CAM Posted September 30, 2015 Posted September 30, 2015 Anyone had any information about this? Just been told I have to fill in some big course portal for the DfE by the end of the day and their notes make zero sense to me. I have no notice and no information about what they want. Not especially happy....
LosOjos Posted September 30, 2015 Posted September 30, 2015 I haven't heard of this... which concerns me :/
CAM Posted September 30, 2015 Posted September 30, 2015 It's on SupportNet. Capita have no routine for filling it in and are "not looking forwards" to a request for SIMS to be updated. One guy noticed it says schools won't get funding if it isn't done in the infamous Point 13f which was silently removed from the documentation (so apparently it doesn't affect it anymore, but then again they could have just made a typo!). And the only reason we know about it is a Key Stage Co-Ordinator from a previous school E-Mailed me asking for help and I said I had no idea after thinking they were talking about COLLECT, then spotted the thread on SupportNet whilst looking for census help and the Deputy Head came to me after realizing he'd been left out of the loop as "everyone else at Dep Head Meeting was talking about it." :/
LosOjos Posted September 30, 2015 Posted September 30, 2015 Do you have a link please? Need to check this out ASAP; glad you mentioned it!
CAM Posted September 30, 2015 Posted September 30, 2015 https://myaccount.capita-cs.co.uk/forums/thread/sims-census/5c7e7c9c-e9d2-e411-b6af-0050568b7785 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/post-16-courses-database-operational-guide https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/459535/EFA_Funding_guidance_2015_to_2016.pdf (EFA Guidance with Section 2 Point 13.f removed)
LosOjos Posted September 30, 2015 Posted September 30, 2015 @CAM - they've dropped the requirement in the latest version of the EFA funding agreement. Sly! But at least you don't have to break your back to get it done today. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/459535/EFA_Funding_guidance_2015_to_2016.pdf Reading around SupportNet, sounds as though the EFA had wrongly published information claiming it was required, but DfE had said not. EFA silently replaced the document stating requirement with one missing that point. Very likely will be a requirement for next year though I think.
CAM Posted September 30, 2015 Posted September 30, 2015 Rang the helpline, got the deadline pushed back anyway provided I upload SOMETHING.
Seb1780 Posted September 30, 2015 Posted September 30, 2015 We were told that UCAS Progress (and others) would populate the data; that perception is now being questioned :-(
ICTLady Posted September 30, 2015 Posted September 30, 2015 @CAM, which number did you call for the helpline? I've tried both the numbers in the Help Guide and neither of them has answered at all this week.
tombry Posted September 30, 2015 Author Posted September 30, 2015 Man, glad I just read this - I've been busting ass trying to get the info needed. it is ridiculous for me to be doing this though - it's such an admin task - I got all the QAN codes, but surely there should be a way to make this easier.
CAM Posted September 30, 2015 Posted September 30, 2015 I just added a course (one course that is!). Number I used is on the Portal page, click help near the bottom. Not sure if I am allowed to publicly post contact details here. Apparently they scrape contact details off of UKRLP, a site I haven't even heard of and not up-to-date. So they ended up sending our reminder into the ether....
LosOjos Posted September 30, 2015 Posted September 30, 2015 Just had an email from the DfE after I emailed asking whether or not this would affect our funding, reply was (verbatim): "It appears you have been informed wrongly. The Post-16 Portal is not linked to funding at all. It is the Census that is related to the EFA funding."
Jenis Posted October 1, 2015 Posted October 1, 2015 Pfft! Informed wrongly! The SSAT data mailing list has been talking about this (and the census) for the last few days - some of the guidance they initially released stated that we wouldn't receive funding unless it was filled in. They then quietly deleted that paragraph a few days later!
CAM Posted October 1, 2015 Posted October 1, 2015 So basically....we can ignore it until someone at the DfE moans at us or we find the spare time to fill the course database in before they make it compulsory? (Last one is probably the best option).
Jenis Posted October 2, 2015 Posted October 2, 2015 I just whacked the courses on with the QAN, and c&p'd summaries from the exam board websites. Took maybe a morning's work? I have a data quality of poor (10%) because they have no Opportunities, but frankly there are more important things to do (census).
CAM Posted March 30, 2017 Posted March 30, 2017 Guess what is rearing it's ugly head again! Just got a nagging E-Mail from the DfE asking why it wasn't updated and demanding answers to the following questions: 1. Are you aware that there is a requirement for post-16 providers to upload their course data onto the national post-16 course directory? 2. What are the main reasons for your institution not yet having uploaded their course information? 3. How important do you think it is to upload your course information to the directory? On a scale from 1-5 with 1 being not important at all and 5 being very important 4. Are there any barriers to you uploading your information and what are these? 5. How much does your curriculum offer change every year? (Can express this as a % of the offer or just say a narrative such as not much or completely) Another stealth change or the left and right hand not talking again?
tombry Posted March 31, 2017 Author Posted March 31, 2017 I get an email from them every week telling me we are at red status. I called up back in November, told the guy that answered that I thought it was a ridiculously over-complicated system, and that it would be done if it was simplified down to just uploading QAN codes. He told me that I didn't have to do it, but they would recommend, as that's how potential students can find our sixth form. I told him unless it was made an absolute condition of funding I wouldn't be doing it - still get the emails. If I got your survey, I'd reply: 1. Yes 2. Ridiculously complicated system, requiring too much fiddling about 3. 1 - I don't think it's important at all (my head of sixth might disagree!) 4. Yes, the ridiculous amount of secondary information that is requested - the long explanations of the course, and the general inability for it to not use the upload files that I've tried in the past. 5. Doesn't, only change recently is due to the new A-levels.
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