Size and shape of provision data dashboard

Dashboard user guide

  • The dashboard contains a ‘Show help’ button in the top right. Relevant information included in this guide will also be available via this button.
  • The ‘Read me’ button in the top right of the dashboard contains information about the data in the dashboard.

Select a tab

Use the buttons at the top to choose between three tabs:

  1. Size and shape of provision tab: this shows a summary of students at a selected provider by six mode and level categories, split by student and course characteristics. It includes an option to show the data as tables and as bar charts, using the ‘Show data as charts’ or ‘Show data as tables’ button in the top right.
  2. Partnership arrangements tab: this shows a summary of students at a selected provider by six mode and level categories, split by year and by type of partnership. The student numbers include data from non-OfS registered providers where OfS-registered providers have such partnership arrangements. 
  3. Student numbers tab: this shows a summary of student numbers at a selected provider by year, split by mode and level of study.

Across all tabs, the size and shape data dashboard summarises information between 2020-21 and 2023-24, as well as the four-year aggregate, broken down by type of provision and level of study. The four-year aggregate is a sum across the years 2020-21 to 2023-24.

Throughout the rest of the guide, we have suggested an order to using the buttons and filters, but they can be applied in any order.

1. Ensure the 'Size and shape of provision' tab is selected

2. Click on the 'Show filters' arrow to the right.

3. Within the filters pane:

  • Select a provider
    • Use the ‘Select an OfS-registered provider’ dropdown box on the left to choose (or search for) a provider’s data to display.
    • The sector rates can be selected by selecting the provider ‘*All OfS-registered providers’.
    • Providers without any data will not show up in the dropdown.
  • Select a cohort
    • Use the ‘Select a cohort’ buttons to select which of the cohorts to display data for - entrants, qualifiers or all students.
    • ‘All students’ is selected by default.
  • Select a year
    • Use the ‘Select year' buttons to select which year to display data for.
    • ‘4 year aggregate’ is selected by default.

4. Click on the ‘Hide filters’ arrow to close the filters pane once you have made your selection.

5. Show data as tables or bar charts

  • The data is presented in tables by default.
  • Use the ‘Show data as charts’ button to see the data presented in bar charts.
  • Use the ‘See data as tables’ button to return to the table view.

6. Select percentage type or headcount

  • Use the ‘Percentage’ or ‘Percentage of known’ buttons to choose whether to display the percentage of the whole taught or registered (TorR) population or the percentage of the known and applicable population.
  • Percentage (of the whole population) is shown by default.
  • Use the ‘headcount’ button to display the data as headcounts.

7. Use the +/- icons to collapse and expand the student or course characteristic rows.

  • Drill up collapses the data rows but does not show an aggregated figure.
  • If a row has no data for a particular selection or cohort it will be blank when expanded.

8. Click on the ‘Show filters’ arrow and ‘reset filters’ to reset the filters.

  • The reset filters button does not remove text typed into the search box, so you may need to delete text in the search box to see the full provider list.

1. Ensure the 'Partnership arrangements' tab is selected

2. As a default the dashboard will show the provider and cohort selected in the size and shape of provision tab.

3. To change these filters, click on the ‘Show filters’ arrow to the right.

4. Within the filters pane:

  • Select a provider
    • Use the ‘Select an OfS-registered provider’ dropdown box on the left to choose (or search for) a provider’s data to display.
    • The sector rates can be selected by selecting the provider ‘*All OfS-registered providers’.
    • *All OfS-registered providers is selected as default, unless you have changed the provider in the size and shape of provision tab, in which case it may display this selection.
    • Providers without any data will not show up in the dropdown.
  • Select a cohort
    • Use the ‘Select a cohort’ buttons to select which of the cohorts to display data for - entrants, qualifiers or all students.
    • ‘All students’ is selected by default, unless you have changed the cohort in the size and shape of provision tab, in which case it will display this selection.

5. Click on the ‘Hide filters’ arrow to close the filters pane once you have made your selection.

6. Select percentage or headcount

  • Use the ‘Percentage’ button to choose to display the percentage of the whole taught or registered (TorR) population.
  • Percentages are shown by default.
  • Use the ‘headcount’ button to display the data as headcounts.

7. Use the +/- icons to collapse and expand the student or course characteristic rows.

  • Drill up collapses the data rows but does not show an aggregated figure.
  • If a row has no data for a particular selection or cohort it will be blank when expanded.

8. Click on the ‘Show filters’ arrow and ‘reset filters’ to reset the filters.

  • The reset filters button does not remove text typed into the search box, so you may need to delete text in the search box to see the full provider list.

1. Ensure the 'Student numbers' tab is selected

2. As a default the dashboard will show the provider and cohort selected in the size and shape of provision tab.

3. To change these filters, click on the ‘Show filters’ arrow to the right.

4. Within the filters pane:

  • Select a provider
    • Use the ‘Select an OfS-registered provider’ dropdown box on the left to choose (or search for) a provider’s data to display.
    • The sector rates can be selected by selecting the provider ‘*All OfS-registered providers’.
    • *All OfS-registered providers is selected as default.
    • Providers without any data will not show up in the dropdown.
  • Select a cohort
    • Use the ‘Select a cohort’ buttons to select which of the cohorts to display data for - entrants, qualifiers or all students.
    • ‘All students’ is selected by default.

5. Click on the ‘Hide filters’ arrow to close the filters pane once you have made your selection.

6. Select percentage or headcount

  • Use the ‘Percentage’ button to choose to display the percentage of the whole taught or registered (TorR) population.
  • Percentages are shown by default.
  • Use the ‘headcount’ button to display the data as headcounts.

7. Use the +/- icons to collapse and expand the student or course characteristic rows.

  • Drill up collapses the data rows but does not show an aggregated figure.
  • If a row has no data for a particular selection or cohort it will be blank when expanded.

8. Click on the ‘Show filters’ arrow and ‘reset filters’ to reset the filters.

  • The reset filters button does not remove text typed into the search box, so you may need to delete text in the search box to see the full provider list.
Published 30 September 2022
Last updated 19 November 2025
19 November 2025
Updated with annual release of data
03 September 2024
Updated with annual release of data
12 April 2023
Updated with annual release of data

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