July 2005/29 (web only)
Core funding/operations
Assurance and funding

This report is for information and guidance

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2004-05 statistics derived from ILR data

Guide to HEFCE web facility

This document is a guide to HEFCE's web facility, which generates several types of analysis from the Learning and Skills Council's Individualised Learner Record. Use of the web facility will help further education colleges to return accurate HE data to the Learning and Skills Council, and to identify errors and forecasting discrepancies in HEIFES04.

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To:	Heads of further education colleges directly funded by HEFCE Heads of lead institutions of HEFCE-recognised funding consortia
Of interest to those responsible for:	Student data, Audit, Finance
Reference:	2005/29
Publication date:	July 2005
Enquiries to:	Joe Clark tel 0117 931 7292 Lauren Humphrey tel 0117 931 7373 e-mail ilr_heifes_stats@hefce.ac.uk

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Executive summary (read on-line)

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Contents

Executive summary

Introduction

Annexes

• Annex A Summary of changes since the HEFCE web facility for 2003-04 statistics derived from ILR data
• Annex B Using the HEFCE web facility
• Annex C Comparison of HEIFES04 and the HEIFES04 re-creation
• Annex D Derived statistics likely to inform the 2006-07 widening participation allocations
• Annex E HEFCE regional statistics
• Annex F HEIFES05 non-completion toolkit

List of abbreviations

Technical appendices

• Appendix 1 HEIFES04 re-creation algorithms 21
• Appendix 2 Troubleshooting the differences between HEIFES04 and the HEIFES04 re-creation
• Appendix 3 Problems of fit with the HEIFES04 re-creation algorithms
• Appendix 4 Derived statistics likely to inform the 2006-07 widening participation allocation algorithms
• Appendix 5 HEFCE regional statistics algorithms
• Appendix 6 HEIFES05 non-completion toolkit algorithms

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Executive summary

Purpose

1.    This document is a guide to HEFCE's web facility, which colleges should use to check their Learning and Skills Council (LSC) July 2004-05 F04 Individualised Learner Record (ILR). It generates the following derived statistics:

1. Higher Education in Further Education: Students Survey 2004-05 (HEIFES04) re-creation.
2. Derived statistics that are likely to be used to inform the 2006 07 widening participation (WP) allocations.
3. Derived statistics that will be used in HEFCE regional statistics publication.
4. Higher Education in Further Education: Students Survey 2005-06 (HEIFES05) non completion toolkit.

Key points

2.    The use of the web facility is strongly encouraged as it will help further education colleges to:

1. Return accurate data to the LSC.
2. Reduce the likelihood of selection for the derived statistics exercise for 2004-05, avoiding possible additional work and potential funding adjustments.
3. Identify discrepancies between forecasts in HEIFES04 and the outturn position for 2004-05.
4. Identify errors in HEIFES04.
5. Estimate non-completion rates for HEIFES05.

3.    This document, together with the accompanying technical appendices provides:

1. Guidance on using the web facility.
2. Algorithms for generating the derived statistics.
3. Guidance on troubleshooting the differences between HEIFES04 and the HEIFES04 re creation.
4. Details of problems of fit with HEIFES04 re creation algorithms.
5. Guidance for using the HEIFES05 non completion toolkit.

New outputs

4.    In addition to the HEIFES04 re-creation and the HEFCE regional statistics, the following two outputs are new to this year's web facility:

• derived statistics that are likely to inform the 2006-07 WP allocations
• HEIFES05 non completion toolkit.

Action required

5.    Use of this web facility is optional, but we strongly encourage colleges to use it as part of their data quality processes. A review of the web facility has confirmed that it will be an essential element of the majority of HEFCE-funded colleges' 2004-05 ILR F04 data quality processes before the return is due to the LSC on 5 September 2005. This review also revealed that colleges that do not use the facility are more likely to be selected in the monitoring exercise described in paragraph 6.

Relationship with 'Statistics derived from ILR data'

6.    Annually we publish 'Statistics derived from ILR data for monitoring and allocation of funding' in which we monitor colleges' HEIFES returns using July F04 ILR data. If we find, either through comparisons with ILR data or any data audit, that erroneous data have resulted in colleges receiving incorrect funding allocations then we will adjust their funding accordingly (subject to the appeals process and the availability of our funds). Any funding adjustments following the comparison of 2004-05 ILR F04 data with HEIFES04 are likely to affect the funding previously announced for 2004-05 and all subsequent years. Institutions that are selected to make a response to the exercise are typically involved in a substantial amount of work to reconcile their data, which may take several months to complete. While the web facility is provided to complement the monitoring exercise, it does not replace it.