Categories:
Headteacher, Data Manager, Administrators

Autumn School Census 2026

The Autumn School Census takes place on Thursday 1 October 2026, with maintained schools asked to submit their return via COLLECT by Wednesday 7 October 2026.

The DfE encourages schools to participate in the COLLECT familiarisation process before census opens.

To do:

  • Please submit returns as early as possible to allow time to resolve any validation errors or queries.
  • Review COLLECT reports after submission and re-run them following any amendments.
  • Ensure the Headteacher reviews and approves the census return before submission.
  • Send explanations for any valid queries to the Data and Analytics Team at dataAnalysisteam@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

Further guidance is available on the Data and Analytics Team School Census page on the OCC Schools Intranet and via the DfE's School Census guidance.

For support with census queries or validation issues, please contact dataAnalysisteam@oxfordshire.gov.uk. The team is happy to help.

Please note that the School Workforce Census, which takes place in November, is a separate collection. Maintained schools in Oxfordshire now use the IBC to complete and submit their School Workforce Census return.