CES Census Guidance Update No.1
14.03.2008
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q.1: Where can I find the CES Census form?
A.1: A complete copy of the form is included in Section 7 of the Guidance. It can also be downloaded from the CES website.
Q2: How do I print the Guidance? I want to print out a copy of the CES Census and gather all the information first.
A2: The Guidance can be printed by selecting File, Print from the toolbar at the top of your screen. Please note that you must ensure that you click on the option to print the Entire Workbook to get a complete copy of the questions and the drop-down menu options. Step-by-step instructions for printing the form are provided on pages 18 and 19 of the Guidance. Additionally, Section 7 of the Guidance contains a complete set of screen shots of the questions.
Q.3: How can I ensure my data is valid?
A.3: The CES Census form includes a data validation spreadsheet. When you enter your responses in the Census form the Data Validation Form will be automatically populated with your responses. You can check your numbers by clicking the check button at the end of the Census form under the heading Submitting your form. This will take you to the Data Validation Form for Schools and Colleges 2008.
The tables in this form show whether or not your answers to the questions relating to the leadership group (by size and by ethnicity); teacher numbers (by Catholicity and by ethnicity); and pupil numbers (by year group and by ethnicity) match. You will receive the message Sorry…Please check your data for individual questions and try again! if any of the entries need to be checked for accuracy. Further details are provided on page 36 of the Guidance.
Q.4: Can I save the partly-completed form and return to it later?
A.4: Yes, to save the form follow the standard process for saving any Excel document i.e. go to file, save as on your toolbar at the top of the screen. Step-by-step instructions for saving the form and setting a password are provided on pages 12 to 18 of the Guidance. It will be possible to save an incomplete part and return to it. Please save the form with the name provided in the letter posted to headteachers/principals on 29th February 2008. Please note that it is possible to move between parts without completing all questions. Therefore, it is important that you check you have answered all questions before submitting your form. Further information is available at page 36 of the Guidance.
Q.5: When and how can I print the form?
A.5: The form can be printed at any time during the completion process. When you open the CES Census form please select File, Print to print the form. Please note that you must ensure that you click on the option to print the Entire Workbook to get a complete copy of the questions and the drop-down menu options. Step-by-step instructions for printing the form are provided on pages 18 and 19 of the Guidance. (You will find a complete set of screen shots of the Census in Section 7 of the Guidance).
Q.6: How do I know the form has been received by the CES?
A.6: When you have completed the form successfully i.e. answered ALL questions relevant to your school/college, checked your answers, and saved the form, you are ready to submit your form. To do this you will need to attach your form to an email, type CES Census 2008 Return as the subject of your email and email it to the CES at census@cesew.org.uk. Once your email has been received by the CES you will receive an email message thanking you for submitting your form. This is confirmation that the completed form has been received by CES. Step-by-step instructions for submitting the form are provided on pages 30 to 35 of the Guidance.
Q.7: Can I omit any fields?
A.7: Please complete all questions that are relevant to your school/college. Where a question is not applicable to your establishment you should respond either with n/a or 0 (zero). Please refer to the Guidance for advice on specific questions.
Q.8: What do I do if I have lost/not received the filename and password?
A.8: Email or phone Catherine Sheedy (telephone: 020 7901 4887/email: census@cesew.org.uk), who will email your password and filename to you. Passwords will not be given out over the phone to ensure they are provided only to the correct institution.
Q.9: What do I do if I need a copy of the form or the Guidance?
A.9: These can be obtained from the CES website at http://www.cesew.org.uk/standard.asp?id=6112.
Q.10: What is the LSC Ref Code?
A.10: This is the Learning and Skills Council code; it is applicable only to schools with sixth forms and colleges.
Q.11: Do we calculate the children's ages as on 17th January 2008 or 1st September 2007?
A.11: It is not necessary to calculate the ages of students or pupils. Information is requested in terms of National Curriculum year groups.
Q.12: When does the CES Census close?
A.12: The CES Census closes on Friday 4th July 2008. All schools/colleges must submit their Census form by Close of Business on this date.
Q.13: The Data Validation Form is not entering my figure for Year 8 Catholic boys (Q.93) therefore it shows that my pupil data is not valid. What do I do?
A.13: If you downloaded the CES Census 2008 Master Form before 1pm, Wednesday 12th March 2008 the Data Validation Form will not record your response to question 93. If you have this early version of the form, it is okay to submit your Census return only if the difference between your pupil figures on the Data Validation Form is equal to the number of Y8 boys Catholic and there are no other validation errors.
For example, a school has 50 Catholic boys in year 8. The Data Validation Form shows the total number of Y8 boys Catholic as 0, the total pupil/student number as 365 and the total number of pupils on roll by ethnic group as 415. Therefore, the difference between the total pupil/student number and the total number of pupils on roll by ethnic group is 50. If the leadership and total teachers figures are valid i.e. the message Yes…Well done! is showing, then the form can be submitted.
Please note: the Data Validation Form was amended to address this issue. A revised CES Census 2008 Master Form was uploaded to the CES website on Wednesday 12th March at 1pm.
Q.14: The school/college has more than one Deputy Head or Assistant Head, how do I answer questions 33 (Gender of deputy head teacher) and 34 (Gender of assistant head teacher) on the CES Census?
A.14: Please select the gender for the larger number of people e.g. if your school has 3 Deputy head teachers, 2 of whom are female and 1 of whom is male then you would select female. When you submit your return via email, please make a note of the number of people holding these positions and the number of females/males. This will allow us to track how many schools and colleges have more than one person holding these positions so that we can amend the 2009 CES Census form.
Q.15: The January Census did not require numbers for pupils under 5 years of age, do I include these in the CES Census?
A.15: Please include pupil numbers for all pupils including those that are under 5 years of age.
Q.16: How can I find out the URN for my school or college?
A.16: Your URN can be sourced from Edubase by following these steps:
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Step 1 |
Go to the Edubase website http://www.edubase.gov.uk/ |
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Step 2 |
Select Find an establishment from the menu on the left-hand side of the screen |
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Step 3 |
Enter your school/colleges’ postcode in the search criteria |
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Step 4 |
Click on the Search button |
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Step 5 |
A table will pop up with eight columns. Your school/colleges’ URN will be in the second column. |
Q.17: Do I use the filename and password to log on to the CES Census?
A.17: No you do not need to log on to the Census form in the same way that you did during 2007. The purpose of the filename and password is to rename and secure the CES Census 2008 Master Form once you have downloaded it from the CES website (http://www.cesew.org.uk/standard.asp?id=6112).
A password and filename was issued to each school/college in a letter posted to headteachers/principals on 29th February 2008. Instructions on how to save and secure your form are on page 13 of the Guidance.
Q.18: What do I do if I don’t know the number of pupils eligible for free home-school transport (Q.140)?
A.18: We’re very interested in this information if you can provide it. If not, please enter “DK” for “don’t know”.
Q.19: What is EMA (Q.142)?
A.19: EMA = Education Maintenance Allowances. In responding to Q.142 of the CES Census, Sixth form colleges and schools with pupils aged 16-19 should enter the number of students in receipt of Education Maintenance Allowances. | 
