Guide to action plans

About action plans

There are two main reasons as to why universities or colleges might submit an action plan:

• an institution or college is required to respond to a funding data reconciliation
• an institution or college has identified that their data are incorrect.

In general, the main parts of an action plan are:

• identification of the area of discrepancy
• an explanation of why an error and/or discrepancy has occurred
• which HESA, ILR or primary derived fields may need changing
• an indication of timescale for these changes
• an indication of extent of changes to data (for example, the number of students).

An action plan allows HEFCE to process this information accurately and quickly. It also acts as a central record.

Please note that we may audit a sample of institutions' action plans to ensure that the changes on the action plans are supplemented by appropriate records and evidence.

Submitting and completing action plans

In order to submit an action plan, the university or college must complete an action plan template. These templates can be downloaded and submitted via the HEFCE extranet.

The following links provide detailed guidance for the specified action plans. This includes how to obtain and submit the action plan together with how to complete it.

• HESES, RAS and CFEE re-creation action plan
• HEIFES re-creation action plan
• HESES re-creation based on cost centre sector norms action plan
• HESA action plan
• ILR action plan

Responding to a funding data reconciliation

These action plans should demonstrate that the institution or college is able to identify, explain and remedy the areas and causes of discrepancy of the funding data reconciliation.

We need to gain assurance that the university or college will put in place systems or processes to reduce the likelihood of similar errors recurring in future returns.

The action plan will allow us to assess whether an institution is likely to require further assistance to respond adequately to the reconciliation.

Correcting or overriding data

We use this action plan to understand the need for corrections and to which HESA, ILR or primary derived fields.

It also provides us with dates when we can expect the institution to submit the data and the number of records being corrected.

HESA data

Errors in HESA student data should be resolved by submitting post-collection amendments to their HESA return (fixed database). HESA will not accept amendments until it has received confirmation that we are content with the institution's action plan.

• How to amend HESA student data

ILR data

Where errors are found in ILR data, we require colleges to submit amendments to HEFCE.

• How to amend ILR student data

Overrides to primary derived files

Re-creation algorithms may occasionally result in correct HESA or ILR data generating derived fields that do not appropriately reflect a student's actual characteristics in the re-creations. In such cases a primary derived field override file can be used to correct the derived fields so that the appropriate characteristics are incorporated in the re-creation.

• How to amend primary derived fields

Overrides to LAD fields

Erroneous or missing Learning Aims Database (LAD) data may be amended. This can be done via the use of a LAD override file.

• How to amend LAD data

HDE files

Errors in 'historic' HESA data should be resolved by submitting an HDE file. This refers to HESA data returns that can no longer be corrected through submission of HESA post-collection amendments (fixed database) due to it being past the closing date.

This will enable us to correct the primary derived fields for the individual students affected. 

Page last updated 28 November 2011