Backup Requirements: The School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regs 2024

[DeMoB]

This issue straddles being an MIS question, but might have wider implications across one MIS type, so I've opted to post it in the Data forum.

 

An update to legislation in August 2024 made it a requirement for schools to make a backup copy of their Admission and Attendance registers once a month, and keep the backup for six years.

 

Our MIS Arbor only keeps backups on our behalf for 35 days, with no way for us to export these to store for any longer.

 

The additionally tricky part is that there is a strong interpretation IMO of needing to also store all changes/amendments/reasons to the registers as part of these backups.

 

How is everyone else fulfilling the legislation's requirements?

 

In fact, how many of you knew that was a requirement now?

[Ditto]

Interesting! I did not know the requirement to that level of detail. Presumably this also means anyone migrating from MIS (x) to MIS (y) needs to consider the migration of live backups.

[Ditto]

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf300da44f1c4c23e5bd1b/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance_-_August_2024.pdf

 

This is the link to the DfE published document that relates to the requirements. There's a whole lot more for schools than just these two items. For example, just one more is the monthly or more frequent attendance returns to the LA. Are there any data managers or other staff out their who are completing this task?

[Synkrox]

Thanks for the heads up.

 

We have links through Wonde to the LA (Worcs) and DfE which pulls data daily - so that's how that works for us.

We have kids from other LAs we don't share data with too, they call us every day to check those childrens attendance to keep their own log. (We are SEND)

 

If the MIS is keeping 6 years data, and that is then backed up - then maybe that's the 6 years + a backup met? ♂️

I would kind of hope our MIS would take care of this, but maybe we need a regular CSV drop scheduling to be backed up by us... be interested to hear others feelings on this!

[Ditto]

Cross linking to another thread - https://www.edugeek.net/forums/general-chat/241873-view-your-school-education-data-vyed-dfe-login-required.html - as it might be helpful.

[mikes]

We've been sending our attendance details to our LEA for years but that's maybe due to Wales - we are on the same network as our LEA so they have access to our SIMS even. But they require us to format it the way they want and send it on. I've noticed now though it's changed and we have a Wonde link but we are moving to Arbor. So Arbor aren't following the law ? That document even says schools should "work with the community to improve attendance" ?? should I get the town crier to shout out a message?

[PotNoodleTech]

Remember mike that legislation is england only, education is devolved in Wales and I've seen nothing from Welsh Gov on this?

[enjay]

Thanks for the heads up.

 

We have links through Wonde to the LA (Worcs) and DfE which pulls data daily - so that's how that works for us.

We have kids from other LAs we don't share data with too, they call us every day to check those childrens attendance to keep their own log. (We are SEND)

 

If the MIS is keeping 6 years data, and that is then backed up - then maybe that's the 6 years + a backup met? ��♂️

I would kind of hope our MIS would take care of this, but maybe we need a regular CSV drop scheduling to be backed up by us... be interested to hear others feelings on this!

 

Keeping the student in MIS ensures we have the data for 6 years, but the guidance also appears to say we must ensure the monthly backups are backed up too. Giving the monthly backups to DfE via Wonde and leaving them to it arguably isn't ensuring they're backed up, unless we've got something from DfE confirming they back up the Wonde data.

[ThomL]

Anyone with a cloud MIS (specifically Bromcom) spoken with them regarding this requirement? From a quick google of Bromcoms backup routine they don't meet this requirement, would y'all agree?

[pete]

I read that legislation as expecting / wanting an immutable snapshot of the attendance for each month that independent of the MIS and then keeping that snapshot for 6 years.

 

A "live" copy of X years attendance data can be tampered with by an SLT wanting to manipulate figures (for example). Yes, that dodgy school in your local area that you just thought of.

 

Edit - notably that "6 years of monthly backups" isn't mentioned in the guidance accompanying the legislation: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf300da44f1c4c23e5bd1b/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance_-_August_2024.pdf

 

The overall retention is, but not the snapshots.

Edited March 6, 2025 by pete

[Ditto]

Remember mike that legislation is england only, education is devolved in Wales and I've seen nothing from Welsh Gov on this?

 

Here's snapshot of Regulation 2

 

 

I trust that's cleared that up then?

[Ditto]

ChatGPT is of the opinion that it is indeed England only, due to the "(England)" in the regulations main title. It did suggest seek legal advice to be sure! I'll accept England, and presumably the Welsh regs might come later, or maybe not.

[enjay]

It did suggest seek legal advice to be sure

 

Claude does the same any time you ask about law/legislation.

[Marci]

The additionally tricky part is that there is a strong interpretation IMO of needing to also store all changes/amendments/reasons to the registers as part of these backups.

That's been around for a while, hence Bromcom's audit log of EVERY change of a mark, from / to & reason and by whom, in the backend, exposed thru the built-in audit reports, which I can confirm DO go back at least 6 years. (We were audited on our ability to recall *all* register amendments over a year ago). https://cloudmis.bromcom.com/Nucleus/Registration/REGRegisterAuditReport.aspx

Every MIS should have that baked in in the background to meet statutory obligation.

Edited March 7, 2025 by Marci

[Marci]

For example, just one more is the monthly or more frequent attendance returns to the LA. Are there any data managers or other staff out their who are completing this task?

 

Our LA have been extracting all our attendance daily via Groupcall into their own MIS since May last year (completely separate to the DfE extracting via Wonde).

[Koldov]

I'd be surprised if many people knew the legislation to that level of detail.

 

We use an onsite MIS so we can keep backups forever if we wanted (GDPR aside), but I don't think we do. Technically, within it (and I guess any other MIS) isn't the current backup, all the data for the previous years. Or as asked above, do you need it as a separate, stand alone backup of attendance?

 

Surely any modern MIS should provide the ability to abide by current legislation?

[mavhc]

Our MIS Arbor only keeps backups on our behalf for 35 days, with no way for us to export these to store for any longer.

 

There's no way to export from Arbor? Seems like a 100% reason never to use them then

[Ditto]

There's no way to export from Arbor? Seems like a 100% reason never to use them then

No, it was stated there was way to export the backups, not no way to export.

[mavhc]

No, it was stated there was way to export the backups, not no way to export.

 

if you export everything, isn't that a backup?

[FN-GM]

if you export everything, isn't that a backup?

 

Technically not. That is an archive.

 

However, the legislation mentions printing the data, this is also an archive.

[Ditto]

So constructively, for an Arbor user that isn't using the suggested DfE Wonde solution, I presume someone who uses Arbor know how to produce the file in the format that keeps DfE content. Details here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/share-your-daily-school-attendance-data

Good luck finding the Excel template to be able to create the CSV file! To be honest, it looks as though DfE pretty much mandate that you use Wonde.

Anyway, none of this really addresses the OP backup question, so I'm interested to hear from Arbor users how they manage meeting that requirement - which in many ways is a daft level of detail of the legislation.

By the way, everyone completed their DPIA right? Or stored away the one DfE kindly provided in the link above.