FE Data Management Group
The FE Data Management Group was responsible for advising the information authority on developing guidance for the FE sector in addressing data management issues, so that users of the data can be assured of the quality and reliability of information relating to further education.
The group held its final meeting in November 2010, and its outputs were endorsed by the information authority board on 01 December 2010.
These are:
- Six Data Management Principles for the FE sector - for inclusion in the ILR Specification document that will assist providers in developing consistent data reporting practices.
- Four Good Practice Principles for Funding Bodies and Agencies - these are supported by the YPLA, the Skills Funding Agency and BIS.
Consultation on the principles was carried out with the sector before they were signed off - 128 responses were received in an online survey and other comments were made by our advisory groups.
- The group also worked with the information authority to answer several FAQs on ILR completion that were raised by the sector as a result of the LSC letter.
More about the FE Data Management Group and its work
The group was formed in response to an investigation into college individualised learner record (ILR) data undertaken by KPMG on behalf of the LSC and Ofsted, which uncovered different data management practices in some colleges that could result in inconsistent reporting.
The Chief Executive of the then Learning and Skills Council wrote to providers on the 23 September 2009 drawing their attention to these findings and asking for co-operation in developing more consistent data management practices.
Q. Who was on the group?
A. The group was made up of representatives from provider groups (HOLEX, AoC, ALP), individual providers, funding bodies (Skills Funding Agency and YPLA) and Ofsted, and was chaired by Graham Jones (Chairman of the information authority board).
Q. What status did the group have?
A. It was a ‘task and finish’ group, with a limited remit and lifespan, and had a responsibility to report to the information authority board. Its final meeting was on 12 November 2010.
Q. Why were ‘principles’ developed, rather than detailed guidance?
A. The group decided that creating many additional pages of ILR guidance was counter-productive and that it was not possible to cover every single permutation of ILR completion without substantially increasing the existing guidance that providers would have to read in order to complete an ILR. The principles should ensure that providers understand what is expected of them in terms of data management and can be applied across a range of provision and where conflicts of requirements exist.
Q. What will happen now?
A. The principles will be published in the ILR guidance documents. and partner organisations are now responsible for helping the principles become adopted across the sector.
