SIMS Spring Census 2023 guidance
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Here’s our update on the latest guidance for the SIMS Spring 2023 School Census, the first of the new year!
- Census date 19/01/2023
- Attendance collected from the start of the Autumn Term to 31/12/22
- Exclusions collected from 18/04/2022 to 31/12/2022
- Free School Meal Eligibility collected from 07/10/2022 to 19/01/2023
- Alternative Provision Placements collected from 06/10/2022 to 19/01/2023
- Funding and Monitoring collected from 01/08/2022 to 19/01/2023
- Learner Support collected from 01/08/2022 to 19/01/2023
Changes to the School Census Spring Return include the following:
Young carer and source of young carer data as at census reference data.
This will be collected from all schools except nursery, but only in Spring school censuses.
This is recorded in the existing Young Carer panel on the student record in panel 10 Welfare via Focus | Pupil/Student | Pupil/Student Details – Panel 10 Welfare
School time (inclusive of breaks and lunchtime) for a typical 5-day week.
This will be collected from all schools, but only in Spring school censuses and is voluntary for School Census Spring 2023.
Where provided, the school time must total compulsory time pupils spend in school, in a typical 5 day week, recorded to 2 decimals and rounded to the nearest 15 minutes. For example, 32 hours and 40 minutes would be rounded to 32 hours and 45 minutes and recorded as 32.75 hours.
This is entered via the Establishment panel of Focus | School | School Details
The ‘selected time’ for your school is based on the last digit of a school’s departmental establishment number.
| Last digit of your departmental number | Selected time |
|---|---|
| 4, 7, 8 or 9 | the selected time is one hour after the start of afternoon school |
| 0, 1 or 5 | the selected time is one hour after the start of morning school |
| 2, 3 or 6 | the selected time is one hour before the end of morning school |
Companies House company number and setting post code.
Where neither URN (Unique Reference Number) nor UKPRN are available to identify an alternative provision placement and type of setting is provide instead, the DfE requires two additional fields to identify the setting.
The Company House company number of the setting in which the pupil has taken up an alternative provision placement.
The postcode of the setting in which the pupil has taken up an alternative provision placement.
Please note that the School Arranged Alternative Provision Placements table within the Registration Panel of Focus | Pupil/Student | Pupil/Student Details allows schools to enter all identification data for an alternative provision placement.
This is accessed via Focus | Student | Student Details and then panel 2 - Registration
Changes that were first introduced for School Census Autumn 2022
Changes to Post Looked After Arrangements Lookup Codes & Descriptions
Although these changes are new for Spring school censuses, they are not new for school censuses in general, as they were first introduced for School Census Autumn 2022.
Compared to School Census Spring 2022, post looked after arrangements lookup codes have changes to descriptions for some existing codes and include an additional code.
| Academic Year 2021/22 Codes and Descriptions | Academic Year 2022/23 Codes and Descriptions |
|---|---|
| N: Not declared | No change to code N |
| A: Ceased to be looked after through adoption | A: Ceased to be looked after through adoption from England and Wales |
| G: Ceased to be looked after through a special guardianship order (SGO) | G: Ceased to be looked after through a special guardianship order (SGO) from England and Wales |
| R: Ceased to be looked after through a residence order (RO) | R: Ceased to be looked after through a residence order (RO) from England and Wales |
| C: Ceased to be looked after through a child arrangements order (CAO) | C: Ceased to be looked after through a child arrangements order (CAO) from England and Wales |
| O: Ceased to be looked after through adoption from state care outside of England and Wales |
Fileset 2302 now available!
The latest Fileset (2302) was released 17/01/2023.
Then open SIMS and go to Tools | Setups | Import and click the yellow folder button to browse to the fileset, simply highlight it and choose Open then use the Import Fileset button.
Please note: As normal there will be updated filesets periodically, so check back here for the latest one!
Download the 'Producing the Spring Census' guides from ESS
All-Through
Special
Pupil Referral Unit
If you require any assistance or SIMS support please call us on 0345 222 1551 | Opt 3. or email misservicedesk@schoolbusinessservices.co.uk
Would you like us to do your Spring Census for you?
Let us take it off your to-do list this month by contacting us. Looking ahead, we can do ALL of this year's returns for you - whether you are already an SBS customer or not!
