School Census, Summer Step By Step Guidance Notes For All Schools

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Summer 2021 Produced by the IMS support team 1 | P a g e

School Census, Summer 2021 - Step By Step

Guidance Notes For All Schools

The summer 2021 School Census will take place on Thursday 20 May 2021. The final return date for this census is Wednesday 16 June 2021. We advise schools to complete and upload the

census as soon as possible after census day. This step by step guidance is for all schools.

For further information go to the DfE guide to completing the school census

Changes for 2021

New Data Items

The following data items are being collected for the first time:

Reporting School Dinners Taken on Census Day

Routines | Statutory Returns | School Census - School Dinner Taken

If pupils in years R, 1 and 2 are not attending school on the School Census Summer 2021 census day, schools can now select an alternative date for reporting of school dinners taken between 05/04/2021 and 31/07/2021. In Special schools, this is also applicable to pupils aged between 4 and 6 who are not following the National Curriculum Year X, and pupils born between 1 September 2013 and 31 August 2016 inclusive.

De-Activation of the 'Other' Exclusion Reason

Tools | Lookups | Maintain

The Otherlookup value in the Exclusion Reason lookup type has been set to inactive because from September 2020 onwards, it should not have been recorded.

Recording and Collecting Attendance Information

For schools using Attendance, data will now be collected on all categories of school attendance, rather than just absence.

The following will now be collected:

 Total number of sessions attending approved educational activity

 Total number of sessions unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances

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Spring 2021 Produced by the IMS support team 2 | P a g e

Steps to Producing the School Census Return

The process of producing the School Census can be separated into several steps, some of which might need to be repeated to eliminate validation errors and queries.

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Preparation

Before creating a new return, ensure that all pupil/student and school information is present and accurate in SIMS.

The School Census Summer 2021 Return collects data for:

 all pupil/students on the register on census day (20/05/2021).  any additional pupil/students not on-roll on census day who:

o had a permanent exclusion with a final review that started between 01/08/2020 and 04/04/2021.

o were on-roll for at least one session during the collection period from 01/01/2021 and 04/04/2021.

o were awarded Learner Support funding from 01/08/2020 to 20/05/2021. (Secondary Pupils only)

Ensure any new pupils have been added and their records contain all the information required for the census – in particular any pupils for whom you have not received a CTF.

UPN – All pupils must have a UPN. If you are having difficulty obtaining the UPN from a previous

school, please contact he IMS Service Desk (01454 865300 or [email protected]

DOB – This must be accurate. Contact us for advice if you think this is incorrect.

Tidy Your Census Folder

Before you start your census return we recommend that you tidy your census folder by moving all your previous census files into a suitable sub folder.

If you tidied your census folder before the last census, the only files currently in your census folder will be those relating to the most recent census. These can now all be moved into a folder named e.g. Spring 2021.

Open Windows Explorer or My Computer.

Tip: You can open Explorer by pressing Windows + E on your keyboard. (The windows key is between Ctrl and Alt)

Navigate to your census folder.

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You will be able to see all the census files – the list includes the census return files, the summary reports and the detailed reports.

Click on New Folder.

A new folder will be added to your list. Rename the folder by overtyping the name.

NB: You can only overtype the folder name when it looks like it does in the graphic. If the surrounding box and/or blue highlight has disappeared right click on the folder and choose Rename.

Highlight the files to be moved – you can highlight multiple files by using Shift + click or Ctrl + click Hold the left mouse button down on any file in the list – your mouse pointer will change to a circle with a bar through it.

Drag the circle shaped mouse pointer over the new folder – let go when it changes back to an arrow.

Your files have now been moved into your new folder.

You can now close Windows Explorer.

Check SIMS.net Version

You must ensure that you are using SIMS .net version 7.198 or above in order to complete this return.

To check which version of SIMS .net you are currently using, open SIMS .net and select Help |

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Spring 2021 Produced by the IMS support team 5 | P a g e The version should read 7.198.

Click anywhere on the box to close it again.

Check the Census Folder & Security Message

Take the route Routines | Statutory Returns | School Census.

When the files have loaded your screen will display the School Census Folder location.

NB: If there has been maintenance on your workstation the census path may have been reset to My Documents. It is essential that only authorised personnel have access to the folder due to the sensitive nature of the census information and that the folder is in a location where data is backed up, e.g. s:\

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To Amend the Census Folder Location

The field Census Folder should show the correct path to the folder you previously set up for the census e.g. s:\sims\school census or x:\cyp\data. However, if it is not correct, it can be changed by clicking on the icon alongside the path (as shown above):

Click on the alongside your computer name (in the example shown this is harrisa3 on………) and browse until you find s:\sims. If there is a folder named School Census click OK.

If there is no folder named School Census, ensure that you have clicked on s:\sims and click

Make New Folder. Type the name School Census and click OK.

In both instances the following message will be displayed:

Click Yes.

Security Message

It is now possible to set a security message to appear on the top of Detailed Reports warning of the sensitive nature of the information contained therein. The default message is: This report

contains sensitive information.

To change this message, click into the box and type the required message. The census reports will then display the text specified.

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Completing the Census

NB: You can start the census and go back to it at any time as long as you save as you are going along.

To return to a previously saved census:

a) Take the route Routines | Statutory Returns | School Census. b) Ensure that Summer is showing in the Term field and click Search.

Highlight the required return and click Open.

Creating a New Census Return

Take the route Routines | Statutory Returns | School Census. Ensure the Term is showing as

Summer 2021 and click New.

Census Details

The Census Details panel displays the following read-only information:  Census Date: 20/05/2021

 Attendance data collected from 01/01/2021 to 04/04/2021  Exclusions data collected from 01/08/2020 to 04/04/2021

NOTE: Permanent exclusions are collected only if a final review exists.  FSM (Free School Meal) data collected from 22/01/2021 to 20/05/2021

 Learner Support data collected from 01/08/2020 to 20/05/2021.(Secondary Schools only)

By default the return Description will show as School Census Summer 2021 – this can be amended if required

School Information

Check to make sure that the details showing are correct. If you need to make any changes, click on School Detail.

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Spring 2021 Produced by the IMS support team 8 | P a g e The school details screen will open, allowing you to make the necessary changes.

Make any necessary amendments and click Save. Click OK.

Check which Fileset has been applied

The Filesets for the summer 2021 Census will start at 1800. We will update you when a new Fileset is available.

URN

Ensure that the school’s six digit Unique Reference Number (URN) is entered. The number is available via the Get information about schools website

(https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/).

Information for Academies:

Academies must ensure that the following information is recorded:  The School Type and School Governance.

Select Academies from the applicable drop-down lists.  The Previous Name and Date Name Changed.

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Spring 2021 Produced by the IMS support team 9 | P a g e  The Previous Estab Number and Earliest DOA (date of admission).

This information is used by School Census. If the establishment number

(DfE number) has changed for sponsor-led Academies, historical information is not collected and the earliest date of admission is reported in the School Census.  The Previous URN Number (used by other census returns) and Date

Number Changed.

This information is used by the School Workforce Census. For all types of Academies opened in the collection period, the date that the establishment’s URN changed is used to determine when the academy was formed. Historical information is not collected from before the date the URN changed.

Calculating All Details

You must calculate all details at least once to populate the panels in your census return. Click .

You will be warned that any data previously edited within the census screen will be overwritten.

Click, Yes to continue.

A message will be shown on the bottom left of your screen saying: The calculation is currently

taking place: this may take some time. You should not interrupt this process.

Once the calculation has finished you will be taken to panel number 3. Click Save.

Early Years

Applicable to schools with Early Years children only

More information about the early years national funding formula (allocations and guidance) is available on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/education/early-years-funding

Editing Early Years

Early Years data is collected from all schools that have early years pupils on-roll on census day. The following items are collected:

 Funded Hours  Hours at Setting

 Disability Access Fund  30 Hour Code

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NOTE: Disability Access Fund, 30 hour code and Extended Funded Hours are not collected in the

census for pupils aged 2 at 31/03/2021.

Funded Hours and Hours at Setting

Funded hours are the total number of free child care hours that a child receives. All three and four year old pupils are eligible for 15 hours funded child care a week.

Advice about the eligibility of two year old children for funded childcare can be found on the DfE website (https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/free-childcare-2-year-olds).

Hours at Setting include funded hours (as described previously) plus any additional hours funded by other means.

The hours collected in this return are for the week in which the census day falls.

Disability Access Fund

The Disability Access Fund is payable as a lump sum once a year and awarded to three and four year old pupils who meet the following criteria:

 They are in receipt of child Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and  They access their entitlement to free early learning and childcare,

eg funded hours.

Disability Access Fund data is collected in this return for pupils who are in receipt of the fund on census day. Additional information about the Disability Access Fund is available via the DfE website (https://www.gov.uk/education/early-years-funding).

Extended Funded Hours and 30 Hour Code

Extended Funded Hours are the number of hours that are in addition to the initial 15 funded

hours that a child receives and is applicable to three and four year old pupils only. Extended Funded hours can double the original 15 hours of free child care to 30 hours a week, provided that the following criteria are met:

 Both parents must be working (or the sole parent is working in a lone parent family) and live in England.

 Each parent earns, on average, a weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours at National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage.

 Each parent must have an annual income of less than the specified amount.

Parents who meet the extended funded hours criteria must obtain a unique code from the Tax Office (HM Revenue & Customs), then provide it to the school, together with other details, to confirm their eligibility for extended child care hours.

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The 11 digit 30 Hour Code and the number of extended funded hours are collected in this return for the week in which the census day falls.

Extended Funded Hours information provided by the DfE can be found on their website:

(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/30-hours-free-childcare-la-and-early-years-provider-guide).

Recording Early Years

The required data can be recorded:

 via the Edit button in the Early Years panel

 via Tools | Statutory Returns Tools | Update Early Years - Update

Early Years page. The data in the Early Years panel must be refreshed by clicking the Recalculate button.

If data has been recorded previously, the values are displayed in the read-only Early Years panel.

NOTE:Although SIMS allows schools to enter Disability Access Fund, 30 Hour Code and

Extended Funded Hours for pupils aged 2 at31/03/2021, this information is not included in the return file because it is not required by the DfE.

 In the Early Years panel, click the Edit button to display a message informing you that data has been brought forward from the previous census.

 Click the OK button to display the Update Early Years page. By default, the current term is displayed in the Census panel.

NB: To view the data recorded for a previous term (in the current academic year), select the

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Spring 2021 Produced by the IMS support team 12 | P a g e  Enter any changes to the Hours at Setting/Funded Hours from last census

 Indicate whether the pupils are in receipt of the Disability Access Fund. Click the applicable cell then select Yes or No from the drop-down list.

 Enter the 11 digit 30 Hour Code in the applicable cell, if in receipt of extended funded hours. Each pupil must have a different 30 hour code.

 Save

 If there are any pupils for whom zero hours have been recorded, the following message will be displayed:

 Click the Yesbutton to save the data or the Nobutton to return to the Update Hours page, where the number of hours can be entered.

NB: If, while completing the return, any of the following processes are performed, click the

Recalculate button (located at the top right-hand side of the Early Years panel) to ensure that the

up-to-date data is displayed:

▪ any information is updated via Tools | Statutory Return Tools | Update Early Years ▪ a new pupil is added in SIMS

▪ a pupil's date of birth is amended.

Please note that when information is updated via the Editbutton, the Early Years panel is refreshed automatically.

It is possible to filter to just the pupils that need data entered:

 On the Census Return Details page, click the Edit button (located in the Early Years panel) to display the Update Early Years page.

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 In the Pupils View panel, ensure that the required Age at date, YTI and Reg group are selected and then select No Hours at Setting (or No Funded Hours) from the Status drop-down list.

 Only pupils who do not have an entry for Hours at Setting (or Funded Hours) are displayed.

 Enter the required values for these pupils as described previously.  Click the Save button.

Class Type

Applicable to Primary schools only

All pupils, regardless of age, must have a tick to indicate whether their class is Nursery or Other.

To edit the information shown, click the Edit button in the Class Type panel.

Check that there are no missing class types by ensuring the Term is set to Summer and the Year

Group and Class fields are set to All.

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Spring 2021 Produced by the IMS support team 14 | P a g e If you do have any missing class types, the pupil names will appear in the list:

Click into the relevant boxes for each pupil and a tick will appear in the box.

If you have a whole class with a missing class type, change the student view to the relevant year group, e.g. N1 or N2.

Right click on the relevant column heading and choose Check All. This will put a tick in all the boxes.

Once all class types have been added, click Save and OK.

If you make any amendments via Tools | Statutory Return Tools | Update Class Type, you should click Recalculate on the census panel for the changes to update in the census return.

Top-up Funding

Top-up funding is supplied to schools, in most cases by the Local Authority, to meet the additional costs of support for high needs pupils.

The Top-up Funding panel enables you to record the on-roll pupils for whom your school is receiving top-up funding on census day.

NB: You can also access this area to make amendments at any time via Tools | Statutory Return Tools | Update Top-up Funding.

The census will copy forward the pupils recorded in the Spring census.

To edit the information shown, or add pupils to the list, click the Editbutton. The Update Pupils with Top-up Funding screen will be displayed.

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Use the search criteria to locate the additional pupils you wish to record as having top-up funding then highlight their details.

Click the Addbutton.

The highlighted pupils are moved to the lower Top-up Funding table.

To remove a pupil from the list, highlight the required pupil then click the Remove button. The pupil's record is moved to the first table.

Click the Update button to save the data and arrange the list of pupils in Surname order. Click OK to return to the census page.

If you make any amendments via Tools | Statutory Return Tools | Update Top-up Funding, you should click Recalculate on the census panel for the changes to update in the census return.

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Post Looked After Arrangements

Use this panel to identify any pupils that were Looked After prior to being adopted, or having a special guardianship, residency order or child arrangement order.

NB: You can also access this area to make amendments at any time via Tools | Statutory Return Tools | Update Post Looked After Arrangements.

Unless you have previously added students into the census, or updated this information via Tools

| Statutory Return Tools | Update Post Looked After Arrangements, this panel will initially

appear blank.

To edit the information shown, or add pupils to the list, click the Editbutton. The Update Students

Post Looked After Arrangements screen will be displayed.

Use the search criteria to locate the additional pupils you wish to record then highlight their details and click the Add button. The highlighted pupils are moved to the lower Post Looked After

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Ensure that the correct status is displayed for all the pupils by clicking the Post Looked After

Arrangements cell then selecting the applicable status from the drop-down list:

For each pupil added to the Post Looked After Arrangements list, select the post looked after arrangement status by clicking in the applicable cell in the Post Looked After Arrangements column, then selecting the required status from the drop-down list:

 Ceased to be looked after through Adoption

 Ceased to be looked after through a Special Guardianship Order (SGO)  Ceased to be looked after through a Residence Order (RO)

 Ceased to be looked after through a Child Arrangement Order (CAO).

NOTE: Ceased to be looked after through a Residence Order (RO) has been replaced by

Ceased to be looked after through a Child Arrangement Order (CAO).

You do not need to change any existing residence orders but new post looked after arrangements must be recorded as child arrangement orders.

To remove a pupil from the list, highlight the required pupil then click the Removebutton. The pupil's record is moved to the first table.

Evidence Obtained

Tick this box to indicate that you have seen the appropriate documents. This tick box is for school use only, and is not collected by the return.

Click Update – the students will be re-arranged into Surname order. Click OK (bottom right) to return to the Census Return Details page.

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If you make any amendments via Tools | Statutory Return Tools | Update Post Looked After

Arrangements, you should click Recalculate on the census panel for the changes to update in

the census return.

School Dinner Taken (UIFSM)

Applicable to schools with pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2

The School Dinner Taken panel displays all pupils in Year R, Year 1 and Year 2 who are on-roll on census day.

The Reference Date

By default, the Reference Date is set to 20/05/2021 (census day). If, due to exceptional circumstance, e.g. flooding, pupils were unable to take a school dinner on census day, the reference date can be changed to a date that reflects the situation. However, the reference date must be within the Summer term date range (05/04/2021 to 31/07/2021).

You can enter data manually, calculate from Dinner Money (if used), or calculate from Attendance. You can see the Total Taken and Total Not Taken at the bottom.

Enter Data Manually

Tick each pupil that had a lunch provided by the school on the Reference Date by clicking in the School Dinner Taken column.

You can use the Tick All button to tick every pupil in the list. Click a tick to remove it from any child that was absent or brought a packed lunch. The Reset button will remove all the ticks from the grid.

Calculate from Dinner Money

Clicking this button will populate the ticks based on the information entered into Dinner Money for the Reference Date.

If SIMS detects missing information you will see a message advising you that Dinner Money information is incomplete.

Calculate from Attendance

Clicking this button will place ticks against all pupils present on the Reference Date. Users will need to remove the ticks from any pupils that brought a packed lunch or went home at lunchtime. If missing attendance marks exist you will see a message warning you that missing marks have been interpreted as absent and no dinner taken.

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Attendance

The Attendance panel should display a message as follows:

If your screen confirms your attendance codes are DfE compliant you can now go to the section - Validating the Census.

If you have any missing marks within the attendance collection period you will see the following message:

You can enter the missing marks using the route shown in the message: Take the route Focus | Attendance | Deal with Missing Marks.

Set the date range to 01/01/2021 – 04/04/2021

Enter any missing marks in Attendance then return to the census. On the attendance panel click

Recalculate.

If all missing marks have been resolved you will get the following message:

Click OK and the panel will now confirm that your attendance codes are DfE compliant.

Return to the Census Return Details page and click the Check missing marks button in the

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IMPORTANT: You must rectify any missing marks before submitting your return to the DfE. If you

need assistance please contact the IMS Service Desk on 01454 865300 or email [email protected]

NOTE: The Create and Validate process can still be run even if some attendance marks are

missing. You will be asked if you wish to continue to create the return or cancel the Create and Validate process.

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Validating the Census

Create and Validate

Creating and validating will run a routine which will check the information provided against a set of rules provided by the DfE. When the validation is complete, a list of errors and/or queries will be displayed.

The errors are caused by either missing or inaccurate data and must be resolved.

The queries highlight data which is unusual or unexpected, e.g. if there are no pupils shown as having Special Educational Needs.

Click, .

The following box will be displayed:

NB: If there is a problem with your Attendance codes, an error message will be displayed at this point informing you which code has been used incorrectly. Please call the Service Desk if this message is displayed.

Once the validation routine has run, the Validation Errors Summary will be displayed in the lower half of the screen.

Validation Errors Summary

The Validation Errors Summary can be printed if necessary by clicking Report.

However, as errors can be resolved by clicking on each error/query in turn, you may choose not to print the errors summary:

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Column Description

Type Indicates whether the error is a failure or a warning (F – failure, Q – query) Sequence

Shows the error number – this can be used to check the Errors and Resolutions document which contains information on how to resolve the errors.

Message Displays the text of the error message.

Location Displays the record where the error can be found. Solution Provides information on how to resolve the error.

Click and drag on the lines between the columns to make them bigger if required.

You can filter the list to display only certain errors or queries by changing the option in the Error Search box.

You can also choose search for errors/queries relating to a particular pupil by entering the students name, date of birth or UPN in the Student Search box and clicking Find.

NB: A hyperlink is also indicated by a hash symbol (#) preceding the Solution text

Resolving Errors

To assist in resolving errors you can:



Double-click any row to be taken directly to the area where the error needs to be resolved.



Change the order of the summary by clicking on the appropriate column heading.



Change the width of the columns as described above.



Print a validation error summary report if required.



Use the bulk update facility in Routines | Pupil | Bulk Update to resolve errors which are shown for multiple

NB: The School Census 2020/2021 Errors and Resolutions document is available on the Integra website. You may find this useful to view. If you have errors which you are unable to resolve, please log a call with the Service Desk.

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Reports to Check the Data

Please note the following screenshots are for reference

Summary Report

The Summary Report allows the accuracy of the return to be double checked. It also shows the number of unresolved failures and queries in the return.

Click, . The report will open in your web browser, similar to the graphic shown below

Check the data in this report carefully. You may want to give copies of it to relevant members of staff, for example the SENCO, to check the information given.

Print the report by clicking on the printer icon in your web browser.

The report will automatically be saved in the folder specified in the Census Return browser. The report will be called <name of the return file>_Summary_Report.HTML. This report can be printed off for the Authorising Officer to check prior to authorisation of the census.

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Detail Reports

Click on the arrow beside DetailReport to see a list of the reports available:

Click on the required report.

It will open in your web browser as shown below:

A copy of the report is automatically saved in your census folder.

To print the report click on the print icon in your web browser, or select File | Print

Reports can also be produced in bulk. Click on Detail Report and select Multiple Reports. A dialog box will be displayed with tick boxes:

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Spring 2021 Produced by the IMS support team 25 | P a g e Remove any ticks alongside reports you do not wish to produce and click Report.

Each report will open separately in your web browser. There is no need to save them, as

copies of the reports are automatically saved in the census folder when the report is generated.

NB: These reports will also be generated automatically when you authorise your return and automatically saved to your census folder for future reference.

Exporting Reports to Excel

If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer as your web browser, you can transfer any of the reports to Excel. This enables you to sort the data or change the column order for ease of checking.

To export any of the reports to Excel, allow them to output to the web browser and then right-click and select Export to Microsoft Excel.

The report will open in Excel:

Printing Reports

Reports are printed by clicking on the printer icon in your web browser after producing the relevant report or selecting File and Print from the web browser menu.

NB: Any printed reports which contain a pupil’s name or UPN should be used for checking only and must not be retained due to Data Protection.

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The Census Return File

Producing the Census Return File

All schools should upload only the census file to the DfE Collect website. The files will be named as follows:

 South Gloucestershire Schools: 803xxxx_SC2_803LL21_00x.XML  Bristol Schools: 801xxxx_SC2_801LL21_00x.XML

 BANES Schools: 800xxxx_SC2_800LL21_00x.XML  Wiltshire Schools: 865xxxx_SC2_865LL21_00x.XML

 North Somerset Schools: 802xxxx_SC2_802LL21_00x.XML

You should use your login for the DfE Secure Access website. The local authority cannot reset any passwords for the secure access website. If you need credentials for the secure access website, please use the service desk request form on the DfE website here. Note that a response from this site can take some days.

You can use the return that you have been working on for your dry run. There is no need to create a new one.

Take the route Routines | Statutory Returns | School Census Click Search. The return you created during the dry run will be listed. Open the return by double clicking on it.

To ensure that you have picked up any changes to pupil data that have been made since the dry run you need to click on again.

If any errors or warnings appear, resolve as appropriate and click again.

You now need to produce another Summary report for checking by the Authorising Officer – i.e. your Headteacher

The report will automatically be saved in the folder specified in the Census Return browser, details of which are summarised in section 0. The report will be called <name of the return

file>_Summary_Report.HTML. This report can be printed off for the Authorising Officer to check

prior to authorisation of the census.

Authorising the Return

Once all reports have been produced as required and the Authorising Officer has checked the information on the Summary report, you can authorise the return ready for uploading onto

COLLECT.

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Spring 2021 Produced by the IMS support team 27 | P a g e You will be reminded that the return cannot be edited once authorised.

Click Yes to continue.

A head teacher authorisation form will be displayed.

The name shown in the statement will be name of the person logged into SIMS and creating this return.

Tick the box to confirm the statement, enter any additional notes if required, and click Continue. A full set of reports will be generated, including an authorisation report. You can print the report if required – copies of all the reports will be automatically saved in your census folder.

The census file will also be saved to the census folder and the file extension will change from .una to .xml.

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COLLECT

NB: ALL SCREEN SHOTS IN THIS SECTION ARE FOR REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY

Login to the Secure Access Website

Access to COLLECT is via the Secure Access website: https://sa.education.gov.uk

Click on the COLLECT link to take you through to the COLLECT Portal. The Main Page displays a list of your current data collections:

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Uploading Your Return

Status of your data return

This will be one of the following:

No_Data You have not yet uploaded your return file.

Waiting_for_Validation COLLECT may be very busy. Log out and return later. Validation_in_Progress Your return is currently being processed.

Loaded_and_Validated Validation is complete

Submitted Your return has been submitted to the LA for approval. Approved The LA have approved your return.

What Can I do with My Data return?

The options you will need to use are:

Upload Return from file This will enable you to attach the census file.

Open Return If you have any errors or queries you need to add, open the return to add explanatory comments

Submit Return Your return has not been “sent” to the LA until you submit it. They will then review it and approve it.

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Spring 2021 Produced by the IMS support team 30 | P a g e Click Upload Return from file…

A simple upload screen will be displayed:

Click Browse and navigate to your census folder.

Tip: To help you ensure you pick up the correct file, click on View | Details to display files in the

format shown below. Click the Date Modified heading to sort the files into date order. The file

Type you need is XML Document

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You will see a message advising you that the upload is in progress, followed shortly by a message advising you that your return has been successfully loaded and is now queued for validation.

NB: If you have accidentally selected the wrong file you will see an error message advising you that the file is not of the expected format – check that you are trying to upload the correct file.

Click OK and you will be returned to the MY DATA RETURN page.

Check the status of your return. If COLLECT is busy it may stay as ‘Waiting for Validation’, or ‘Validation in progress’ for some time. You can log out of COLLECT and come back to it another time, but you must come back to Submit your return.

Once the status has changed to Loaded and Validated you can continue to the next stage.

Adding explanatory notes to Errors and Queries

When the return is Loaded and Validated, the number of errors and queries will be displayed.

Please be aware that even if no errors or queries were shown in SIMS .net, it is possible that COLLECT will find some. This is because COLLECT carries out a comparison of your return against previous returns and large variances may require an explanation. These queries will be identified by TonT (differences term on term), or YonY (differences year on year).

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If you have no errors or queries you can move on to the next section below: Submitting your return.

If you do have any errors or queries you need to add notes into the return explaining the reason for the error, or confirming that the query has been checked and the data is accurate.

Click the Open Return button.

Click the pencil under Return Level Notes

Then click Add New Note:

Type your error number and note in the box and click Create

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You can enter one note to cover numerous queries. E.g. – 3 x 2020Q – Confirmed correct, 1 x 1780Q – Confirmed correct, 2 x 2502Q – pupils are dually registered and did not attend this establishment in summer term

Then click

Back to MY COLLECT page

Academies only – 2 weeks after submission please log in and check that the DfE has authorised the return.

Submitting Your Return

Click Submit Return.

Once you have submitted the file the date will appear in the Date Submitted field.