme type code indicates whether a student is studying:
- a T Level foundation year programme (code 30)
- a T Level programme (code 31)
- a 16 to 19 study programme (code 01)
The programme type will default to code 01, allowing those institutions delivering T Level or T Level foundation year programmes to amend locally.

Learning aim start date [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.

The date the student began the learning activity. This must not be later than census day. When a student has no learning aim start date, this will affect funding.

For T Levels only - the start date may be a future date within the 2025 to 2026 academic year.

Learning aim planned end date [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.

The planned end date is the date the student plans to complete the learning aim. If the student completes the learning aim before or after this date, you must not change the planned end date. You should only change the planned end date to correct a recording error.

The planned end date must not be more than 5 years after the start date.

Learning aim actual end date [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.

The date that the student completed the learning activities or the date they withdrew or transferred from the learning activities.

Unless a student has completed, withdrawn or transferred to another learning aim prior to census day, you should leave this blank.

If you provide an actual end date, the learning aim status cannot be continuing (code ‘1’).

If the learning aim status is anything other than continuing (code ‘1’) this date must be completed.

Learning aim status [used for funding and retention measures in 16 to 18 performance tables]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.

Failure to update the learning aim status for the previous academic year may negatively impact student reporting in retention measures published in 16 to 18 performance tables (a completed aim incorrectly recorded as either ‘continuing’ or ‘withdrawn’).

This gives the status of the learning aim at the time of the autumn census. There are 4 possible values.

Sub-contracting partner UKPRN

We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.

The sub-contracting partner UKPRN is recorded for all learning aims that are sub-contracted to a third-party organisation where the education provision will be paid for with 16 to 19 funding through a contractual arrangement.

Schools must record the UK provider registration number (UKPRN) against the learning aim(s) that are sub-contracted to the partner organisation.

Learning aim withdrawal reason

We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.

You should select the reason that most closely matches the reason for the student leaving the course. You can only select one reason.

Find a withdrawal reason code (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/find-a-school-census-code-applicable-from-august-2024#withdrawal-reason).

Unless a student has withdrawn from the learning aim prior to census day, the learning aim withdrawal reason is left blank.

Traineeships [used for funding]

From autumn 2025, information about traineeships will be discontinued.

Work placement entity [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.

The school census records work experience and industry placements using a QN for one of the following:
- T Level industry placement: ZWRKX003
- 16 to 19 study programme work experience: ZWRKX001
A work experience or industry placement QN can have more than one work placement entity. This means that students who have more than one placement, possibly with more than one employer, will have one QN and multiple work placement entities.

For each work experience or industry placement, the following fields should be recorded:
- the start and end dates for each episode of a placement
- the planned work placement hours for each episode of a placement
- whether the placement is internal or external
Recording T Level and T Level foundation year programmes

T Level programmes

T Level programmes have 5 mandatory components, all of which should be recorded with programme type 31.

1. Programme aim

Every T Level programme must have a programme aim (ZPROG001) spanning the entire duration of the programme. In year 2 of the programme, all components of T Levels must be provided, including any components that started in year one of the programme (whether they ended in year one or continued into year 2) and any components that have already started or are planned to start in year 2 of the programme.

2. T Level technical qualification

This is the main technical qualification of the programme, covering the core and specialist content. This qualification must be recorded for each T Level student at the beginning of the first year of study and must be the core aim.

T Level qualifications all have the prefix ‘T Level technical qualification in’ in QWS. They also carry the learning aim type code 1468 (T Level technical qualification) in the Learning Aims Reference Service (LARS) database.

3. Occupational specialism

Every T Level student must choose an occupational specialism as part of their T Level programme. Although not a qualification in its own right, it is important that institutions record the occupational specialism each student undertakes. We have set up learning aim class codes (all beginning ZTLOS) for each occupational specialism from 2020 to enable clear recording.

The occupational specialism recorded will determine the level of funding the T Level programme attracts. The occupational specialism must therefore be recorded in your data at the beginning of the first year of study. However, the occupational specialism can be changed later in the year should the original choice change.

In cases where a specialism has not been decided on at the beginning of the T Level programme, record the occupational specialism that is most likely to be undertaken based on the planned programme. If the student then starts a different specialism to the one originally recorded, withdraw the original occupational specialism and record a new one in its place.

If non ZTLOS QAN references were used for students starting a specialism in the 2020 to 2021 academic year, these references must continue to be used for these students until they have completed their courses. For all students starting a specialism in the 2021 to 2022 academic year and beyond, the ZTLOS QAN references must be used. QWS dates will show that no new starts should be made using the non ZTLOS QAN references for 2021 to 2022 onwards.

4. T Level industry placement

Every T Level student must undertake a substantial industry placement and this should be recorded using the learning aim ZWRKX003. This learning aim reference is specifically for T level industry placement activity.

This can be recorded in year one or year 2 of the T Level programme.

You must also record at least one work placement entity record for this industry placement.

5. T Level planned hours

These should be recorded against every T Level student at the start of their programme in the T level planned learning hours and T Level planned employability, enrichment and pastoral hours fields. T Level planned hours must be recorded for the whole programme.

This is different to 16 to 19 study programmes, where the planned hours are recorded only for the academic year.

T Level foundation year programmes

The T Level foundation year programme is a variant of 16 to 19 study programmes that can only be delivered and recorded by providers that have been selected to deliver T Levels and confirmed they are delivering the T Level foundation year programme in the same T Level route.

As such, they don’t have the same mandatory component structure as T Level programmes. All learning aims within a T Level foundation year programme should be recorded as programme type 30.

All T Level foundation years must have a programme aim (ZPROG001).

As the T Level foundation year programme is a form of 16 to 19 study programme, you must record annual planned hours values in the ‘planned learning hours’ and ‘planned employability, enrichment and pastoral hours’ fields.

You should not record hours for the T Level foundation year programme students in the ‘T level planned hours’ fields. These are only used for T Level programmes.

To link a T Level foundation year to a T Level route in your data return, a T Level route level class code must be recorded in each T Level foundation year.

This class code must be recorded as the core aim.

There are 11 route level class codes, which can be found in find a learning aim (https://findalearningaimbeta.fasst.org.uk/) by looking for learning aims with a QN starting with ZTPR.

Any other learning, including maths and English, where applicable, is recorded as a component aim.

Qualification numbers and subject classification codes [used for funding]

We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.

Every course leading to a qualification that is funded for schools in England has a qualification number (QN) and subject classification code (SCC).

You can find a list of QNs (with associated data) on the QN Web Services (QWS) website (https://collectdata.education.gov.uk/qwsweb/(S(bb4rppbei4ilcm45hm12wi3y))/default.aspx). Schools must only return valid qualification numbers and should check they have the latest version downloaded to their MIS.

SCCs identify pathways within a qualification. Some qualifications use different discount codes or subject classification codes for key stage 4 and for post-16. The discount codes (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2018-performance-tables-discount-codes) will show the Key stage 4 code and post-16 code. This may be useful if your MIS is trying to match awarding organisation data to learning aims data.

If this causes you any difficulty, you should contact your software supplier. They should be able to advise on the best course of action. If in doubt, use the QWS discount code.

QN validity

Qualifications are available for a limited period. The list of qualifications approved for funding 14 to 19 (https://www.qualifications.education.gov.uk/) is a downloadable list of qualifications that the Secretary of State for Education has approved for teaching to young people. Each qualification has an approval start and end date listed, along with the certification end date set by the awarding organisation.

QWS also lists approval start and end dates. Students must not start on any course after the approval end date has passed, unless they are re-sitting the course. For re-sits, the final assessment or examination must be taken before the certification end date.

When schools want to use a QN that has an approval end date in the near future, they must check with awarding organisations to find out whether the qualification is being extended or replaced.

Some qualifications are approved on the list of qualifications approved for funding 14 to 19 (https://www.qualifications.education.gov.uk/) but are not eligible for 16 to 19 funding. You can check which qualifications are valid for funding using find a learning aim (https://hub.fasst.org.uk/Pages/default.aspx). Qualifications valid for 16 to 19 funding have their availability showing under the category ‘16-19’.

If you come across discrepancies that prevent you from correctly returning data in the census, use the service request form (https://form.education.gov.uk/fillform.php?self=1&form_id=hGz7nZcsdnX&noLoginPrompt=1) to report these.