SCHOOL CENSUS – CHILDCARE PROVISION
Updated to accommodate supplementary guidance issued by DFE (School census 2015 to 2016
Guide, version 2.4). Updated text shown in italics.
Following the voluntary collection in the May 2015 School Census, all schools in January 2016 will
need to provide information regarding the provision of – or signposting to – childcare services. The
Census collects the nature of the childcare provided / signposted as set out below. Data regarding
childcare is collected at school level, no data is returned to DFE at pupil level.
The inclusion of this data in the Census return will allow the DFE to understand the nature and
provision of childcare and its availability across the school landscape. The data being collected by
DFE are aimed to capture four general scenarios set out below: schools will need to include in their
Census return the relevant data for each of the childcare provisions that are available. [j]
1. BEFORE SCHOOL CHILDCARE SERVICE [a]
Is there a regular before school childcare service on the school site? (YES / NO) [b]
If YES:
• What time does it open? [h]
• How many places? [d]
• Who provides the service? [e]
• Is it open to children from other schools (with transfer included)? [g]
If NO:
• Is there a regular off-site service that the school promotes or signposts parents
towards? [c]
o YF = Yes, we have formal arrangements with another provider for them to
provide childcare to our pupils, including transport to the site.
o YL = Yes, we keep a list of other local providers that will pick up from our
school to help parents.
o N = No
o U = Not known
2. AFTER SCHOOL CHILDCARE SERVICE [a]
Is there a regular after school childcare service on the school site? (YES / NO) [b]
If YES:
• What time does it close? [i]
• How many places? [d]
• Who provides the service? [e]
• Is it open to children from other schools (with transfer included)? [g]
If NO:
• Is there a regular off-site service that the school promotes or signposts parents
towards? [c]
o YF = Yes, we have formal arrangements with another provider for them to
provide childcare to our pupils, including transport to the site.
o YL = Yes, we keep a list of other local providers that will pick up from our
school to help parents.
o N = No
o U = Not known
3. HOLIDAY CHILDCARE SERVICE
Is there a holiday childcare service or scheme offered on the school site which is open for at least 8
hours per day and usually open Mon-Fri during school holiday periods? (It may not cover the entire
holiday period but should provide a useful service to working parents) (YES /NO) [b][l]
If YES:
• What time does it open? [h]
• What time does it close? [i]
• For how many weeks of the school holiday is the service open? [f]
• How many places? [d]
• Who provides the service? [e]
• Is it open to children from other schools? [g]
If NO:
• Is there an off-site service or scheme that the school promotes or signposts
parents towards? [c]
o YF = Yes, we have formal arrangements with another provider for them to
provide childcare to our pupils, including transport to the site.
o YL = Yes, we keep a list of other local providers that will pick up from our
school to help parents.
o N = No
o U = Not known
4. CHILDCARE FOR CHILDREN AGED BETWEEN 0-4 YEARS
Please note: this element is for ‘nursery’ (or pre-school) children. Children who are in the ‘Reception
Class’ would not be included here (although they would be included in one of the categories above
where appropriate).
Does the school have an on-site offer of regular childcare for children aged between 0 and 4, for
more than 9 hours/day during term time. (YES/NO) [b] [k]
If YES:
• What time does it open? [h]
• What time does it close? [i]
• For how many weeks is it open? [f]
• How many places? [d]
• Who provides the service? [e]
If NO:
• Is there an off-site service or scheme that the school promotes or signposts
parents towards? [c]
o YF = Yes, we have formal arrangements with another provider for them to
provide childcare to our pupils, including transport to the site.
o YL = Yes, we keep a list of other local providers that will pick up from our
school to help parents.
o N = No
o U = Not known
Notes on Completion:
[a] Before and after school childcare relates to formal guaranteed childcare arrangements only
which are available on days when the school is open, and not to sports or activity-based clubs where
childcare provided is incidental to the activity being offered.
[b] Childcare on site – records whether childcare is provided on the school premises
[c] Childcare off site – records whether childcare is undertaken off the school premises. (This may
include a service provided by another school, a voluntary setting, or a private provider).
[d] # Childcare places – records the maximum number of children for which the service can
simultaneously provide places;
[e] # Childcare provider – records who provides the childcare service (school, school in partnership
with others, other (non-school) provider).
[f] # Childcare number of weeks open – records the number of weeks of childcare provided per
year. For provision in term time this should be in the range 1-38 (the number of weeks in the school
year); for provision during holidays enter the number of weeks of the holiday that the childcare
operates (if there is more than one scheme enter the total number of weeks covered). Under 5
provision which takes place in the school holidays should be recorded as holiday childcare provision.
[g] # Other schools – records whether the service is made available to children from other schools
(YES / NO / UNKNOWN).
[h] # Opening time – records the time the service becomes available.
[i] # Closing time – records the time the service ceases operation.
[j] The DFE are trying to capture details of childcare on which parents can rely to help them to take
up work. As such, the childcare offer should not be restricted to certain pupil groups and should be
regularly available 5 days per week.
[k] Because 0-4 childcare of less than 9 hours per day does not provide an offer that would enable
many parents to take up work, it should not be included in the return.
[l] Holiday childcare does not relate to activities that are only available on mornings or afternoon
sessions (eg a sports class or language school), although such activities may be integrated with a
wider holiday childcare offer. Where the offer applies during the summer break schools should
provide their current arrangements or plans (DFE accept that these may subsequently change).
[m] A school may also signpost / promote off-site childcare whilst also providing on-site childcare. In
such an instance both provisions would need to be recorded in the School Census.
Schools only need to provide data for the items above marked ‘#’ for provision which takes place on
the school site.
The guidance in this document is generic guidance based on the School Census specification as
issued by DFE. Individual school software systems may not follow the letter of the DFE Census
specification although the creation of the return will be designed to comply with the statutory
requirements of the return.
PMIT_ACV/School Census – School Childcare
19 Jan 2016