Autumn School Census Thursday 1st October 2026

It is crucial to ensure that all necessary data is accurately collected and prepared for submission. The deadline for submitting census data to the DfE is Wednesday 28th October 2026, although many Local Authorities may require returns earlier.

We recommend reviewing your data and attending training as early as possible to avoid last-minute issues.

We are here to support your school through the process with specialist training, detailed census guidance and expert consultancy support.

Important Note for SIMS Schools
For primary schools using SIMS to complete their census, it is compulsory to complete it in SIMS Next Gen.

We will be available to take calls throughout the collection period so please do not hesitate to contact the help desk if you require support.

To help us resolve any issues as quickly as possible, please provide any query or error numbers when logging your ticket.

Any updates will be shared via the MIS specific campaign news feeds on our customer portal (listed under Additional Resources).  Customers can also check the news section at https://www.schoolicts.co.uk/latest-news/ .

Flexible, expert-led support for statutory returns – our Data Services package is a flexible, remote solution designed to support schools through key statutory returns and annual MIS procedures. Whether you need help with one return or all of them, we work alongside your team to ensure data is clean, complete, and submitted correctly saving valuable staff time and ensuring compliance.

Pupil Census (Autumn, Spring, Summer)
All support is delivered remotely by a trained MIS expert.

Protect your Post-16 funding before the autumn census
Even small data issues can have a significant impact on the funding your school receives. Our Post-16 Funding Scrutiny Service provides an independent review of the key MIS data that drives post-16 funding, helping schools identify anomalies, funding risks and potential missed income while there’s still time to act.

The service offers expert scrutiny, practical recommendations and greater confidence that your census data is accurate, compliant and supporting the funding your school should receive.

Interested in finding out more? Contact us using one of the options above to discuss your requirements and book a Post-16 Funding Scrutiny review ahead of the census deadline. Early intervention can help reduce risk, avoid last-minute pressure and give your team confidence before submission.

Training
We support schools using Arbor, Bromcom, SIMS and SIMS Next Gen and are running a full programme of census training sessions throughout September to help schools prepare for the Autumn 2026 Census. Sessions are available for Primary, Secondary and Post-16 settings and include platform-specific guidance, validation checks, common errors, DfE updates and submission best practice.

Our specialist MIS consultants will guide you through the latest DfE changes, common validation queries and software-specific requirements, helping your school complete an accurate and compliant return.

Please use the links below to book your census training session.

Important Note for SIMS Schools
For primary schools using SIMS to complete their census, it is compulsory to complete it in SIMS Next Gen, therefore, we would strongly advise booking some training to guide you through.

Places are limited and sessions fill quickly, so we recommend registering early to secure your preferred date.

SIMS Training

Session	Date	Registration
SIMS Next Gen Primary Census Training	10 September 2026	Book Here
SIMS & Next Gen Secondary Census Training	10 September 2026	Book Here
SIMS Next Gen Primary Census Training	16 September 2026	Book Here
SIMS & Next Gen Secondary Census Training	17 September 2026	Book Here
SIMS Preparing for Post-16 Census	21 September 2026	Book Here

Arbor Training

Session	Date	Registration
Arbor Preparing for Post-16 Census	16 September 2026	Book Here
Arbor Secondary Census Training	22 September 2026	Book Here
Arbor Primary Census Training	24 September 2026	Book Here

Bromcom Training

Session	Date	Registration
Bromcom Primary Autumn Census Training	18 September 2026	Book Here
Bromcom Preparing for Post-16 Census	22 September 2026	Book Here
Bromcom Secondary Autumn Census Training	24 September 2026	Book Here

Webinars
We are running a series of free webinars which are available to book via the links below:

Session	Date	Registration
SIMS & Next Gen Pupil Census Overview Webinar	8 September 2026	Book Here
Arbor Pupil Census Overview Webinar	8 September 2026	Book Here
Bromcom Pupil Census Overview Webinar	9 September 2026	Book Here
Bromcom Post-16 Census Overview Webinar	15 September 2026	Book Here
Arbor Post-16 Census Overview Webinar	15 September 2026	Book Here

Kinship Care
A new Kinship Care indicator is being introduced for Autumn Census 2026. Schools will need to identify and record children living in qualifying kinship care arrangements.

Breakfast Club Attendance
Schools participating in the Government-funded Free Breakfast Club Programme will need to record breakfast club attendance from Autumn 2026.

Although first collected during the Spring 2027 Census, schools must begin maintaining records from the start of the autumn term.

Software-Specific Census Guidance
Although the statutory requirements remain the same, the methods used to review, validate and submit census data differ between MIS platforms.

Arbor Schools
Access detailed guidance covering:

Arbor Latest Census Guidance and Campaign News.

Bromcom Schools
Detailed guidance is available covering:

Bromcom Latest Census Guidance and Campaign News.

SIMS Schools
Please note:  For primary schools, it is compulsory to complete this census in SIMS Next Gen.

Detailed guidance is available covering:

SIMS Latest Census Guidance and Campaign News.

Important Note for SIMS Customers

We would like to draw your attention to the SIMS patches listed below, which should be applied to your SIMS database as soon as possible.

For schools where School ICT Services manages SIMS upgrades on your behalf, these patches are likely to have already been deployed automatically through SOLUS 3 auto-deploy.

For schools that manage their own SIMS deployments, the patches have been authorised and are available for deployment.

If you are using SIMS Connected rather than an on-premise SIMS 7 installation, these patches will have been applied directly by ParentPay Group.

If you require any assistance with installing these patches, or if you have any questions, please contact the Help Desk.

Critical SIMS Patches for On-Premise Schools
It is essential that all external SIMS7 On-Premise schools have deployed the following critical patches when there are no users logged in SIMS. Please note, they should be deployed after the summer upgrade has been applied.

Patch 31418
Includes important fixes for DMS-related issues affecting:

SIMS Summer 2026 Workstation Patch 2
This update contains important workstation fixes and improvements. We strongly recommend applying this patch if it has not already been deployed.

Patch 31424: SIMS7 – Next Gen Conduct Redirect Issue
PPG have identified an issue with the SIMS7 redirects for Conduct in SIMS Next Gen, specifically affecting: Focus > Student > Student Teacher View. Patch 31424 has been created to resolve this issue.

Database Patch 31462: Validate Memberships and Free School Meals Records
PPG have identified an issue affecting the Validate Memberships process when used with the new Expanded and Targeted Free School Meals (FSM) record types.

Historically, the Validate Memberships process merged overlapping FSM records into a single continuous record. With the introduction of the new FSM categories, records belonging to different FSM types may be merged incorrectly.

To prevent this, Database Patch 31462 has been released.
Important: Until this patch has been applied, PPG strongly recommend that users do not run the Validate Memberships process on records containing the new FSM types.

Patch 31422 : Consolidated Database Patch 1 for the SIMS Summer Release 2026.

Patch 31425: SIMS and FMS Login Timeout Issues
On 22 July 2026, an issue was reported where users were unable to log in to SIMS or FMS and experienced timeout-related errors, including:

To resolve this issue, please apply Patch 31425 and Restart the SSM Service.

We look forward to supporting you through another successful census return.

Kind regards,