This page contains the following guidance for completing the Summer 2026 School Census. It will be updated as and when we receive updates from the DfE.
The Summer 2026 Census is now available to run
- Important Dates
- Known Issues
- Resolved Issues
- Read DfE Guidance
- Read the Bromcom Guidance
- Book onto a Census Webinar
- Watch Webinar Recordings
- Additional Guidance
Access: The permissions required to run and troubleshoot the Summer 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 21st May 2026
Return Date – Wednesday 17th June 2026
Known Issues
06.05.2026
The currently applied version of the Summer 2026 Census validation file from the DfE, which controls how the census works on every MIS, has known issues with how the below codes are validated
- Error code 2500 triggering incorrectly for students who started at your school after 05/04/2026 and were aged between 4 and 15 (inclusive) on 31/08/2025.
- Query code 1881Q triggering incorrectly for students who started at your school after 05/04/2026 and were aged between 4 and 15 (inclusive) on 31/08/2025.
- Error code 2520 triggering incorrectly for students, stating that they have greater than 150 possible attendance sessions, when they do not.
The DfE have provided us with a new version of the Summer 2026 Census validation file as of 05/05/2026, we are working to implement these new files, which should eliminate the above known issues for codes 2500, 2520 and 1881Q. We will provide more information once available.
There is also an issue with which students are being recorded with Extended Hours within the Summer 2026 Census file created on Bromcom
- Students aged 9 months to 2 years old as of 31/08/2025 are incorrectly being recorded as having Extended Hours, as a result of the tag being returned for them in census file by the Bromcom MIS.
- Students aged 3 to 4 years old as of 31/08/2025 are incorrectly being recorded as having Expanded Hours, as a result of the tag being returned for them in census file by the Bromcom MIS.
Resolved Issues
Please check back in this area for Resolved Issues
Read DfE Guidance
DfE guidance on the Census is published here and includes the main changes compared to previous years.
For DfE guidance on generating and submitting a return, see here.
Read the Bromcom Guidance
Click on the links below for Bromcom Summer 2026 School Census guidance.
Summer 2026 School Census Guide
Summer 2026 Error Resolutions Guide
Additional detailed guidance for resolving the most common errors and queries is available in the Help Centre.
Simply type in the Error or Query Number into the Search box
Book onto a Census Webinar
Reserve a place on the free Census Webinars by selecting the relevant links below.
Pre Census Checks
Primary Dates
- Wednesday 6th May 9:30am – 10:45am
- Thursday 14th May 1:30pm – 2:45pm
- Monday 18th May 1:30pm -2:45pm
Secondary Dates
- Thursday 7th May 9:30am – 10:45am
- Tuesday 12th May 1:30pm – 2:45pm
- Tuesday 19th May 9:30am – 10:45am
How to Generate a Census
Primary Dates
- Wednesday 6th May 11:15am – 12 noon
- Thursday 14th May 3:15pm – 4:00pm
- Monday 18th May 3:15pm – 4:00pm
Secondary Dates
- Thursday 7th May 11:15am – 12 noon
- Tuesday 12th May 3:15pm – 4:00pm
- Tuesday 19th May 11:15am – 12 noon
Watch Webinar Recordings
Click the links below to watch a recording of the Secondary Summer 2025 sessions. You will need to enter your name and email address to view the recording.
Secondary Summer Census Live Webinar Recording 2025
Click the links below to watch a recording of the Primary 2026 sessions. You will need to enter your name and email address to view the recording.
Primary Pre Census Checks Summer 2026
Primary How to Generate a Census Summer 2026
Check back in this area in early May for the Secondary 2026 Recordings
Additional Guidance
To record children receiving Free School Meals under the criteria for families with no recourse to public funds (NRPF), refer to the DfE guidance on Free School Meal eligibility.
For Census Reporting, see How to View Census Reports
For Pupil Premium, see How to Manage Pupil Premium Students
For Attendance Reporting, see How to Access Attendance Analysis Exports and How to Access Attendance Reports