Data assurance

The Data Assurance Team aims to help providers to submit data that is fit for purpose, by relevant annual deadlines.

After the provider initially submits data to the OfS’s designated data body or the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), and before it is formally signed off, we carry out data verification checks. Ultimately, responsibility for ensuring the data is fit for purpose lies with the provider.

DDB data verification

We aim to assist providers in submitting data to the OfS’s designated data body (DDB) that is fit-for-purpose, by the DDB sign-off deadline in November.

From the 2022-23 student collection (22056), thresholds applied to data quality rules - called tolerances - replaced the previous systems of warnings and errors. Tolerances we are interested in are highlighted by the DDB and we will need to be satisfied with providers’ explanations before tolerances can be approved or overridden.

There are some apparent anomalies in data that the DDB does not specifically query, but due to the potential impact on the use of the data by the OfS we ask for explanations. In such cases, we raise queries through the Issue Management system, specifically identifying them as OfS queries. We review the responses and follow them up if necessary. We need to be satisfied with the response to the query before it is closed.

Providers should note that the process in place to raise queries may result in queries being reopened when data is resubmitted although the values being queried have not changed substantially. This approach is in line with the broader approach being taken to considering and approving tolerances from the 2022-23 collection; providers may wish to reference earlier responses when addressing these queries.

2023-24 Student data checking tool: Sample data verification queries

• 2023-24 Student HESES23 re-creation DVQs
• 2023-24 Student SLC comparison DVQs
• 2023-24 Student Pearson comparison DVQs

ILR data verification

We aim to assist colleges in providing the R14 data for submission to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) that is fit-for-purpose, by the deadline in October each year, through the ILR data checking tool.

Once data is submitted to the ILR data checking tool, a number of queries will be generated to which we need responses, or a request for data resubmission. See the process for viewing and responding to ILR data verification queries.

It is essential that the same data is submitted to both the data checking tool for review, and to the ESFA.

2023-24 ILR data checking tool: Sample data verification queries

• 2023-24 ILR HESES23 re-creation DVQs
• 2023-24 ILR quality control DVQs
• 2023-24 ILR NSS24 DVQs
• 2023-24 ILR graduate outcomes DVQs