This page contains guidance for completing the Spring 2023 School Census. It will be updated as and when we receive updates from DfE.
The Spring 2023 School Census is now available to run.
Access: The permissions required to run and troubleshoot the Census are found in the Census Module of Config>Setup>Roles and Permissions. Each tick box on the right determines which functions are visible/available on the page for users with the selected Role.

See also: How to get started with Roles & Permissions
Important dates
Census Date: Thursday 19th January 2023
Return Date: Wednesday 15th February 2023
Known Issues
Error 3131 – This a known issue from the DfE which affects PRUs (Pupil Referral Units ) only. if there are no errors in the MIS but you are receiving this error at COLLECT level, the COLLECT error must be resolved. DfE are aware that they released the fix late. PRUs should not contact Bromcom for this issue.
Error 4040 – Where ‘Young Carer Indicator must be present and a valid value’, please go to Students>Profile>Edit Student Details>Additional Information and re-save the record even if the Young Carer Indicator is set to Not declared.
Error 4016 – The DfE is aware of an issue with Error 4016 which has been modified to a query. It has said it will be acceptable to upload the file with this error and will be handled as a query at COLLECT level. This error will only be triggered on PRUs.
DfE Guidance
DfE’s guidance about the Census is published here, including the main changes compared to previous years.
When you’ve resolved all your errors and are ready to submit your census, take a look at the DfE’s COLLECT guides for help with what explanations to submit for any existing queries.
Bromcom Guidance
Book onto a Census Overview Webinar
You can book onto one of our free Census Webinars below, there are several dates available for each session.
Watch Webinar Recordings
See below for Spring 2023 Webinar Recordings
Drop in Sessions
For users who have attended one of our Spring Census Webinars but still have follow up questions, we are also hosting six Drop in Sessions via Teams.
To attend a Drop in Session, you must have already attended one of our Spring Census Webinars. The link and schedule can be found below;
Click here to join the meeting
Thursday 5th January 2023 – 2-4pm
Friday 6th January 2023 – 10am-12pm
Thursday 12th January 2023 – 2-4pm
Friday 13th January 2023 – 10am-12pm
Thursday 19th January 2023 – 2-4pm
Friday 20th January 2023 – 10am-12pm