School Census Collection Dates - Academic Year 2021/2022
School Census collection dates for academic year 2021/2022 are:
Autumn Term: Thursday 7th October 2021
Spring Term: Thursday 20th January 2022
Summer Term: Thursday 19th May 2022
Primary End of Year Procedures - 2021
Please login and select Categories to access the End of Year Procedures area to download the Primary guidelines for transitioning from the 2020/2021 to the 2021/2022 academic year.
Summer 2021 School Census - 20th May 2021
Please login and select the School Census Category to download the relevant school census preparation/production notes for your school.
SIMS Newsletter - April 2021
Please click here to access the April 2021 issue of the SIMS Newsletter
SIMS User Group Meeting - 25 March 2021
Please click here to access the presentation slides for the SIMS User Group Meeting held on Thursday 25 March 2021.
SIMS User Group Meeting - 10 December 2020
Please click here to access the presentation slides for the SIMS User Group Meeting held on Thursday 10 December 2020.
Attendance Subcodes Analysis Report Presentation
Please click here to access a Capita presentation with the step-by-step routine for running the Covid-19 - Daily Attendance Analysis v3 report which provides additional information in relation to pupil/student's absence from school in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 Related SIMS Attendance Subcodes
Following consultation with the DfE, a range of subcodes have been added to the SIMS Attendance/Lesson Monitor application for session marks I (Illness) and X (Non-compulsory school age or COVID-19 related). The aim is to assist schools with differentiating pupil/students’ absence from school in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new subcodes have been added to schools SIMS databases for use via the Take Register/Edit Marks routines.
Please click here to access a presentation demonstrating the routine for adding the new subcodes to registers. Please take a few minutes to watch this brief presentation for an explanation of the process for entering the new subcodes.
Please Note: These codes are for reporting purposes only and will only be reflected in School Census in terms of their aggregation into attendance session code totals as per the table below:
| Subcode |
Description |
Attendance session code |
| I01 |
Illness |
I |
| I02 |
Illness Confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) |
I |
| X01 |
Non compulsory school age pupil not required to be in school |
X |
| X02 |
Pupil self-isolating with coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms |
X |
| X03 |
Pupil self-isolating due to potential contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) INSIDE the school setting |
X |
| X04 |
Pupil self-isolating due to potential contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) OUTSIDE the school setting |
X |
| X05 |
Pupils required to self-isolate as part of quarantine requirement (after arriving in the UK from a non-exempt country or territory) |
X |
| X06 |
Pupil not in school because they have been advised specifically by their Doctor or public health authority that they are clinically extremely vulnerable and should not attend |
X |
| X07 |
Pupil advised specifically not to attend school as part of restrictions to education set out in Government advice |
X |
Pupil Premium Allocation Date Change
Pupil premium 2021-2022
On 17 December, the Government announced that the pupil premium rates will remain unchanged for the financial year 2021-22 and that, from 2021-22 onwards, pupil premium allocations for mainstream and special schools will be based on the October census. Pupil premium funding for the financial year starting on 1 April 2021 will therefore be based on the October 2020 census instead of the January census as would have previously been the case. We have now published further information on this administrative change on www.gov.uk. It can be found under “allocation changes from 2021 to 2022”
This administrative change brings the pupil premium in line with how the rest of the core schools’ budget is calculated and going forward it will provide both schools and DfE with greater certainty around future funding levels earlier in the year.
Total pupil premium funding is expected to increase to more than £2.5 billion in 2021-22 as more children have become eligible for free school meals as a result of the impact of the pandemic.
Pupil premium COLLECT report
As the spring school census will only be used to inform the pupil premium allocation for PRUs, AP academies and AP free schools, the report will only return pupil numbers for these school types. For all mainstream schools and special schools, the pupil premium report will be made available in the autumn census.
**Updated DfE Guidance (07/01/2021) - Restricting attendance during the national lockdown: schools**
Restricting attendance during the national lockdown: schools - Guidance for all schools in England
The latest Department for Education guidance advises that pupil's attendance should be recorded as follows:
All pupils who are not eligible to be in school: Should be marked as Code X. They are not attending because they are following public health advice.
Vulnerable children: As vulnerable children are still expected to attend school full time, they should not be marked as Code X if they are not in school (except if they are shielding, self-isolating or quarantining). If the parent of a vulnerable child wishes their child to be absent, the parent should let the school know. The Department expects schools to grant applications for leave of absence given the exceptional circumstances. This should be recorded as code C (leave of absence authorised by the school) unless another authorised absence code is more applicable.
Schools should not plan for rotas or allow children other than those who are vulnerable or whose parent or carer is a critical worker to attend on-site, even if the school believes it can accommodate more children safely.
NB: This information may be subject to change in accordance with any updated Government advice.
