We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.
Secondary schools with sixth forms, all-through schools, pupil referral units, alternative provision academies (including free schools), city technology colleges and academies (including free schools) must return this module.
Where a school does not have a sixth form, this information is not collected. Learning aims data is used by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to calculate funding allocations.
While students at other schools (such as special schools or middle-deemed secondary schools) may undertake learning aims, information about those learning aims are not collected as part of the school census.
Schools must only include post-16 data, including learning aims, for those students who have (or had at the time of the learning aims) their current or main registration at the school. For dual-registered students, funding is allocated to the main school. All post-16 data, including learning aims, for dual-registered students must be returned by the school that holds the student’s main registration (the main school returns the learning aims being taken at both the main and subsidiary schools). Subsidiary schools do not submit learning aims in respect of students with subsidiary registration.
Re-sits and re-takes
A re-sit occurs when an examination is taken again but the student does not attend regular lessons for the course (attendance at revision classes may occur). Information in relation to re-sits is not required for the purposes of this collection and therefore must not be returned by schools.
A re-take occurs when a student is retaking a complete qualification or part of a modular qualification, including attendance at regular classes. This will be treated in the same manner as any other course and recorded as a new learning aim.
For more information on re-sits and re-takes, refer to the funding regulations.
Learning aims to be included [used for funding]
Learning aims that are being undertaken in the current academic year are returned in the 2024 autumn school census for any students who:
- were on roll at the school at any point between 2024-08-31 and census day
- were in actual national curriculum year group 12 or above in that period, regardless of their age
- the school wishes to claim 16 to 19 funding from ESFA for
Learning aims that were taken in the previous academic year are collected for any students who:
- have been on roll in the school at any point between 2023-08-01 and 2024-07-31
- were in actual national curriculum year group 12 or above in that period, regardless of their age
- the school wishes to claim 16 to 19 funding from ESFA for
This may include students who have left school prior to the autumn census day.
For information on which students are eligible for 16 to 19 funding, refer to ESFA’s funding regulations guidance.
Where students move between year groups during an academic year, it may not be possible for a school’s MIS to automatically identify the appropriate students or learning aims that need to be included in the school census return. In such cases, advice should be sought from the software provider and the school may need to make its own judgements according to the criteria set out above to decide whether the student and the learning aims should be included in the school census return.
Processes for recording learning aims [used for funding]
Prior to or at the start of the academic year
Before recording details of learning aims for individual students, we recommend that schools produce a list of the qualifications that they will be providing. This school list will then be used for allocating specific learning aims to students. This list should only contain qualifications that are valid for the academic year in question. Qualification validity dates are shown on the QN Web Services website (QWS) and find a learning aim. Invalid qualifications can result in negative impacts on your 16 to 19 funding.
Each qualification in the school list is identified by:
- a qualification number (QN)
- a subject classification code (SCC)
- a learning aim start date (the date the learning activities for the qualification will start for each student – students may have differing start dates for the same learning aim)
- a learning aim planned end date (the date the learning activities for the qualification are planned to end for each student – students may have differing end dates for the same learning aim)
Schools will need to use the QN Web Services website (QWS) to identify the correct QN and SCC for each learning aim.
QNs are available for the overall International Baccalaureate (IB) and for each component (subject) qualification. When students take the full IB Diploma, schools must record the QN for the IB Diploma, and not the QNs for the individual components. When students are only taking components of the IB, but not the whole qualification, schools must return the QNs for those components.
The IB Organisation also offer the International Baccalaureate career-related certificate. This can include components from other awarding organisations. Schools return the overall QN, along with the QNs for components offered by non-IB awarding organisations.
At the start of the academic year
At the beginning of the academic year, schools enter details for each learning aim undertaken by a student, using the school list described. This includes those courses starting in the current year and those continuing from the previous academic year(s).
Recording core aims
Schools must identify and record a core learning aim (the principal or most important qualification) for all students undertaking a vocational study programme.
Students undertaking academic study programmes must not have a a core aim recorded.
For vocational students, one core aim must be recorded for the academic year. A student may transfer off one core aim and on to another – in this scenario, you should record learning aim status 4 for the core aim transferred off and the new core aim should have a start date at least one day later than the actual end date of the previous core aim. There should only be one current core aim in any vocational programme, and core aims should not overlap.
There is more information about the core aim in the funding rates and formula guidance.
Throughout the academic year
Throughout the academic year, schools update the actual end date and status of the learning aim as appropriate.
When the learning aim status is continuing (the default value), the learning aim actual end date is left blank. When the student has completed, withdrawn or transferred from the learning aim, the learning aim actual end date reflects the date the status changed.
For the autumn school census
Schools must ensure that records are up to date and include all learning aims in scope.
Performance measures for all qualifications are calculated according to the planned end date. Where a student continues their study beyond the planned end date entered at the start of the learning aim, schools must not change the planned end date.
Learning aims submitted in error
Any learning aims that were active at any point during the current or previous academic year that have been submitted in error during a previous census must not be returned in the current census.
In such situations, schools are required to keep their local MIS up to date with the correct learning aims information with only the correct learning aims being returned in the next census.
Example ‘A’: correcting the recording of an incorrect learning aim in a previous census
During the 2023 autumn school census, the following learning aim was submitted as being undertaken during the 2023 to 2024 academic year:
- qualification number equals Z9999999
- subject classification code equals 1234
- learning aim start date equals 2023-09-01
- learning aim planned end date equals 2024-07-31
- learning aim actual end date equals NULL (as aim not completed as at 2023 autumn census)
- learning aim status equals ‘1’ - the learner is continuing or intending to continue the learning activities leading to the learning aim
Following completion of the 2023 autumn census, the school subsequently discovered that they had recorded the incorrect subject classification code for this learning aim – this should have been 4321, rather than 1234.
To correct this error, the school must update the learning aim in their system with the correct details (either by amending the existing aim or by deleting the incorrect aim and creating a new one) and only the correct aim must be returned in the following census.
In this example, the correct aim was completed on 2024-07-31 and therefore the following information would be returned in the 2024 autumn census:
- qualification number equals Z9999999
- subject classification code equals 4321
- learning aim start date equals 2023-09-01
- learning aim planned end date equals 2024-07-31
- learning aim actual end date equals 2024-07-31
- learning aim status equals ‘2’ - the learner has completed the learning activities leading to the learning aim
Example ‘B’: correcting the recording of a learning aim that was never started by the student
During the 2023 autumn school census, the following learning aim was submitted as being undertaken during the 2022 to 2023 academic year:
- qualification number equals Z9999999
- subject classification code equals 1234
- learning aim start date equals 2023-09-01
- learning aim planned end date equals 2024-07-31
- learning aim actual end date equals NULL (as aim not completed as at 2023 autumn census)
- learning aim status equals ‘1’ - the learner is continuing or intending to continue the learning activities leading to the learning aim
Following completion of the 2023 autumn census, the school subsequently discovered that they incorrectly recorded the learning aim, as the student did not start the course.
To correct this error, the school must delete the learning aim in their system and ensure that only the correct aims are returned in the following census.
As the autumn census drives funding, it is important that this amendment is made before the final submission of the autumn return. Failing to correct this error may also affect the school’s retention measures.
Programme aim [used for funding]
We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.
There are 3 types of 16 to 19 programmes:
- study programme (including traineeships)
- T Level foundation year programme
- T Level programme
With multiple types of programmes available to students, it is important to be able to:
- identify the type of programme a student is undertaking
- record programme level information for each student
- link component learning aims to a programme
This is particularly important where a student undertakes more than one type of programme in the same academic year.
All pupils undertaking 16 to 19 programmes must have a programme aim recorded which encompasses the component learning aims.
The programme aim is ZPROG001 and is used for all 3 programme types. The programme type field identifies the type of programme undertaken.
The programme aim captures information about the whole programme. Therefore, the start and end dates reflect the overall programme duration, and the completion status reflects whether all the components in that programme were completed or not.
Programme type [used for funding]
We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.
The census records a programme type against all learning aims. The programme type indicates what type of programme each learning aim belongs to.
A student undertaking one type of programme should have only one programme type recorded against all learning aims, whereas a student undertaking 2 different programmes will have more than one programme type, each recorded against the learning aims that belong to the different programmes.
The programme type code indicates whether a student is studying:
- a T Level foundation year programme (code 30)
- a T Level programme (code 31)
- a 16 to 19 study programme (code 01)
The programme type will default to code 01, allowing those institutions delivering T Level or T Level foundation year programmes to amend locally.
Learning aim start date [used for funding]
We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.
The date the student began the learning activity. This must not be later than census day. When a student has no learning aim start date, this will affect funding.
For T Levels only - the start date may be a future date within the 2024 to 2025 academic year.
Learning aim planned end date [used for funding]
We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.
The planned end date is the date the student plans to complete the learning aim. If the student completes the learning aim before or after this date, you must not change the planned end date. You should only change the planned end date to correct a recording error.
The planned end date must not be more than 5 years after the start date.
Learning aim actual end date [used for funding]
We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.
The date that the student completed the learning activities or the date they withdrew or transferred from the learning activities.
Unless a student has completed, withdrawn or transferred to another learning aim prior to census day, you should leave this blank.
If you provide an actual end date, the learning aim status cannot be continuing (code ‘1’).
If the learning aim status is anything other than continuing (code ‘1’) this date must be completed.
Learning aim status [used for funding and retention measures in 16 to 18 performance tables]
We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.
Failure to update the learning aim status for the previous academic year may negatively impact student reporting in retention measures published in 16 to 18 performance tables (a completed aim incorrectly recorded as either ‘continuing’ or ‘withdrawn’).
This gives the status of the learning aim at the time of the autumn census. There are 4 possible values.
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Learner is continuing or intending to continue the learning activities leading to the learning aim. |
| 2 | Learner has completed the learning activities leading to the learning aim. |
| 3 | Learner has withdrawn from the learning activities leading to the learning aim. |
| 4 | Learner has transferred to a new learning aim. That is, the learner has withdrawn from this learning aim and has started studying for another learning aim within the same provider. |
Sub-contracting partner UKPRN
We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.
The sub-contracting partner UKPRN is recorded for all learning aims that are sub-contracted to a third-party organisation where the education provision will be paid for with ESFA 16 to 19 funding through a contractual arrangement.
Schools must record the UK provider registration number (UKPRN) against the learning aim(s) that are sub-contracted to the partner organisation.
Learning aim withdrawal reason
We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.
You should select the reason that most closely matches the reason for the student leaving the course. You can only select one reason.
Find a withdrawal reason code.
Unless a student has withdrawn from the learning aim prior to census day, the learning aim withdrawal reason is left blank.
Traineeships [used for funding]
From 1 August 2023, traineeships are no longer delivered through the national traineeships programme. Traineeships can continue to be offered by providers locally. Traineeship provision will be integrated into 16 to 19 study programme and adult education provision from 1 August 2023. The last start date for traineeships under the current programme is 31 July 2023. Traineeships started on or before this date will continue to be funded.
We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.
Traineeships are programmes that prepare young people for employment so they are able to progress successfully to apprenticeships, further study programmes or other sustainable employment. If a traineeship programme includes work experience, that must be the core aim. Further guidance on traineeships is available.
The traineeship indicator is set against each of the student’s learning aims. The default is set to ‘false’ (or ‘0’), and any learning aim that is part of a traineeship programme is recorded as ‘true’ (or ‘1’).
Where learning aims from a previous academic year contribute to a traineeship, you do not need to flag them retrospectively.
Work placement entity [used for funding]
We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.
The school census records work experience and industry placements using a QN for one of the following:
- T Level industry placement: ZWRKX003
- 16 to 19 study programme work experience: ZWRKX001
A work experience or industry placement QN can have more than one work placement entity. This means that students who have more than one placement, possibly with more than one employer, will have one QN and multiple work placement entities.
For each work experience or industry placement, the following fields should be recorded:
- the start and end dates for each episode of a placement
- the planned work placement hours for each episode of a placement
- the employer (using the employer ID number from the employer data service)
- whether the placement is internal or external
Recording T Level and T Level foundation year programmes
T Level programmes
T Level programmes have 5 mandatory components, all of which should be recorded with programme type 31.
1. Programme aim
Every T Level programme must have a programme aim (ZPROG001) spanning the entire duration of the programme. In year 2 of the programme, all components of T Levels must be provided, including any components that started in year one of the programme (whether they ended in year one or continued into year 2) and any components that have already started or are planned to start in year 2 of the programme.
2. T Level technical qualification
This is the main technical qualification of the programme, covering the core and specialist content. This qualification must be recorded for each T Level student at the beginning of the first year of study and must be the core aim.
T Level qualifications all have the prefix ‘T Level technical qualification in’ in QWS. They also carry the learning aim type code 1468 (T Level technical qualification) in the Learning Aims Reference Service (LARS) database.
3. Occupational specialism
Every T Level student must choose an occupational specialism as part of their T Level programme. Although not a qualification in its own right, it is important that institutions record the occupational specialism each student undertakes. We have set up learning aim class codes (all beginning ZTLOS) for each occupational specialism from 2020 to enable clear recording.
The occupational specialism recorded will determine the level of funding the T Level programme attracts. The occupational specialism must therefore be recorded in your data at the beginning of the first year of study. However, the occupational specialism can be changed later in the year should the original choice change.
In cases where a specialism has not been decided on at the beginning of the T Level programme, record the occupational specialism that is most likely to be undertaken based on the planned programme. If the student then starts a different specialism to the one originally recorded, withdraw the original occupational specialism and record a new one in its place.
If non ZTLOS QAN references were used for students starting a specialism in the 2020 to 2021 academic year, these references must continue to be used for these students until they have completed their courses. For all students starting a specialism in the 2021 to 2022 academic year and beyond, the ZTLOS QAN references must be used. QWS dates will show that no new starts should be made using the non ZTLOS QAN references for 2021 to 2022 onwards.
4. T Level industry placement
Every T Level student must undertake a substantial industry placement and this should be recorded using the learning aim ZWRKX003. This learning aim reference is specifically for T level industry placement activity.
This can be recorded in year one or year 2 of the T Level programme.
You must also record at least one work placement entity record for this industry placement.
5. T Level planned hours
These should be recorded against every T Level student at the start of their programme in the T level planned learning hours and T Level planned employability, enrichment and pastoral hours fields. T Level planned hours must be recorded for the whole programme.
This is different to 16 to 19 study programmes, where the planned hours are recorded only for the academic year.
T Level foundation year programmes
The T Level foundation year programme is a variant of 16 to 19 study programmes that can only be delivered and recorded by providers that have been selected to deliver T Levels and confirmed they are delivering the T Level foundation year programme in the same T Level route.
As such, they don’t have the same mandatory component structure as T Level programmes. All learning aims within a T Level foundation year programme should be recorded as programme type 30.
All T Level foundation years must have a programme aim (ZPROG001).
As the T Level foundation year programme is a form of 16 to 19 study programme, you must record annual planned hours values in the ‘planned learning hours’ and ‘planned employability, enrichment and pastoral hours’ fields.
You should not record hours for the T Level foundation year programme students in the ‘T level planned hours’ fields. These are only used for T Level programmes.
To link a T Level foundation year to a T Level route in your data return, a T Level route level class code must be recorded in each T Level foundation year.
This class code must be recorded as the core aim.
There are 11 route level class codes, which can be found in find a learning aim by looking for learning aims with a QN starting with ZTPR.
Any other learning, including maths and English, where applicable, is recorded as a component aim.
Qualification numbers and subject classification codes [used for funding]
We need this data for both on- and off-roll students.
Every course leading to a qualification that is funded for schools in England has a qualification number (QN) and subject classification code (SCC).
You can find a list of QNs (with associated data) on the QN Web Services (QWS) website. Schools must only return valid qualification numbers and should check they have the latest version downloaded to their MIS.
SCCs identify pathways within a qualification. Some qualifications use different discount codes or subject classification codes for key stage 4 and for post-16. The discount codes will show the Key stage 4 code and post-16 code. This may be useful if your MIS is trying to match awarding organisation data to learning aims data.
If this causes you any difficulty, you should contact your software supplier. They should be able to advise on the best course of action. If in doubt, use the QWS discount code.
QN validity
Qualifications are available for a limited period. The ESFA list of qualifications approved for funding 14 to 19 is a downloadable list of qualifications that the Secretary of State for Education has approved for teaching to young people. Each qualification has an approval start and end date listed, along with the certification end date set by the awarding organisation.
QWS also lists approval start and end dates. Students must not start on any course after the approval end date has passed, unless they are re-sitting the course. For re-sits, the final assessment or examination must be taken before the certification end date.
When schools want to use a QN that has an approval end date in the near future, they must check with awarding organisations to find out whether the qualification is being extended or replaced.
Some qualifications are approved on the ESFA list of qualifications approved for funding 14 to 19 but are not eligible for 16 to 19 funding. You can check which qualifications are valid for funding using find a learning aim. Qualifications valid for ESFA 16 to 19 funding have their availability showing under the category ‘16-19 ESFA‘.
If you come across discrepancies that prevent you from correctly returning data in the census, use the service request form to report these.
