As a result of much hard work and collaboration between the CES, dioceses, schools and colleges, the CES Census 2007 achieved a 97% response rate overall.  Many dioceses achieved 100% response rates. 

Each diocese that signed the Data Sharing Agreement has received a CD detailing the draft data.  

In the light of feedback and advice from the CES Census Working Group, the CD includes an Excel spreadsheet containing the data set in respect of each college and school in each diocese that completed the CES Census. 

This is a very rich data set.  In order to enable diocesan officers to access it quickly, the CD also contains a set of ready-formatted reports:

·         Catholic secondary specialist schools

·         Number and percentage of teaching staff by qualification

·         Number and percentage of teaching staff by ethnic group

·         RE teaching

·         Support staff

·         Pupil numbers, sex and Catholicity

·         Pupils’ participation in collective worship

·         School uniform policies

·         Home/school transport

·         Pupil ethnicity

·         Free school meals

·         Profile of boarders:  Catholic and others

·         Sixth form retention

Each of the reports shows:

·         Aggregated information for all schools and colleges in the diocese

·         Data disaggregated to distinguish between independent and maintained institutions

·         Comparative national data.

Using the Data

As long as the diocese operates in accordance with the provisions of the Data Sharing Agreement, which are designed to protect the privacy of individuals, it is free to interrogate the data and combine it with other data sets it may hold.  A draft model data sharing agreement is available on the CES website and can be accessed at: http://www.cesew.org.uk/standard.asp?id=75.