How to complete the educational setting status form

If your school setting is closed you’ll need to complete this form every day so that the DfE is aware of the closure

The educational setting status form is for:

• academies (including free schools and studio schools); each school in a multi-academy trust (MAT) must complete this individually – MAT head office cannot complete it on behalf of member schools;
• local authority-maintained schools;
• independent schools;
• non-maintained special schools;
• pupil referral units;
• university technical colleges;
• special post-16 institutions;
• further education (FE) colleges and sixth-form colleges; if colleges are part of a group, a single form should be completed covering all colleges that fall under the corporation

You must submit the educational settings status form by 2pm every day to allow the Department for Education (DfE) to use the data on the same day. If you cannot meet the 2pm deadline, submit the form as soon as you can. Data submitted after the deadline may not be included in DfE daily figures. You can get help if you have problems while using the form.

Preview of the form

These are the questions which will appear on the collection form for settings. They have been reproduced so that you can see the information you’ll need to provide.

• Questions for schools: educational settings status form 
• Questions for FE settings: educational settings status form 

Recording non-attendance related to coronavirus

You can use this list of sub-codes which have been introduced into management information systems (MIS) to help you:

• extract attendance data to complete the daily educational settings status form;
• consistently record non-attendance related to coronavirus;
• monitor non-attendance related to coronavirus for your own purposes.

If you have an existing system for recording and monitoring non-attendance related to coronavirus you can continue to use this if you wish; the use of these sub-codes is not compulsory.

For more information about how to use code X, see the recording attendance in relation to coronavirus attendance addendum.

How to complete the form

Anyone with a DfE Sign-in account can complete the form. This includes headteachers, deputy heads, business managers or a member of the senior leadership team within an educational setting. Data from the attendance register can be used to help complete your daily educational setting status. The DfE will not be collecting pupil-level data through the educational setting status form.

Sharing of data with local authorities

Local authorities have been given access to a spreadsheet showing attendance data for educational settings in their area, for those settings that are submitting returns to the DfE. This spreadsheet is located on the View Your Education Data Portal and can be accessed via the Identity and Access Management System (IDAMS). If you work in a local authority you can look at the data using an IDAMS account. See guidance on how to register for an IDAMS account.

Help

You can email dfe.educationsettingstatus@education.gov.uk if you have any questions about completing the form.

You can also use the DfE coronavirus helpline if you have a query about the form or for general queries about coronavirus. If you work in a school or college, have your unique reference number (URN or UK PRN) available when calling the helpline.

The helpline can also help with setting up an IDAMS account.

DfE coronavirus helpline – telephone 0800 046 8687 – if you have a query about coronavirus relating to schools and other educational establishments, and children’s social care; in England contact the DfE’s helpline.