September 2008/30 (web only)
Core funding/operations
Assurance and funding

This report is for information and guidance

2007-08 statistics derived from HESA data
Guide to HEFCE web facility

This document is a guide to HEFCE's web facility which generates several types of analysis from Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student data. Use of the web facility will help higher education institutions to return accurate data to HESA, and to identify errors and forecasting discrepancies in HEFCE funding returns.

Executive summary (read online)

Contents

• Executive summary
• Introduction

Annexes

• Annex A   Summary of changes since publication of HEFCE 2007/15
• Annex B   How to use the HEFCE web facility
• Annex C   Comparison of HESES07 and the HESES07 re-creation
• Annex D   Comparison of the HESES07 re-creation and the HESES07 re-creation based on cost centre sector norms
• Annex E   Derived statistics that may inform the 2009-10 widening participation (WP) allocations
• Annex F   Derived statistics that may inform the 2009-10 partial completion weighting
• Annex G   2007-08 co-funded employer engagement student numbers (CFEE07) re-creation
• Annex H   Comparison of RAS07 and the RAS07 re-creation
• Annex I   Research degree qualification rates (RDQRs)
• Annex J   Submitting amendments to 2006-07 HESA data for the purpose of correcting RDQRs
• Annex K   Submitting historical data error (HDE) files for the purpose of correcting RDQRs
• Annex L   Guidance for completing and submitting RDQR action plans
• Annex M   2007-08 HEFCE-fundable student FTEs for TRAC(T)
• Annex N   Derived statistics likely to inform HESES08 audits
• Annex O   Information for lead institutions of HEFCE-recognised funding consortia
• Annex P   Lifelong Learning Network (LLN) student summaries
• Annex Q   Using the HESES08 non completion toolkit
• Annex R   Submitting overrides to primary derived fields
• List of abbreviations

Technical appendices

• Appendix 1   HESES07 re-creation algorithms
• Appendix 2   Troubleshooting the differences between HESES07 and the HESES07 re-creation
• Appendix 3   Problems of fit with the HESES07 re-creation algorithms
• Appendix 4   HESES07 re-creation based on cost centre sector norms algorithms
• Appendix 5   Troubleshooting the differences between the HESES07 re-creation and the HESES07 re-creation based on cost centre sector norms
• Appendix 6   Problems of fit with the HESES07 re-creation based on cost centre sector norms algorithms
• Appendix 7   Derived statistics that may inform the 2009-10 widening participation (WP) allocation algorithms
• Appendix 8   Derived statistics that may inform the 2009-10 partial completion weighting algorithms
• Appendix 9   CFEE07 re-creation algorithms
• Appendix 10   RAS07 re-creation algorithms
• Appendix 11   Troubleshooting the differences between RAS07 and the RAS07 re-creation
• Appendix 12   Problems of fit with the RAS07 re-creation algorithms
• Appendix 13   2007-08 RDQR algorithms
• Appendix 14   Generating the 2007-08 RDQR outputs from the individualised file
• Appendix 15   Example RDQR action plan
• Appendix 16   2007-08 HEFCE-fundable student FTEs for TRAC(T) algorithms
• Appendix 17   Generating the 2007-08 HEFCE-fundable student FTEs for TRAC(T) from the individualised file
• Appendix 18   Derived statistics likely to be used during HESES08 audits
• Appendix 19   Lifelong Learning Network (LLN) student summaries algorithms
• Appendix 20   HESES08 non-completion toolkit algorithms

Executive summary

Purpose

1.   This document is a guide to HEFCE's web facility which is provided to institutions so that they can verify and correct, where appropriate, their 2007-08 Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student data prior to submission. It generates the following outputs:

1. Higher Education Students Early Statistics Survey 2007-08 (HESES07) re-creation.
2. HESES07 re-creation based on cost centre sector norms.
3. Derived statistics that may be used to inform the 2009-10 widening participation (WP) allocations.
4. Derived fields that may be used to inform the 2009-10 partial completion weighting.
5. Re-creation of the aggregate return to monitor 2007-08 co-funded employer engagement student numbers (CFEE07) - a new output this year.
6. Research Activity Survey 2007 (RAS07) re-creation.
7. Research Degree Qualification Rates (RDQRs).
8. 2007-08 HEFCE-fundable student full-time equivalences (FTEs) for the Transparent Approach to Costing (Teaching), TRAC(T).
9. Derived statistics that are likely to inform HESES08 audits.
10. Lifelong Learning Network (LLN) student summaries.
11. Higher Education Students Early Statistics Survey 2008-09 (HESES08) non-completion toolkit.

Key points

2.   The use of the web facility is strongly encouraged because it will help institutions to:

• return accurate data to HESA
• reduce the likelihood of selection for the derived statistics exercise for 2007-08 (selected institutions are typically subject to considerable additional work and the potential of funding adjustments)
• identify discrepancies between forecasts in HESES07 and the outturn position for 2007-08
• identify errors in HEFCE funding returns
• verify that the derived fields that may inform funding allocations are accurate
• verify that RDQRs are suitable for publication
• verify that 2007-08 HEFCE-fundable student FTEs for TRAC(T) are suitable to inform the periodic review of price groups
• verify that the derived statistics are suitable to inform HESES audits
• verify that the student summaries for LLNs are suitable to inform the evaluation of the initiative
• make informed estimations of non-completion rates when compiling HESES08.

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

• guidance for using the web facility
• details of the algorithms used to generate the derived statistics
• guidance on troubleshooting the differences between the HEFCE funding returns and the re-creations
• guidance on re-building the web facility outputs using the individualised data files supplied
• details of problems of fit with algorithms
• guidance for submitting overrides to our algorithms, and information on when this is appropriate
• guidance on submitting historical data error (HDE) files to correct RDQRs
• guidance on the preparation and submission of RDQR action plans
• guidance for using the HESES08 non-completion toolkit.

Action required

4.   Use of this web facility is optional, but we strongly encourage institutions to use it as part of their data quality processes. Past reviews have confirmed that it is an essential element of most higher education institutions' HESA data quality processes. These reviews have also revealed that institutions that do not use the facility are more likely to be selected for the monitoring exercise described in paragraphs 7 - 13 below.

5.   This will be the last opportunity for institutions to verify the accuracy of the data underlying the RDQRs for full-time students starting in 2001-02 and part-time and mode-switch students starting in 1999-2000 before they are asked to sign off these rates as suitable for publication. This will also be the last opportunity to ensure that 2007-08 HESA data, where these will inform future RDQRs, are accurate.

6.   The deadline for receipt of RDQR action plans (to enable us to authorise the submission of 2006-07 HESA amendments and HDE files) is 6 October 2008. The deadline for signing off 2006-07 HESA amendments and HDE files for the purpose of correcting RDQRs is 13 October 2008.