Independent review of Data Futures programme published

The Data Futures programme set out to update the technology used to collect student data from universities and colleges and make data reporting more efficient. It is the first major change to student data systems in higher education in more than two decades.

A combination of factors and delays affected the delivery of Data Futures and led to challenges in the first year of student data collection in 2023. On behalf of the regulatory and funding organisations in the four UK nations, the Office for Students (OfS) commissioned Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) to undertake an independent review of these issues.

PwC engaged with sector groups and a selection of institutions across the UK to identify the underlying issues that produced the difficulties experienced in autumn 2023. PwC has also made a number of future-looking recommendations for all the organisations involved in the programme.

The review was overseen by a UK-wide steering group, chaired by Margaret Monckton, former chief financial officer at the University of Nottingham. She was joined by representatives from sector bodies with expertise in the collection of higher education data.

In a statement on behalf of the steering group, Margaret Monckton said:

‘I'd like to thank PwC for its work in producing this independent review of Data Futures, and to everyone on the steering committee for their time and insights.

‘The report raises a range of issues with the first year of data collection and details lessons that all organisations involved should take forward in any future changes, particularly in any move to in-year data collection. A combination of factors affected the delivery of Data Futures, which led to challenges for some providers and knock-on consequences for regulators and funders. We encourage everyone in the higher education sector to read the report and consider the lessons learnt.’

In a joint statement, the OfS, Medr, the Scottish Funding Council and the Department for the Economy for Northern Ireland said:

‘We recognise that many colleagues across the higher education sector worked extremely hard to deliver the first year of student data collection, and we are grateful for their efforts. As PwC's findings set out, the rollout of Data Futures has been very challenging for the sector, individual institutions and some individuals. These difficulties had a direct impact on our ability to use and publish student data in a timely way.

‘The feedback collected by PwC and the analysis set out in the report will be important as we continue to improve data and data collection across the sector. It's important that we – including UK funders and regulators, Jisc, and institutions – all take responsibility for taking forward the recommendations in the report as we progress our shared work to modernise data collection.

‘Despite the initial challenges of the Data Futures programme, having the right data, at the right time and in the right way is essential to enable higher education institutions to operate effectively. It also contributes to robust and timely regulation that ensures any interventions have a positive and meaningful impact on student outcomes.

‘So, after careful consideration, we intend to take forward the collection of in-year student data. We will work in partnership with the sector to test ideas and to minimise the impact of the technical development required. However, institutions will need to ensure they have adequate systems in place to record and submit their student data on time, and we want to work with Jisc and the sector to enable this to happen effectively.’

Heidi Fraser-Krauss, Chief Executive, Jisc, commented:

‘The independent review of the Data Futures Programme sets out the key learnings and reflections from what all stakeholders agree was a challenging project. Following the Data Futures Programme, significant progress has been made to standardise the collection of student data. We look forward to continuing to work with partners across the sector to deliver improvements to data collection across higher education, supporting institutional planning and improving student outcomes.’

Notes

1. The Office for Students is the independent regulator for higher education in England. We are currently consulting on a new strategy for 2025-2030 which seeks to ensure that students from all backgrounds benefit from high quality higher education, delivered by a diverse, sustainable sector that continues to improve. You can respond to the consultation on our new strategy.
2. As the Designated Data Body (DDB) for England, under the provisions of the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 (HERA), Jisc is responsible for collecting student data from providers to a specification and timescale set by the OfS (for providers in England). It is also responsible for delivering the Data Futures programme. These responsibilities were previously held by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) but became the responsibility of Jisc when the two organisations merged and Jisc was designated, from 4 October 2022. Jisc works on behalf of higher education providers in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to help them fulfil their statutory obligations to provide information to the funding and regulatory bodies in each administration. These bodies are HESA’s ‘Statutory Customers’ and they determine the data that each higher education provider must return through HESA.
3. Members of steering group listed:

• Academic Registrars Council (ARC)
• Department for the Economy Northern Ireland
• Medr, Medr is responsible for funding and regulating the tertiary education and research sector in Wales.
• Higher Education Strategic Planners Association (HESPA)
• Jisc
• Office for Students
• Scottish Funding Council
• Student Records Officers' (SROC)
• Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association (UCISA).