This article covers the frequently-asked questions that schools have regarding the Census in Arbor. This article will continue to grow with further information, so we recommend saving this article to keep up to date on the School Census in Arbor. If you can't find an answer to your query here, check the Census FAQ section of our Help Centre here.
How do I add COLLECT validation notes to my census?
Collect (Collections Online for Learning, Education, Children and Teachers) is the Department for Education's centralised data collection and management system.
COLLECT is where you submit your School and Workforce Census files, and provide suitable notepad explanations for census queries that you are unable to resolv e. These notes cannot be added in Arbor.
Please note that the Support Team at Arbor are not able to advise on:
- whether a notepad explanation is sufficient for a query;
- how to add a note to COLLECT;
- what the note should be.
Why do we not have the census on our school site and do we need to complete it?
The DfE School and Workforce Census is a statutory requirement for all state-funded schools in England.
- This includes primary, secondary, and local authority maintained special and non-maintained special schools; academies including free schools; studio schools and university technical colleges and city technology colleges.
- Independent schools, schools in the Isle of Man, and other schools that are not governed by the DfE do not need to complete this census.
If you are unsure whether your school should complete the census or not, please contact the DfE or your Local Authority (LA).
You will not be able to switch off the census if your school is a school type that should complete it. If you believe that your school needs to complete the census but you cannot see it in School > Data > Export > Data Returns, please ensure that the correct school type has been recorded in GIAS. Contact GIAS if their information is incorrect, and once it has been updated your census will appear in Arbor.
What should we do if our school is closed on census day?
- Autumn and Summer censuses
If the census date is not reflective of a typical Thursday at your school e.g. if you had a teacher training day or inset day on the census date, we will not change any of your site settings.
You will need to complete your on-the-day information (such as meals) as if it were a different, unaffected day. More information on Unusual Circumstances can be found on the DfE's site here.
- Spring census
For the Spring census, you need to complete class and pupil reconciliation for census day.
How do I record School Time for Weekly Hours Open?
You can record this information by following these steps:
- Go to School > School Details.
- Click on the Weekly Hours Open field.
- Add in the hours in a 00:00 format and click Save Changes.
Can we complete the Children In Need CIN census in Arbor?
No, the CIN census can not be completed in Arbor.
Can we complete the FE Further Education workforce census through Arbor?
No, we do not currently support running the Further Education workforce census through Arbor and do not have plans to change this.
Secondaries with a 6th Form should complete and submit the regular workforce census.
For other school types, the ESFA provides their own desktop tool for schools to use to complete the census: FE staff data desktop application.
When does the census become available in Arbor?
The dates that the census becomes available is provided by the DfE. However, census dry runs are made available two weeks before the census due date, allowing schools to run a test of their census early in order to remove errors and queries before the census date.
Why do we not have the CES Census on our site?
You will not see the CES census in School > Data > Export > Data Returns until we switch this on for you.
If your school needs to complete the Catholic Education Service Census, please contact the Arbor Support Team if supported by Arbor referencing code 1019 or contact your Support Partner if not supported by Arbor.
Can I remove the census banners on My Homepage?
The census banner will remain on the homepage until a submitted date has been recorded after it has been completed. To do this, follow these steps:
- Go to School > Data > Export > Data Returns.
- Select the census.
- Click the View and fix errors button.
- Click the Submitted date field and input a date.
- Click Save.
Can we create a census Authorisation report?
No, it is not possible to create an authorisation report with a Headteacher sign-off in Arbor. You can either:
- Go to your census and print out the census summary by clicking the Download DfE Summary button to provide to your Headteacher.
- Ask your Headteacher to go to your census and click the DfE Summary Inspection button to inspect the live report online.
Can we generate the census as an HTML file?
No, as the DfE requires that the file is in XML format, we do not have an option to download the census in HTML format, and we do not offer a service to convert the file - please contact your IT department if you require the downloaded file in a different format.
How many times can we generate the census?
There is no limit to how many times you can generate your census - for the dry run and on or after census day.
Why do we not have the Pupil Reconciliation section in the Spring Census?
Go to School > School Details and check which School phase you have set.
- If this is set as Special or PRU, you do not need to complete this section of the census.
- If this field is incorrect, you can click it to change your school phase.
- If this is not set to Special or PRU and you still cannot access the Pupil Reconciliation section of the census, please contact the Support Team if supported by Arbor and provide the code 1045, or your Support Partner if not supported by Arbor.
Do we need to update our census fileset or patch?
You may receive an email from the DfE or support provider asking you to apply a fileset or patch update to your MIS in order to run the census.
Arbor is a cloud-based system, and we automatically apply any changes to the census the DfE introduces, so there is no need to apply a fileset or patch update in Arbor and you can carry on with your census as normal.
Can we complete the electronic Class Organisational Return (oCOR) through Arbor?
No, as this is not a statutory return that is only required by Hertfordshire County Council (HCC), we do not support running the eCOR through Arbor and do not have plans to implement this.
However, you can create similar reports of students in each class to export by either:
- Going to Students > Enrolment > Statistics and edit your filters to group by Registration Form or Year Group
- Using the Custom Report Writer.
If you are supported by Herts for Learning, please refer to their instructions on submitting this data here.
Why can I not select the right School phase, School type, Governance type, or Intake type?
For the School Census, you need to make sure that you have recorded your School phase, School type, Governance type, and Intake type from your School Details page found in School > School Details.
As the options listed are derived from the DfE, it is not possible to add new options to these sections. You can see a full list of available options on the DfE's website here: Codes for sections about your school.
If you are unsure which option to select, please contact the DfE.
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