Series details: CRDA/13

The Schools' Census was an annual survey of schools conducted by the former Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) and its predecessors covering schools in England and (up to 1977) Wales. After 1977, Welsh schools are only found in the independent school datasets, up until 1985. The survey gathered data on topics such as pupils, teaching staff, classes and examination courses. The data was collected via returns completed by schools. Most of the questions asked schools to provide information reflecting the situation on an enumeration date, the third Thursday in January. Schools' Census returns are sometimes known collectively as "Form 7" returns after the name of the forms completed by primary, middle and secondary schools maintained by local education authorities (LEAs). Differently named forms were used for other types of schools. For further information on how the Schools' Census data was gathered, see How data was originally captured and validated.

Little is known about the early history of the Schools' Census. Education statistics based on annual returns submitted by schools have been published at a national level since at least 1905. Form 7 returns for LEA-maintained schools are thought to have been introduced in 1945-1946. Independent schools were required to provide information for the Schools' Census as a result of provisions in the Education Act 1944 and the Independent Schools Registration Regulations 1957, which required independent schools to furnish annual returns of changes to their pupils, boarders and teaching staff. In more recent years, the statutory basis of the Schools' Census was apparently provided by section 537 of the Education Act 1996. This required the governing bodies of LEA-maintained schools and the proprietors of independent schools to provide such information as might be required by the Secretary of State for Education.1

Data from the Schools' Census was used to calculate schools' per capita allocation of funding, leading to a high response rate (around 95 percent in 1998). The information was used for a variety of purposes within the DfEE and its predecessors, including setting priorities and answering questions from official, parliamentary and private sources. Data on pupil numbers was used to assess LEAs' rate support grants and to project pupil numbers in future years. Pupil numbers and lesson time data were used to calculate school performance tables. Data on the numbers of teachers was used to assess national staffing levels. LEAs also used the data for their own capitation purposes, staffing allocations, and for projecting pupil numbers and staffing levels in the future. Information derived from the Schools' Census was used by the DfEE and its predecessors to produce a number of statistical publications (for details of these, see Publications produced by the originating department).2

Schools in Wales were included in the published results of the Schools' Census and in the Schools' Census datasets down to the 1977 survey. The Welsh Office (replaced in 1999 by the National Assembly for Wales) began publishing separate school statistics for Wales beginning with the 1976 Schools' Census (see Publications produced by the originating department). However, the Welsh Office appears to have been involved in the gathering of Schools' Census data in Wales before then. After 1977 the annual censuses of schools in England and Wales appear to have diverged, although identical forms continued to be used to gather data from independent schools (see How data was originally captured and validated). Unlike the other Schools' Census datasets, those for independent schools continue to include Welsh schools after 1977 up until 1985 (see Scope and content).3

The final Schools' Census along traditional lines was conducted by the DfEE in January 2001. In 2000 and 2001 pilots were carried out in selected schools of a Pupil Level Annual Schools' Census (PLASC). This replaced the Schools' Census in all LEA-maintained primary, middle, secondary and special schools in England in January 2002, and was extended to non-maintained special schools in January 2003. Most of the data in PLASC returns is generated automatically from schools' management information systems. Unlike Schools' Census returns, PLASC returns include records on individual named pupils, allowing the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) to link data on pupils across different datasets. Like the Schools' Census, PLASC also gathers data on classes as taught, teaching staff, non-teaching staff and courses of study. As of 2003, PLASC did not apply to independent schools (other than special schools), which continued to complete forms for the Annual Schools' Census as before.4

Within the Department for Education and Employment and its predecessors, responsibility for conducting the Schools' Census and analysing the data passed successively through a number of divisions. At the time of the last census in January 2001 this responsibility rested with Qualifications, Pupil Assessment and Information Technology Support Division (QPAI) within the Analytical Services Directorate of the DfEE's Finance and Analytical Services Directorate. Two teams within QPAI dealt with the Schools' Census: the Data Collection Unit, which prepared and validated the data; and the Schools Statistical Unit, whose statisticians designed the survey and analysed the data.

Information on the history of QPAI and its predecessors back to the Statistics Branch of the Ministry of Education is provided by the Administrative History of the Education Departments. This also includes an account of the history of Information Technology Branch and its successors, Information Systems Branch, Information Systems Division and Information Services Division. During the 1990s these sections appear to have temporarily absorbed the IT functions of Analytical Services Branch, including the Data Collection Unit. From ca. 1992 until 1999 they also ran a Corporate Data Archive in which Schools' Census data and data from other surveys was preserved. Responsibility for the Archive was transferred to Analytical Services Directorate in 1999 as they "owned" most of the data.

The Schools' Census datasets contain data on individual schools derived from their Schools' Census returns. Data is currently available for the following years: 1975-2001. The data for the years 1975-1994 are divided into datasets which are based on the major categories of schools covered by the census. The following list outlines the sub-series of datasets which are currently available via NDAD:

• Primary, middle and secondary schools: 1975-1994
• Special schools: 1975-1994
• Nursery schools: 1977-1994
• Independent schools: 1975-1994

After 1994, the Department continued to collect information on all the above school types, but no longer maintained the data in separate datafiles. For arrangements applying to 1995 and after, see the subseries All Schools 1995-2001.

The datasets for 1975-1977 contain records on schools in England and Wales. From 1978 onwards only English schools are included, except in the datasets for independent schools, which continue to include Welsh schools up until 1985. For reasons which are unclear, the independent school datasets for 1975-1976 also contain data on LEA-maintained and direct-grant nursery schools. From 1977 onwards, data on nursery schools is held in separate datasets.

The datasets provide the following types of information:

• Basic details about schools, such as the school's LEA and region, the type of school, any denominational affiliation, the sex of the pupils, and the school's establishment number. Establishment numbers (known as ESTAB or SCH numbers) act as a unique identifier for each school when combined with its LEA number. The names of schools are not included in the datasets, although it may be possible to identify schools using another database transferred to NDAD, the Register of Educational Establishments (see Related units of description).
• Numbers of pupils by age, sex, whether full-time or part-time, and (for pupils with special educational needs) by type of disability. The latter data is not included in the 1989-1994 datasets.
• Numbers of staff by sex, type and whether full-time or part-time, plus the full-time equivalents of part-time staff.
• Data on classes on the registers of the school and classes taught at a particular period of the school day, by type of class, numbers of pupils, and numbers of teachers teaching.
• Data on courses of study in secondary and independent schools, including the numbers of pupils by age and sex pursuing examination courses ('A' level, 'O'/CSE level etc). This data is not included in the datasets for 1986-1991 inclusive; after 1992 it is reinstated.

Beyond these general areas, the information provided by the datasets varies according to the year of the Schools' Census and the dataset sub-series. For further information, see the Sub-series Catalogues, and the catalogues of individual datasets which are linked from the Sub-series Catalogues.

As noted above in Aim and purpose, the final Schools' Census along traditional lines was conducted by the DfEE in January 2001. This means that NDAD will no longer receive copies of the Form 7 records in the Schools' Census series, but it is anticipated that in the future we will receive transfers of the subsequent record series, the Pupil Level Annual Schools' Census (PLASC).

The Schools' Census datasets and some items of dataset documentation are public records under the Public Records Acts 1958 and 1967. The National Archives has assigned these datasets and documents the series reference ED 267. Some items of dataset documentation are not public records: for further details, see the Dataset Documentation Catalogue.

The Schools' Census datasets are open without exception.

The 1985-1991 datasets were formerly closed for 20 years. Following the Freedom of Information Act coming into force, the Department agreed that no FOI exemptions apply to the data. The datasets were therefore opened on 10 February 2005.

The 1992 and subsequent datasets were open on transfer.

The original 1993 dataset for LEA-maintained primary, middle and secondary schools consisting of records relating to individual schools was formerly closed for 30 years, but was opened on 10 February 2005. For this dataset, data aggregated by NDAD to LEA level had previously been made available.

Some items of dataset documentation are closed in whole or in part: see the Dataset Documentation Catalogue.

The Schools' Census datasets and related dataset documentation are Crown Copyright. Copies may be made for private study and research purposes only.

The Schools' Census datasets are not subject to registration under the Data Protection Act.

The language of the materials is English.

Blank or completed forms for certain years of the Schools' Census have been transferred to NDAD, along with copies of guidance notes for completing the forms and covering letters to schools from the Department of Education. NDAD also holds extracts from two registered files of the Department for Education and the Department for Education and Employment which relate to the planning of the Schools' Census in the period 1991-1996. See the Dataset Documentation Catalogue for further details.

NDAD holds a dataset derived from the Register of Educational Establishments (REE) database, which is directly related to the Schools' Census. At the time of the dataset's transfer to NDAD in 2000, the REE database was used by the DfEE to record basic data about schools and similar educational bodies, primarily in England. The dataset includes data covering the period from the establishment of the database in 1996 until 2000. Some of the data (particularly data on pupil numbers) is derived from the Schools' Census. Moreover, the identifiers used for schools in the dataset include LEA numbers and DFE numbers, which are the equivalent of LEA numbers and establishment numbers (ESTAB numbers or SCH numbers) in the Schools' Census datasets. Although there is evidence in the REE dataset of changes to LEA numbers and DFE numbers, the DfEE advised that the establishment numbers of many schools will have remained unchanged over long periods of time. It should thus be possible to match the records for some of the schools in the Schools' Census datasets to equivalent records for these schools in the REE dataset, thereby allowing schools in the Schools' Census datasets to be identified. For further information, see the Series Catalogue for the Register of Educational Establishments (reference CRDA/47).

Users should also note that NDAD holds a dataset derived from the Grant Maintained Schools Database maintained by the DfEE and its predecessors. The dataset holds data on schools which gained or attempted to gain grant maintained (GM) status, plus data on attempts to gain GM status and conferences on GM issues. It includes selected data on individual schools derived from the 1995-1999 Schools' Censuses. The records for schools in the main 'school' table include schools' LEA numbers, while a 'School Number' field holds the equivalent of establishment numbers in the Schools' Census. As with the REE dataset, it may be possible to link the data for some schools in the Schools' Census datasets to equivalent records in the GM Schools Database. For further information, see the Series Catalogue for the GM Schools Database (reference CRDA/36).

Statistical returns for 1945-1955 produced by the Ministry of Education on the basis of information gathered in the Schools' Census are held at The National Archives in series ED 147/341-351. Data gathered in the 1978 Schools' Census for LEA-maintained primary, middle and secondary schools has been deposited at the UK Data Archive, study numbers 1605, 1793 and 1976.

Statistics derived from the Schools' Census were made available by the DfEE and its predecessors in a variety of publications. Up to and including the Ministry of Education's annual report for 1960, statistics were included in part II of the annual report. In 1962 the Ministry introduced a new series of annual Statistics of Education volumes. This has been issued in series covering the years 1961-1965, 1966-1979. and 1980 onwards. In each year there are multiple volumes covering different subjects (e.g. schools, teachers, examination courses). The "schools" volumes (based on data from the Schools' Census) appear to have been titled Statistics of Education: Schools during the 1970s and 1990s, and Statistics of Schools during the 1980s. Welsh and English schools were included up to (and including) the volume for 1977. Beginning with the 1976 census, statistics of schools in Wales were published by the Welsh Office in a separate Statistics of Education in Wales series. Consequently, from 1978 onwards, the "schools" volumes in Statistics of Education contain data on schools in England only. Some of the other volumes in the series - e.g. Statistics of Teachers in Service - continued to provide data on both Wales and England.

In 1978 the Department of Education and Science introduced a new series of Statistical Bulletins as a way of making key educational statistics, such as data from the Schools' Census, available quickly prior to their publication in Statistics of Education. Schools' Census data also lies behind the annual volumes of the Education Statistics for the United Kingdom series (introduced in 1970 with volumes covering 1967 onwards). These are based on data supplied by the Department of Education and Science and its successors, the other education departments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the University Grants Committee (later the Universities Funding Council). In 1997 a new series was introduced, Education and Training Statistics for the United Kingdom. 5

It is thought that both the inputting and analysis of Schools' Census data was done using an ICL mainframe or succession of mainframes (possibly an ICL 2900) until ca. 1993, when the mainframe was decommissioned. Thereafter networked PCs linked to servers are believed to have been the main hardware used. ASCII files exported from the SIR database (see Application software) were stored on magnetic tapes until ca. 1992, when the files are thought to have been moved to optical disks; these were inherited by Analytical Services Directorate in 1999 when responsibility for the Corporate Data Archive was transferred to them from Information Services Division (see Statement of responsibility). It is also known that in 1996 the Corporate Data Archive employed a Sun SPARCstation 10.6

The ICL mainframe (see Hardware) had a GEORGE III operating system until 1988, when GEORGE III was replaced by VME. After the decommissioning of the mainframe, SIR (see Application software) ran on UNIX, while UNIX Solaris version 6 was the operating system used with the Corporate Data Archive's Sun SPARCStation. Of the analysis packages used since ca. 1993 (see Application software), QuickTab was DOS based, and QStat ran on Microsoft Windows NT/95/98.7

The production and subsequent use of Schools' Census datasets at the DfEE and its predecessors involved two separate operations, for which different packages were used. These operations were:

• The initial inputting and validation of the data, resulting in datasets which were then imported into other packages for analysis.
• The subsequent analysis and tabulation of the data to produce published statistics and for other purposes.

The SIR relational database management system manufactured by SIR Pty Ltd, New South Wales, Australia is thought to have been used by the Data Collection Unit for the first purpose from the 1970s. Datasets extracted from the SIR database were stored as ASCII files on magnetic tapes and later on optical disks as part of the Corporate Data Archive. These datasets were also imported into the analysis packages used by Analytical Services' statisticians. During the 1970s and 1980s they used two applications, thought to have been developed in-house, about which little information is available: "Stages" (used in the 1970s) is thought to have been a batch processing based system, while its successor "Fasolt" (standing for "facility for on-line tabulation") is thought to have been more "interactive" and was used in the 1980s. It is believed that by the early 1990s these utilities had been replaced by QuickTab, a tabulation package produced by Forvus Computer Services, Clapham Common, London. By 2000 the DfEE were analysing Schools' Census data using QuickTab's successor, QStat, also produced by Forvus (QStat version 2.1.6 was being used in October 2001). The Department for Education and Skills intended to replace QStat with SPSS for data analysis purposes once PLASC was introduced to all LEA-maintained primary, middle, secondary and special schools (see Aim and purpose). By October 2001 the Data Collection Unit was also in transition from using SIR to using Microsoft SQL Server for building "collecting" databases for the surveys with which it dealt.8

The early Schools' Census datasets held by NDAD normally consist of a single table per dataset. The exceptions to this are the 1976, 1992, 1993 and 1994 datasets for primary, middle and secondary schools. For 1976, tables were created by NDAD to facilitate access to the data. 1992 and 1993 have three tables per dataset; the 1994 dataset has four tables. The datasets for 1995-1997 have six tables, while those for 1998-2001 have seven. Further information is provided in the Sub-series Catalogue for the primary, middle and secondary school datasets (see Links to subseries catalogues), and in the catalogues of the individual datasets.

The Schools' Census datasets are closed in the sense that once data from each census was input and validated, the data was preserved for future use and would not have been overwritten or modified. It is thought that when the datasets were imported into the analysis packages used by the DfEE's statisticians, some derived variables may have been added to facilitate analysis of the data.9

Schools' Census data was gathered through forms which were completed by schools in January of each year. Most of the questions asked schools to supply data reflecting the situation on an enumeration date, traditionally the third Thursday in January. Examples of forms transferred to NDAD indicate that in later years schools were increasingly asked to supply data for periods other than the enumeration date: e.g. by 1986 primary and secondary schools were being asked to supply data on staff employed during the week of the census rather than staff in post on the census date, as had been the case during the 1970s; by 1997 schools were also being asked to supply data on permanent exclusions during the previous academic year.10 The forms for LEA-maintained schools were distributed and collected by LEAs, which would then send the forms to the DfEE and its predecessors, sometimes after checking the forms and extracting data for their own purposes. Independent schools, grant maintained schools and direct grant schools received their forms from the DfEE and its predecessors, to which they returned their completed forms. Schools appear to have received more than one set of forms, one of which could be completed and retained by the school for its own records; at least some LEAs also appear to have kept copies of Schools' Census returns.11

The following Schools' Census forms were used:

• Form 7: Different versions were used for LEA-maintained primary, middle and secondary schools, and later city technology colleges.
• Form 7M: Used for special schools and hospital schools. In 1976 different versions of Form 7M for use by hospital schools and other special schools were introduced. In 1985, there was evidence of a Form 7M(H) for use by hospital schools. 12 By 1997 general hospital schools were receiving their own type of form, Form 7H.13
• Form 7R: Used for pupil referral units, a type of LEA-maintained school established by the Education Act 1993 to provide temporary education for certain types of pupils who were not able to attend a mainstream school: e.g. teenage mothers, pupils excluded from school and pupils in the assessment phase of a statement of special educational needs.14
• Form 9/26: Apparently used during the 1970s for direct grant technical schools.15
• Form 11: Used for LEA-maintained nursery schools and direct grant nursery schools.
• Form 16: Used for direct grant grammar schools up to 1980. These schools were reclassified as independent schools by the Education Act 1980, consequently they were required to complete Form 101a from 1981 onwards.16
• Form 30: Used up to and including the 1978 census for independent schools "recognised as efficient", i.e. independent schools which had "sought and obtained recognition as efficient after inspection by Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools". In 1978 the arrangements for recognition as efficient were brought to an end. From 1979 onwards independent schools which had previously fallen into this category completed Form 101a.17
• Form 101a: Used for "other" independent schools (i.e. independent schools which were not recognised as efficient) up to 1978, and for all independent schools from 1979 onwards.

Examples of some of the above forms for selected years have been transferred to NDAD: see the Dataset Documentation Catalogue. It appears that until 1977 the same types of forms were used in England and Wales, after which the censuses in England and Wales diverged. The Form 7, Form 11 and Form 7M forms were superseded in Wales by a Stats1 form devised by the Welsh Office and representatives of Welsh LEAs, which was completed by Welsh schools for the first time in October 1977. However, identical forms (Form 30, Form 101a) continued to be used in Wales and England for independent schools.18

During the 1990s it became increasingly common for schools to generate their returns in digital form using a variety of commercial software packages which produced returns in a format which the DfEE could accept. These commercial packages were able to run validation checks to pick up discrepancies in the data. By 2000 about 70 percent of Schools' Census returns were being submitted in this way. Schools could send their digital returns on floppy disk. For a few years it was apparently also possible for returns to be submitted via an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) gateway. During the late 1990s data from paper returns was input for the DfEE by a data preparation bureau and transmitted to the DfEE electronically. Data from both the paper and digital forms was entered into a collecting database by the Data Collection Unit using SIR (see Application Software). The data was checked and validated, and datasets produced which were both archived (as ASCII files) and imported into the analysis packages used by Analytical Services' statisticians (see Application software).19 As the statisticians also kept the datasets in the analysis formats which they were using, this meant that there were effectively two "archives" of Schools' Census data in the DfEE:

• ASCII files exported from the SIR collecting database. These were held between ca. 1992 and 1999 as part of the Corporate Data Archive maintained by Information Systems Branch and its successors, and later transferred to Analytical Services Directorate (see Statement of responsibility).
• Files in QuickTab/QStat format (see Application software) which were "owned" by the statisticians in Analytical Services Directorate and used by them for analysis.

The datasets transferred to NDAD have come from the second source, except for the 1976 and 1993 datasets for primary, middle and secondary schools. These were transferred as fixed length records in plain text format, and are thought to have originated from the ASCII files that were originally exported from the collecting database.

The metadata transferred with the 1975-1991 datasets has a number of defects which affect the understanding of these datasets. Many of the field descriptions in the data dictionary files transferred with the datasets show signs of having been truncated, often at around 60 or 70 characters. This truncation is thought to have occurred in 1991-1992 when the datasets held by the Department's statisticians were migrated from Fasolt to QuickTab format. The truncation is believed to have been a by-product of the way in which the migration was automated by a contractor. As data dictionary files do not appear to have been preserved among the Schools' Census files which formed part of the Corporate Data Archive, there seems to be no way of recovering the information which has been lost.20

However, even where field descriptions have not been affected by truncation, the descriptions do not always provide a complete picture of the functions of fields. It is not unusual for more than one field to have the same description even though the fields contain different data. This suggests that accurate field descriptions were not always generated in the first place, or that additional information relating to the functions of fields was held elsewhere. The DfEE was unable to supply any metadata beyond that in the data dictionary files.

For the 1975-1991 datasets, NDAD has supplemented the original field descriptions by comparing the data with examples of completed Schools' Census forms. Further details of this process are provided in the catalogues of individual dataset, which are linked from the Sub-series Catalogues (see Links to subseries catalogues). Although this work has clarified the functions of a number of fields, some ambiguities remain which will have implications for future use of the data.

Datasets for 1992 and after do not exhibit the truncation problem. Fields in these datasets contained abbreviations, explanations for which have been provided by NDAD in the additional descriptive data.

In addition to the problem of truncated or inadequate field descriptions, some of the datasets for the nursery schools and independent schools also exhibit a problem with certain fields where the data should be a real number (i.e. a decimal), but the decimal place appears to be either missing or in the "wrong" location. This problem does not affect the datasets for 1986 onwards. Further information is provided in the Sub-series Catalogues (see Links to subseries catalogues), and in the catalogues of individual datasets.

Details of the content and transformation validation checks performed by NDAD on the Schools' Census datasets are contained in the catalogues of individual datasets, which are linked from the Sub-series Catalogues (see Links to subseries catalogues).

Subseries catalogues provide more detailed information about individual subseries, and are currently available for the following subseries:

1. Society of Archivists Records Management Group, School Records: Their Management and Retention (London: Society of Archivists, 1995), p. 56; Department for Education and Skills, "PLASC 2003: Frequently Asked Questions" (http://www.datacollection.dfee.gov.uk/asc/2003/Docs/FAQ1.doc) downloaded on 13 February 2003; Education Act 1996 s. 537, on-line copy (http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1996/96056-cl.htm#537) consulted on 13 February 2003; Dataset Documentation Catalogue references CRDA/13/DD/1/1979/15, CRDA/13/DD/1/1981/15.

2. Dataset Documentation Catalogue references CRDA/13/DD/1/1986/3, CRDA/13/DD/1/1995/16; completed transfer form for the 1976 and 1993 datasets for primary, middle and secondary schools (CRDA/13/DS/1/1976 and CRDA/13/DS/1/1993).

3. Department of Education and Science, Statistics of Education: 1977 Schools Volume 1 (London: HMSO, 1979), p. vii; Welsh Office, Statistics of Education in Wales no. 1 1976 (Cardiff: HMSO, 1976), pp. v, 81. The 1974 Form 7 form for primary schools indicates that schools in Wales should contact the Welsh Office for advice on completing their forms: Dataset Documentation Catalogue reference CRDA/13/DD/1/1974/1.

4. Department for Education and Employment, "Frequently Asked Questions (February 2001): Common Basic Data Set and Pupil Level Annual School Census", downloaded on 18 September 2001 from the DfEE's Information Management Strategy for Schools and LEAs web site (http://www.dfee.gov.uk/ims/schools.shtml); Department for Education and Employment, "Pupil Level Annual Schools' Census (PLASC), 2001: Completion notes for Secondary Schools", downloaded on 18 September 2001 from the DfEE's Information Management Strategy for Schools and LEAs web site (http://www.dfee.gov.uk/ims/plasc.shtml); Department for Education and Skills, "PLASC 2002: Frequently Asked Questions" (http://www.datacollection.dfee.gov.uk/asc/2002/Docs/FAQ2.doc), downloaded on 13 February 2003; Department for Education and Skills, "PLASC 2003: Frequently Asked Questions" (http://www.datacollection.dfee.gov.uk/asc/2003/Docs/FAQ1.doc) downloaded on 13 February 2003; Department for Education and Skills, "Some Questions and Answers for Schools about PLASC 2003 and Electronic Management Information Systems (MIS)" (http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/_doc/2680/ACFEEE.doc) downloaded on 13 February 2003.

5. Ministry of Education, Statistics of Education: Part I: 1961 (London: HMSO, 1962), p. i; Department of Education and Science, Scottish Education Department, Northern Ireland Ministry of Education and University Grants Committee, Education Statistics for the United Kingdom 1967 (London: HMSO, 1970), pp. v, xiv; Department of Education and Science, Statistics of Education: 1977 Schools Volume 1 (London: HMSO, 1979), p. vii; Welsh Office, Statistics of Education in Wales no. 1 1976 (Cardiff: HMSO, 1976), pp. v; Department of Education and Science, Statistics of Schools: January 1980 ([London?]: Department of Education and Science, n.d.), title page; Department for Education, Welsh Office, Scottish Office Education Department, Department of Education for Northern Ireland and Universities Funding Council, Education Statistics for the United Kingdom: 1993 edition (London, HMSO, 1994), p. 81.

6. Note of meeting between NDAD and the Department for Education and Skills on 27 September 2001; correspondence relating to the Schools' Census datasets passed to NDAD by the Public Record Office.

7. Note of meeting between NDAD and the Department for Education and Skills on 27 September 2001; note of meeting between NDAD and the DfEE on 17 February 2000; correspondence relating to the Schools' Census datasets passed to NDAD by the Public Record Office; note of telephone conversation between NDAD and the DfEE on 7 December 2000.

8. Note of meeting between NDAD and the Department for Education and Skills on 27 September 2001; notes of telephone conversation between NDAD and the DfEE on 30 January 1998, 3 February 1998, 28 November 2000 and 7 December 2000.

9. Note of meeting between NDAD and the Department for Education and Skills on 27 September 2001.

10. Dataset Documentation Catalogue, references CRDA/13/DD/1/1986/1, CRDA/13/DD/1/1986/4, CRDa/13/DD/1/1997/1 and CRDA/13/DD/1/1997/3.

11. Notes of telephone conversations between NDAD and the DfEE on 30 January 1998 and 7 December 2000; Dataset Documentation Catalogue, references CRDA/13/DD/1/1975/11, CRDA/13/DD/1/1979/15, CRDA/13/DD/1/1986/3 and CRDA/13/DD/1/1998/19. A number of examples of Schools' Census returns for LEA-maintained schools in Gloucestershire and Hertfordshire have been transferred to NDAD by the record offices of Gloucestershire County Council and Hertfordshire County Council: see the Dataset Documentation Catalogue.

12. Dataset Documentation Catalogue, reference CRDA/13/DD/1/1985/9.

13. Dataset Documentation Catalogue, references CRDA/13/DD/1/1976/7-8 and CRDA/13/DD/1/1997/5.

14. Education Act 1993 s.298; Department for Education and Skills, "A to Z of School Leadership and Management website", page "Pupil Referral Units" (http://www.dfes.gov.uk/a-z/PUPIL_REFERRAL_UNITS.html) consulted on 17 October 2001.

15. Welsh Office, Statistics of Education in Wales no. 1 1976 (Cardiff: HMSO, 1976), p. 81

16. Dataset Documentation Catalogue, reference CRDA/13/DD/1/1981/15.

17. Department of Education and Science, Statistics of Education: 1978 Schools Volume 1 (London: HMSO, 1980), p. x; Dataset Documentation Catalogue, reference CRDA/13/DD/1/1979/15.

18. Welsh Office, Statistics of Education in Wales no. 3 1978 (Cardiff: HMSO, 1978), p. 81; Dataset Documentation Catalogue, reference CRDA/13/DD/1/1978/18; CRDA/13/DD/1/1979/16.

19. Notes of telephone conversations between NDAD and the DfEE on 30 January 1998, 3 February 1998, 26 February 1998 and 7 December 2000; note of meeting between NDAD and the Department for Education and Skills on 27 September 2001.

20. Note of meeting between NDAD and the Department for Education and Skills on 27 September 2001; note of communication from the Department for Education and Skills to NDAD on 25 October 2001.