This page contains the following guidance for completing the Spring 2026 School Census. It will be updated as and when we receive updates from the DfE.
The Spring 2026 Census is now availableto run.
Important Dates
- Census Date – Thursday 15th January 2026
- Return Date – Wednesday 11th February 2026
For further information, documentation and links to live training for the Spring Census, see here.
IMPORTANT:It is the school’s responsibility to review the DfE guidance to ensure all
required information is submitted as part of the School Census Return . Please see here for DfE Guidance.
Details of new or deleted DfE data items and changes to existing items for 2025–26 can be found here.
THE SCREENSHOTS USED IN THE GUIDE ARE FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY AND MAY DIFFER IN A LIVE SCHOOL’S MIS.
- Expand each item for guidance on preparing the Spring Census data in Bromcom.
- To print this as a checklist, click ‘Collapse All’ (button on the right), then right-click the page and select ‘Print’.
Key Areas to Check
The School Census collects the following School Details:
- Local Authority Number
- Departmental Establishment Number
- School Name
- School Phase
- Type of School
- Maximum Year Group
- Minimum Year Group
- Intake Type
- Governance
- School Telephone Number
- School Email Address
- School Time
- School Childcare
To check the Local Authority Number, Establishment Number, School Name, School Telephone Number and School Email Address navigate to Config > Administration > Core Details
Please note, the example below is for illustration purposes only and the information may differ from the School Details panel within a live school MIS.
The School Name, Telephone Number and Email Address fields can be edited directly. If the Local Authority number or Establishment Number are incorrect, these must be updated via Config > Administration > Schools.
Click Save to update any changes made.
For further information, see How to Update School Details and School Logo
To check the School Phase, Type of School, Minimum and Maximum Year Groups, Intake Type, Governance, School Time and School Childcare navigate to Config > Administration > Characteristics
Click Save to update any changes made.
For further information, see How to Manage School Characteristics and Extended Services
The Spring Census looks back at the Attendance recorded from the start of the Autumn term as detailed below.
From 01-08-2025 to 31-12-2025
- Please ensure that all Attendance Registration is complete for the date ranges above. This includes reviewing any unexplained Unauthorised Absences currently recorded with an N code and updating them with an appropriate explanation where applicable.
- We recommend producing reports to identify students with gaps in their attendance for the date ranges listed above. Specifically:
- Reports > Attendance > Attendance Report by Code – use this report to identify any N Codes (or any other unauthorised absence code). We’d suggest running this report separately for each year group.
- Reports>Attendance>Summary>Attendance Analysis Exports>Registration Diagnostics>Missing AM or PM Marks – use this report to identify any Missing Marks.
Use the information in these reports to guide any amendments to Attendance Data via Modules>Attendance>Manage Attendance.
For more information, see How to Access Attendance Reports and How to Manage Attendance.
Navigate to Student Profile > Ethnicity & Religion to review and, if necessary, update Ethnicity and Language.
Click Save to update any changes made.
Navigate to Student Profile > Funding & Allowances to review and, if necessary, update information in relation to:
- Pupil Premium
- Top Up Funding
- Additional Information (including Basis for 2 year old funding and Eligibility Code)
- Learner Monitoring (National Tutoring Programme NTP)
Click Save to update any changes made.
For further information, see How to Add a Top Up Funding Record to a Student and How to Manage Pupil Premium Students
IMPORTANT: This area significantly influences ongoing funding, as the Deprivation element of Pupil Premium is based on a student’s inclusion in Free School Meals over a specified period.
It is therefore essential to carefully verify Student Free School Meal details and eligibility.
Pupil Free School Meal statuses will be collected in the Spring Census under the following conditions:
- Periods of eligibility with a Start Date on or before 15/01/2026
AND - An End Date that is either not present or between 03/10/2025 and 15/01/2026 (inclusive)
A Students Free School Meal information can be reviewed and updated via:
Student Profile > Meal & Transport > Free School Meals.
Click Save to update any changes made.
For schools with intakes in National Curriculum Years R, 1, and 2, there will also be a requirement to report on the uptake of Universal Infant Free School Meals.
The Student Additional Details panel in the Student Profile can be used to view/edit the following data items.
- Youth Support Services Agreement
- Service Children in Education
- Young Carer
- Post Looked After Arrangements
Navigate to the Student Profile and hover to the right of the Student Name to display the option to Edit Student Details, then click to proceed.
This will open the Student Details > Basic Details panel. Select the Additional Details tab at the top to access the drop-down menus for Youth Support Services Agreement, Service Children in Education, Young Carer, and Post Looked After Arrangements.
Click Save to update any changes made
Dual Registered students must have their enrolment status accurately recorded at both the Main and Subsidiary schools.
- Actual attendance data for Dual Registered students should only be entered at the Subsidiary school, for the sessions they are expected to attend there.
- The corresponding periods at the Main school should be marked with the Attendance Code D.
A student’s registration status may be amended by accessing the Enrolment Status panel within the Student Profile under the Enrolment tab.
For more information, see How to Change a Students Enrolment Status
Navigate to Student Profile > Enrolment > Key Data to review and, if necessary, update information in relation to:
- UPN
- ULN
- Boarder Status
- NC Year Group
- Part-Time Indicator
The Key Data Panel can be found on the right-hand side of the page. Click the Edit button in the top-right corner.
UPN, ULN, Boarder Status and Curriculum Year Group can be found on the Key Details tab.
The Part-Time Indicator can be found within the Attendance Modes tab.
Click Save to update any changes made
To access DfE guidance on Alternative Provision, see here.
The Alternative Provisions panel can be accessed via Students > View Student Details > Enrolment. See here for more information.
If the school phase is set to PRU, two panels will be visible: Alternative Provision and Alternative Provision Details. For standard Secondary, Primary, or other phases, only the Alternative Provision Details panel will be shown.
For schools collecting the Alternative Provision Company Number and Placement Postcode, please refer to the DfE guidance on Alternative Provision Setting Type here.
- URN of Previous School: records the URN of the establishment that the pupil attended prior to attending the AP school.
- Alternative provision reason: records the main or primary reason why the AP was arranged.
- Alternative provision placement SEN provision on entry: records SEN provision at the time of entry into the PRU or AP.
Alternative Provision module for placements arranged by schools (all schools)
- Alternative provision placement URN: records the URN, where available, of establishment within which the pupil has taken up an alternative provision placement.
- Alternative provision placement UKPRN: records the UKPRN, where available, of establishment within which the pupil has taken up an alternative provision placement.
- Alternative provision placement type of setting: records, where neither the URN nor UKPRN are available, the type of setting within which the pupil has taken up an alternative provision placement.
- You MUST only return ONE of the AP Identifiers: URN, UKPRN or Type of Setting. The system process has been designed to assist with this. Use the Search to add a School which will automatically add the URN, alternatively select Unknown School within the Available Schools search panel. You will be returned to the panel where the School name can be added manually and the UKPRN may be added in the field provided, whereupon the Type of Setting will disappear. Finally, if no URN or UKPRN is available, add the Type of Setting from the dropdown selector plus the company house number and postcode.
- Alternative provision placement reason: records, for school commissioned placements, the main or primary reason why the AP was arranged.
- Alternative provision placement date of entry: records the pupil’s entry date into alternative provision.
- Alternative provision placement SEN provision on entry: records SEN provision at the time of entry into alternative provision.
- Alternative provision placement date of leaving: records the date the pupil leaves alternative provision (where applicable).
- Alternative provision placement SEN provision on leaving: records SEN provision at the time of leaving alternative provision (where applicable).
- Alternative provision placement Attendance pattern: records the pupil’s planned attendance pattern at the alternative provision provider.
- Alternative provision placement sessions per week: records, where the pupil’s attendance pattern is part time, the pupil’s planned number of sessions per week.
We recommend checking with your SEN Co-ordinator to ensure that all students with special educational needs have been accurately updated in the MIS.
- All Students with a current SEN Status should have an SEN record with the code K (SEN Support).
- Any Students who have transitioned to no longer having any kind of SEN requirement should have their latest record updated to include an N code for No Special Educational Need.
- Any student with a SEN Status (other than code N) should also have at least one identified need/category recorded.
- Students with a SEN status but no specific type of need should be entered with the SEN Category of NSA (SEN Support but no specialist assessment of type of need).
A Student’s SEN Status & Category can both be updated through the Special Educational Needs tab in the Student Profile.
Click Save to update any changes made.
For further information, see How to Add SEN information to a Students Record
For DfE guidance on Suspensions & Permanent Exclusions see here.
To add Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions, navigate to the Student Profile > Behaviour > Exclusions.
IMPORTANT: If the Exclusion Type is set to Permanent, the Gov’s Decision field must be completed for the exclusion to appear in the Census file.
For more information, see How to add Exclusions to the Student Profile
The Census collects details of all classes running at the selected time on Spring Census Day.
For Secondary schools with timetables in place, the census draws data from the Curriculum module in the MIS, using the timetables of Teaching Classes.
While for Primary schools the census collects information on Tutor Groups.
To review and, if necessary, update these groups, navigate to Groups from the left-hand menu.
From the Group Type drop-down, select either Teaching Classes or Tutor Groups, depending on the school phase.
Ensure all details are accurate, including Group Names, Student Memberships, Associated Teachers and Support
For schools using Bromcom to record Dinners, please ensure meals for Census Day have been confirmed. For more information, see How to Confirm and Save Dinner Numbers
The Student List page provides a useful overview for identifying and updating any gaps in student data.
Reports on student data – such as Pupil Premium or Free School Meals – can be generated quickly. In the example below, a column for Pupil Premium has been added, followed by a column filter set to “Yes.” To export the filtered data, click the green X icon at the top right to download it as a CSV file.
For more information, see How to use the Student List page to create Simple Reports.
In addition, the Quick Edit function on the Student List page can be used to update student data in bulk.
For more information, see How to use Quick Edit in the Student List Page
Generating the School Census
To run the Census, navigate to Modules > Census > School.
In the top-right corner of the screen, select the appropriate Term and Year. These fields should be correct by default.
Next, click the New button in the top-left to create a new Census Return.
The Census Parameters and School Details panels are now displayed. The information in the Census Parameters panel is prepopulated, but please check the information displayed within the School Details panel is accurate.
Please refer to the next section for guidance on School Details.
The DfE have advised that there is an error in the Selected Time specified in the census file. As such it will be necessary to update the Selected Time on the Census Return. More information can be found in the below guide:
When a new Census is created, the right-hand School Details section shows the information for the school.
Ensure that the School Details are accurate, paying particular attention to the LA ID and Establishment Number. Additionally, verify that the School Phase, Intake, Governance, and other information are correct. Inaccurate details may result in issues with the Census Return.
All information on the School Details page can be modified by selecting the Edit buttons, which navigate to either Core Details or Characteristics.
If any changes are made to Core Details or Characteristics, be sure to save them. Upon returning to this page, click the Refresh button at the top right of the School Details panel to view the updated information and ensure the changes are included in the Census file.
For more information, see How to Update School Details.
Once the School Details have been confirmed as correct, the Census can be generated by clicking the Generate button at the top left.
This process may take a few moments – please wait while it completes.
Class data is required as part of the Spring Census. The Class Information panel must be completed to reflect the details of all classes taking place at the specified time (determined by the final digit of the school’s departmental establishment number).
For Secondary Schools:
Data displayed in the Class Information panel is drawn from Teaching Classes.
Review each class and update any details as needed by selecting the relevant cells. Additional rows can be added using the +Add Row button to record any extra class information required.
Clicking the top right Reset to MIS button restores the information in this panel to its original state as recorded in the MIS, prior to any user modifications.
If Save and Validate has been used on a previous Census, the Reset to Latest Census option will be available on this panel when running a new Census. Selecting this will populate the class information previously set, removing the need to re-enter it manually.
For Primary Schools:
Class data can be entered into the Class Information panel by clicking on the +Add Row button.
Complete a row for each class taking place at the specified time, paying particular attention to:
- Class Name
- On Roll Students
- Guest Students
- Teachers
- Support Staff
- Year Group
- Activity
- Class Type
- Key Stage
For guidance on handling pupil-to-teacher ratios above 30, click the ‘i’ icon in the top-right corner of the Class Information panel.
If Save and Validate has been used on a previous Census, the Reset to Latest Census option will be available on this panel when running a new Census. Selecting this will populate the class information previously set, removing the need to re-enter it manually.
In relation to Class Information, the Spring Census checks that the number of pupils included in the return matches the number of pupils reported in classes as taught, taking into account any registered pupils who were not in class at the selected time.
This information is recorded in the Pupil Reconciliation panel, which automatically draws the figures for Pupils on Roll and in Classes from the Class Information panel. Schools must account for any pupils not in classes by entering the relevant figures in the appropriate groups within the panel.
It is important to ensure that the totals for Total Pupils and Number of Pupils on Roll match; otherwise, an error will appear when attempting to Save & Validate.
Further down the Census Data Entry page, the Pupil Reconciliation / Funded Hours section is displayed and must be completed.
Funded Hours must be collected for students aged 2, 3, and 4 from all schools with pupils in these age groups, with the exception of City Technology Colleges and Non-Maintained Special Schools.
The table below outlines the entitlement criteria for Funded Hours in the Spring Census, as specified in the DfE’s Complete the School Census-Data Items – Funded Entitlement Hours guidance.
The table below outlines the entitlement criteria for Funded Extended Hours as specified in the DfE’s Complete the School Census Data Items – Funded Extended Entitlement Hours guidance.
The table below outlines the entitlement criteria for Funded Expanded Entitlement Hours as specified in the DfE’s Complete the School Census Data Items – Funded Expanded Entitlement Hours guidance.
Using Update Funded Hours, the Funded Hours, Hours at Setting, Extended Childcare Hours and Expanded Hours can be applied to the relevant age group.
Once the hours have been selected for the age group, click the Save button. This process should then be repeated for the remaining age groups. Upon completion, Funded Hours and Hours at Setting will be populated for each student. If necessary, individual student hours can be adjusted by clicking on the relevant cell and entering a new value.
Important:
- 2 Year Olds – Funded Hours + Expanded Hours MUST = Hours at Setting
- 3 & 4 Year Olds – Funded + Extended Childcare Hours MUST = Hours at Setting
If Save and Validate has been used on a previous Census, the Reset to Latest Census option will be available on this panel when running a new Census. Selecting this will populate the hours previously set, removing the need to re-enter them manually.
For certain school phases, the collection of Pupil School Lunch information is a requirement in the Spring Census. The MIS will determine whether this information is required, and if so, this panel will be used to record it.
If the Bromcom Dinner module is in use, the Lunch Taken column may already be populated with data, indicating which students took (or are expected to take) a school lunch on Census day. Dinner Numbers must be confirmed on Census Day for this information to populate.
If the Dinner Module is not in use, place a tick against all students who are taking (or have taken) a school lunch on Census Day.
To make this process quicker, the tick box option in the Lunch Taken column header can be used to select all students at once, followed by deselecting those who did not take lunch.
This information will also be used to determine the Universal Infant Free School Meal entitlement.
Clicking the top right Reset to MIS button restores the information in this panel to its original state as recorded in the MIS, prior to any user modifications.
For subsequent generations of the Census file within the same term, the Reset to Latest Census button can be used to retrieve the edited data from the previous Census file. This eliminates the need to re-enter data for multiple Census runs within the same term.
Figures on Admission Appeals are collected in the Spring Census from schools that were responsible for their own appeals.
Secondary Admissions
Information is required on the number of appeals lodged, withdrawn, heard, upheld and rejected from Secondary, middle-deemed Secondary and All-Through Schools.
Primary Admissions
Information is required on the number of appeals lodged, withdrawn, heard, upheld and rejected from Primary, middle-deemed Primary and All-Through Schools.
Infant Admission Appeals information is only required from Primary and All-Through Schools.
The Spring Census records the total number of children eligible for Free School Meals, who actually took a meal on Census Day.
This information can be entered within the Miscellaneous panel
For further details on who should be included in this figure, refer to the Free School Meals Taken section of the DfE guidance
The next step is to validate the Census by clicking the Save & Validate button. This action will complete the generation of the Census file and initiate the validation process, which will identify any errors or queries within the return.
This validation process may take a few moments – please wait while the process completes.
View Errors
After validation, the system will return to the Census page. The generated file will be visible, along with the following options:
View Summary – Displays the summary page for the return. This can be printed and used as a starting point for reviewing data.
View Errors – Lists any errors or queries identified during the validation process. A full list of potential errors and queries can be found in the Bromcom School Census Error Resolutions 2025 Guide here.
View File – Allows the generated Census XML file to be viewed and saved. This step is only necessary when submitting the return to the Local Authority or uploading to COLLECT.
To view the summary file, select the appropriate return – if multiple returns have been generated – and click View Summary.
This will download the Census Summary file to the local computer, allowing it to be viewed or printed as needed.
Once the School Census Return has been generated, any errors must be addressed before the return can be authorised and submitted. Select the relevant return and click the View Errors button. The screen will then update, as shown in the example below.
Each Error and Query will now be displayed, ready to be dealt with.
For full guidance on using the error summary screen, along with a comprehensive list of errors and queries, see here.
Common individual errors and queries can also be searched in the Help Centre for more detailed resolution guidance. Enter the error or query number into the search bar, then select the relevant guide from the results.
In addition, the DFE School Census Technical Information, including validation rules, can be accessed here.
Once all errors have been resolved and any outstanding queries reviewed and accepted, it is important to re-run the Census to ensure all updates are included.
After re-running the Census, select the appropriate return (if multiple returns exist) and click the Authorise button.
This process converts the Census Return file into the required XML format for uploading to the COLLECT website. Multiple authorised files can be retained, each date-stamped to assist in identifying the correct version for submission.
The Census Return file is now ready for submission and can be exported by clicking the View File button, which will save a copy to the downloads folder on the local machine.
Census Reporting
IMPORTANT: To generate Census Reports, a Census Return must first be created.
Navigate to Reports > Census > School to access the list of built-in reports.
For further guidance on Census Reports, please refer to How to View School Census Reports
IMPORTANT: It is the school’s responsibility to review the DfE guidance to ensure all required information is accurately submitted as part of the School Census Return. The DfE Guidance can be accessed here.