Use this guide to view or edit your schools Characteristics and Extended Services. Characteristics are visible in the School Details panel when running a School Census.
Access: the minimum permissions required to access Characteristics are found in the Administration>School Module from Config > Set Up > Roles and Permissions
See Also: How to Update School Details and Logo, or for Census specific guidance on Characteristics from the DfE click here
School Characteristics
From the left menu go to Config>Administration>Characteristics
Use the drop downs and data entry fields in the School Characteristics panel to check/update the information for your school.
All fields marked with an asterisk* must be completed in order to save the record.
Remember to click the top left Save if you make any changes.
If you have a Special Class/Unit, tick the box in the bottom right of the School Characteristics panel, this will prompt a drop down to appear for you to enter the Nature of Special Class/Unit*, select the relevant option from the drop down choices.
Extended Services
You can also use this page to add/edit or delete any Extended Services, for example School Childcare before or after school.
Note Spring 2025 : For schools in England, updates have been made to the data items in Extended Services to ensure compliance with the latest census requirements.
These updates ensure that School Childcare data aligns with the latest DfE requirements, improving census accuracy and compliance for schools and local authorities.
To add a new Extended Service, Click New
Choose the type from the Extended Service drop down and complete all fields as required. Please be aware that the fields visible when creating a new Extended Service differ dependant on the item chosen from the Extended Service drop down
In addition field options will then vary depending on whether the Type of Childcare is Before School, After School, Holiday or Under Fives
Provider
Update Spring 2025: Provider now has the following drop down choices;
- School (SCH)
- School in Partnership (SIP)
- Private/Independent Provider (PIP) New
- Voluntary Provider (VOL) New
- Other (OTH)
On-site Location
Signposted drop down choices
- ‘YF’ : Yes, we have formal arrangements with another provider for them to provide childcare to our pupils, including escort to or from the site
- ‘YL’ :Yes, we keep a list of other local providers that will pick up from our school to help parents
- ‘N’ : No
- ‘U’ : Not known
The screenshots below are examples of how the screen might look depending on the options that you select
Important: Please check DfE Census guidance for School Childcare for more information.
Childcare Places Availability
Childcare Before 8am
Childcare Cover 8AM to 6PM
Childcare Until 6pm
Holiday Childcare Provider Hours
Under Fives
Click Create when you are happy with your choices
Use this guide to view or edit your schools Characteristics. Characteristics are visible in the School Details panel when running a School Census.
See Also: How to Update School Details and Logo
From the left menu go to Config>Administration>Characteristics
Use the drop downs and data entry fields in the School Characteristics panel to check/update the information for your school.
All fields marked with an asterisk* must be completed in order to save the record.
Remember to click the top left Save if you make any changes.
If Specialist Provision in Mainstream is selected then the following choices are available for Nature of SPiM
If you have a Special Class/Unit, tick the box in the bottom right of the School Characteristics panel, this will prompt a drop down to appear for you to enter the Nature of Special Class/Unit*, select the relevant option from the drop down choices.
You can also use this page to add/edit or delete any Extended Services, for example Childcare Activities before or after school.
To add a new Extended Service, Click New
Choose the type from the Extended Service drop down and complete all fields as required
Click Create when you are happy with your choices
Use this guide to view or edit your schools Characteristics. Characteristics are visible in the School Details panel when running a School Census.
Access: the minimum permissions required to access Characteristics are found in the Administration>School Module from Config > Set Up > Roles and Permissions
See Also: How to Update School Details and Logo, or for Census specific guidance on Characteristics from the DfE click here
From the left menu go to Config>Administration>Characteristics
Use the drop downs and data entry fields in the School Characteristics panel to check/update the information for your school.
All fields marked with an asterisk* must be completed in order to save the record.
Remember to click the top left Save if you make any changes.
If you have a Special Class/Unit, tick the box in the bottom right of the School Characteristics panel, this will prompt a drop down to appear for you to enter the Nature of Special Class/Unit*, select the relevant option from the drop down choices.
You can also use this page to add/edit or delete any Extended Services, for example Childcare Activities before or after school.
To add a new Extended Service, Click New
Choose the type from the Extended Service drop down and complete all fields as required
Click Create when you are happy with your choices