5th January 2007

Dear Headteacher/Principal

CES Census 2007:  Timing of Data Entry

Oona Stannard wrote to you on 12^th December explaining the background to the 2007 Census and setting out the plans relating to the CES Census.  The letter also included details of diocesan Census contacts. 

The purpose of this letter is to tell you about the planned timing of the Census in respect of your institution.

Last year, we were very aware of the difficulties schools and colleges faced in trying to access the website and complete the Census form.  Consequently, the CES has purchased increased website capacity for the duration of the period when schools and colleges will be completing their on-line forms.  However bearing in mind the need to balance cost and efficiency, it is not practicable to purchase sufficient capacity to enable all institutions to access the system simultaneously.

Instead, following discussion with the Census Working Group, schools and colleges have been allocated to groups.  Members of each of these groups will generally have access to the website to enter their data for a specified two-week period. (In some cases, the period is slightly longer to allow for holidays.)  The data-entry periods begin on Tuesdays to ensure that on-line access is in place.  At peak times, there may still be some congestion, but there will be the capacity to save data that has been entered and to return to the site later in the period.  The CES will monitor progress in completing and submitting returns and has retained the flexibility to give limited additional access at the end of the data-entry period.

The proposed timetable is attached at Annex A.  It has been based on information about holidays in individual dioceses.  If the dates allocated to your diocese will cause you significant problems, would you please contact Jean Cross by the end of January and provide her with the following information:

• Reason for change
• Preferred alternative weeks (within the period shown).

We shall try to accommodate requests for changes, but much will depend on the numbers of requests received.  Similarly, bearing in mind the small staff at the CES, we should be very grateful if requests for changes could be kept to an absolute minimum. 

Guidance documents and passwords will be issued to schools and colleges prior to the beginning of their scheduled data entry slot.

Background information on the CES Census is available on the CES website.  If you wish to find out more about issues raised in this letter, or to receive an additional copy of the letter of 12^th December, in the first instance, please contact Jean Cross, who is supporting the work on the CES Census e: jcross@cesew.org.uk  t: 0207 901 4887.

I am sending copies of this letter to the diocesan Census contacts.  I should be grateful if you would arrange for a copy of this letter to be passed to anyone else who may have responsibility for completing the CES Census at your institution.

I hope you will find the Census this year a considerably easier exercise.  In the meantime, I wish you and your staff a happy New Year.

Yours sincerely,

Liz Slater

Chair, CES Census Working Group

Cc:  Oona Stannard, Eileen Williams, Steve Whitehorne, Laura McCann, CES Census 2007 diocesan representatives, members of the CES Census Working Group

Annex A

CES Census 2007:  Data Entry Schedule

Schools and colleges have been allocated to groups based on dioceses.  The groups will be able to access and complete the CES Census via the CES website during the periods allocated to their dioceses as shown below.  The system will be programmed to accept their passwords during the specified period only to avoid congestion.