July 2006/22 (web only)
Core funding/operations
Assurance and funding

This report is for information and guidance

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2005-06 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 (ILR). Use of the web facility will help further education colleges to return accurate higher education data to the Learning and Skills Council, and to identify errors and forecasting discrepancies in HEIFES05.

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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:	2006/22
Publication date:	July 2006
Enquiries to:	For enquiries regarding the HEIFES05 comparison contact: Lauren Humphrey tel 0117 931 7373 Peter McMahon tel 0117 931 7338 e-mail ilr_heifes_stats@hefce.ac.uk
	For enquiries regarding the use of ILR data to inform the 2007-08 widening participation allocations contact: Anthony Ryan tel 0117 931 7297 e-mail ilr_heifes_stats@hefce.ac.uk
	For enquiries regarding the use of ILR data to inform the quantitative Teaching Quality Information(TQI) contact: Ben Grassby tel 0117 931 7493 e-mail ilr_heifes_stats@hefce.ac.uk
	For enquiries regarding the use of ILR data in HEFCE publications and to inform Policy contact: Lisa Readdy tel 0117 931 7492 e-mail ilr_heifes_stats@hefce.ac.uk

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Table of contents and executive summary (read on-line)

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Contents

Executive summary

Introduction

Annexes

• Annex A   Summary of changes since publication of ‘2004-05 statistics derived from ILR data: Guide to HEFCE web facility’ (HEFCE 2005/29)
• Annex B   Using the HEFCE web facility
• Annex C   Comparison of HEIFES05 and the HEIFES05 re-creation
• Annex D   Derived statistics likely to inform the 2007-08 widening participation allocations
• Annex E   Information for leads and members of HEFCE-recognised funding consortia
• Annex F   Quantitative Teaching Quality Information (TQI) for higher education in further education colleges
• Annex G   HEFCE statistics used for publication and to inform policy
• Annex H   HEIFES06 non-completion toolkit

List of abbreviations

Technical appendices

• Appendix 1   HEIFES05 re-creation algorithms
• Appendix 2   Troubleshooting the differences between HEIFES05 and the HEIFES05 re-creation
• Appendix 3   Problems of fit with the HEIFES05 re-creation algorithms
• Appendix 4   Derived statistics likely to inform the 2007-08 widening participation allocation algorithms
• Appendix 5^*  Quantitative Teaching Quality Information (TQI) algorithms
• Appendix 6   Algorithms for HEFCE statistics used for publication and to inform policy
• Appendix 7   HEIFES06 non-completion toolkit algorithms
• Appendix 8   Index of derived fields

^* Appendix 5 is not yet available, however we expect to add it to the HEFCE web-site in September 2006.

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Executive summary

Purpose

1.   This document is a guide to HEFCE’s web facility, which further education colleges should use to check their Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Individualised Learner Record (ILR). It is expected that colleges will use this facility prior to submitting their ILR F04 and F05 returns to the LSC. It generates the following derived statistics:

1. Higher Education in Further Education: Students Survey 2005-06 (HEIFES05) re-creation.
2. Derived statistics that are likely to be used to inform the 2007-08 widening participation (WP) allocations.
3. Quantitative Teaching Quality Information (TQI) for higher education in further education colleges.
4. Derived statistics that will be used in HEFCE publication.
5. Higher Education in Further Education: Students Survey 2006-07 (HEIFES06) 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 2005-06 (being selected involves considerable additional work and potential funding adjustments).
3. Identify discrepancies between forecasts in HEIFES05 and the outturn position for 2005 06.
4. Identify errors in HEIFES05.
5. Make informed estimations of non-completion rates for HEIFES06.
6. Ensure Quantitative Teaching Quality Information (TQI) for higher education in further education colleges is fit for onward publication on the TQI web-site.

3.   This document (including the technical appendices which need to be downloaded separately) provides:

1. Guidance on using the web facility.
2. Algorithms for generating the derived statistics.
3. Guidance on troubleshooting the differences between HEIFES05 and the HEIFES05 re-creation.
4. Details of problems of fit with HEIFES05 re-creation algorithms.
5. Guidance for using the HEIFES06 non completion toolkit.

New outputs

4.   This year's web facility produces quantitative TQI summary statistics. These outputs, for higher education in further education, are new to the ILR web facility. They are provided as an opportunity for institutions to check that the ILR data used to produce the quantitative TQI are fit for onward publication on the TQI web-site. It is also an opportunity for institutions to comment on the suitability of the algorithms we intend to use to produce the quantitative TQI. Annex F provides further information.

Outputs for publication

5.   Similarly to last year, this will be the only opportunity to ensure statistics that will be used in HEFCE statistical publications during 2007 are suitable for publication.

Action required

6.   Use of this web facility is optional, but we strongly encourage further education 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’ 2005-06 ILR data quality processes before the ILR returns are provided to the LSC. This review also revealed that colleges that do not use the facility are more likely to be selected in the monitoring exercise described in paragraphs 7 and 8.

Relationship with 'Statistics derived from ILR data'

7.   Annually we publish ‘Statistics derived from ILR data for monitoring and allocation of funding’ in which we monitor further education 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).

8.   Any funding adjustments following the comparison of 2005-06 ILR F04 data with HEIFES05 are likely to affect the funding previously announced for 2005-06 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.