State-funded schools must submit a Headteacher authorised return to COLLECT by:

20 May 2025: Maintained schools & PRU deadline for submission to the Local Authority for validation.

11 June 2025: Maintained schools & PRU deadline for submission to be approved by the Local Authority.

11 June 2025: Academies and free schools deadline for validated and approved submission directly by the Department for Education (DfE).

Following approval and final DfE checks, all state-funded school submissions must receive a final DfE ‘authorised’ status.

Note: COLLECT familiarisation test period (Optional): Normally 4 weeks prior to the collection going 'live', a ‘beta’ release is available for testing purposes via COLLECT, and will remain available until 4pm on Friday 09 May 2025. The DfE strongly recommends, if possible, all schools use the period to upload a ‘test’ census XML return to COLLECT to check all required data is output correctly; and find out about any COLLECT validation errors or queries that can be resolved before the collection goes ‘live’.

The school census is the DfE’s primary source of administrative data about pupils attending schools in England. It is therefore essential that it is accurate.

There should be a Headteacher sign-off process within each school.

Schools should use their school MIS reports to quality check the data before submission. Once submitted to COLLECT, to ensure that funding allocations are calculated correctly, schools should run the COLLECT funding reports and check for accuracy.

Local authority guidance.

Department for Education (DfE) guidance

Schools should contact their management information systems (MIS) support provider for specific guidance about producing the CTF/XML return.

Here are links to SIMS, Arbor and ScholarPack MIS guidance.

Schools must administer the MTC to all eligible year 4 pupils between Monday 2 June and Friday 13 June.

Schools can:

• use the following week, Monday 16 June to Friday 20 June, to administer the check to any pupils who were absent during the first 2 weeks or in case of any delays to the administration of the check due to technical difficulties.
• access the MTC service to prepare for the check via DfE Sign-in from Monday 28 April.

Standards and Testing Agency (STA) MTC guidance

2025 Key stage 2 assessment and reporting arrangements

Support: 

• visit the Standard and Testing Agency (STA) MTC help centre
• use the STA virtual assistant
• contact the STA directly

If you are still unable to find an answer to your question, you can contact the national curriculum assessments helpline on 0300 303 3013, selecting the option for MTC.

Monday 9 June to Friday 13 June: Schools administer the phonics screening check.

Monday 16 June to Friday 20 June: Timetable variation week for pupils who were absent for the phonics screening check.

24 June 2025: Deadline for state-funded schools Year 1 and Year 2 re-check results to be submitted to the Local Authority. (edu.performance@walthamforest.gov.uk) securely via Mimecast. 

2025 Local Authority Guidance 

2025 Phonics screening check: assessment and reporting arrangements (ARA)

2025 STA phonics screening check administration guidance 

Schools should contact their management information systems (MIS) support provider for specific guidance about producing the CTF/XML return.

Support links: Capita SIMS, Arbor and ScholarPack.   

Deadline for state-funded schools and early years settings to submit statutory EYFSP assessments for funded children to the Local Authority (edu.performance@walthamforest.gov.uk) securely via Mimecast. 

2025 Local Authority Guidance

Early years foundation stage profile handbook (DfE)

Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework

Schools should contact their management information systems (MIS) support provider for specific guidance about producing the CTF/XML return.

Support links: Capita SIMS, Arbor and ScholarPack.    

Monday 19 May 2025: ‘Submit TA data’ form is available on the Primary Assessment Gateway (PAG).

Friday 27 June 2025: Deadline for maintained schools, academies, special schools and participating independent schools must submit TA data for all pupils at the end of KS2, including those assessed using the pre-key stage standards and engagement model, directly to the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) via the Primary Assessment Gateway (PAG).

Schools must:

• not submit their data until the external moderation visit has taken place, if they were selected
• not re-submit data after Friday 27 June 2025, unless the original submission failed due to outstanding errors or when required to do so by STA or the local authority.
• include TA data for every pupil registered by the school to take a KS2 national curriculum test, even if they did not subsequently take it.
• include TA data for every pupil registered as working below the overall standard of the tests.

2025 STA Key stage 2 teacher assessment guidance

2025 STA Key stage 2: submitting teacher assessment data guidance 

2025 Key stage 2 assessment and reporting arrangements

Schools should contact their management information systems (MIS) support provider for specific guidance about producing the CTF/XML return.

Support links: SIMS, Arbor and ScholarPack.    

State-funded schools must submit a Headteacher authorised return to COLLECT by:

TBC: Maintained schools & PRU deadline for submission to the Local Authority for validation.

TBC: Maintained schools & PRU deadline for submission to be approved by the Local Authority.

TBC: Academies and free schools deadline for validated and approved submission directly by the Department for Education (DfE).

Note: Following approval and final DfE checks, all state-funded school submissions must receive a final DfE ‘authorised’ status.

The school census is the DfE’s primary source of administrative data about pupils attending schools in England, and used for funds allocation. It is therefore essential that it is accurate.

There should be a Headteacher sign-off process within each school. Schools should use their school MIS reports to quality check the data before submission. Once submitted to COLLECT, to ensure that funding allocations are calculated correctly, schools should run the COLLECT funding reports and check for accuracy.

Local authority guidance (TBC) 

Department for Education (DfE) guidance

Schools should contact their management information systems (MIS) support provider for specific guidance about producing the CTF/XML return.

Here are links to SIMS, Arbor and ScholarPack MIS guidance.

The deadline for maintained schools and PRU to submit a return to the local authority via COLLECT is TBC.

Academies and Free schools must submit returns directly to the Department for Education (DfE) using COLLECT by DfE timescales.

School Workforce Census is an annual return, and is the primary source of data on school staff that the Department for Education (DfE) uses to inform policy on pay and the monitoring of the effectiveness and diversity of the school workforce.

Local authority guidance (TBC)

The Department for Education (DfE)

• School employed staff: guide is here
• COLLECT guide for schools is here

Schools should contact their management information systems (MIS) support provider for specific guidance about producing the CTF/XML return.

Here are links to SIMS handbook and Arbor’s support webpage and ScholarPack's webpage.

State-funded schools must submit a Headteacher authorised return to COLLECT by:

TBC: Maintained schools & PRU deadline for submission to the Local Authority for validation.

TBC: Maintained schools & PRU deadline for submission to be approved by the Local Authority.

TBC: Academies and free schools deadline for validated and approved submission directly by the Department for Education (DfE).

Note: Following approval and final DfE checks, all state-funded school submissions must receive a final DfE ‘authorised’ status.

The school census is the DfE’s primary source of administrative data about pupils attending schools in England, and used for funds allocation. It is therefore essential that it is accurate.

There should be a Headteacher sign-off process within each school. Schools should use their school MIS reports to quality check the data before submission. Once submitted to COLLECT, to ensure that funding allocations are calculated correctly, schools should run the COLLECT funding reports and check for accuracy.

Local authority guidance (TBC) 

Department for Education (DfE) guidance

Schools should contact their management information systems (MIS) support provider for specific guidance about producing the CTF/XML return.

Here are links to SIMS, Arbor and ScholarPack MIS guidance.