The Data Assurance Team aims to help providers to submit data that is fit for purpose, by relevant annual deadlines.
After the provider initially submits data to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) or the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), and before it is formally signed off, we carry out data verification checks. Ultimately, responsibility for ensuring the data is fit for purpose lies with the provider.
HESA student data verification
We aim to assist providers in submitting data to HESA that is fit-for-purpose by the HESA sign-off deadline in November.
All queries for the exercise are raised through the HESA Minerva system. The responses to queries raised by HESA in which we are interested are highlighted by HESA in their Minerva queries. We review the responses and follow them up if necessary. We need to be satisfied with the response to the query before it is closed.
There are some apparent anomalies in data that HESA does not specifically query, but due to the potential impact on the use of the data by the OfS we ask for explanations. In such cases, we raise queries through Minerva, specifically identifying them as OfS queries. We review the responses and follow them up if necessary. We need to be satisfied with the response to the query before it is closed.
Details of the queries that are raised and assistance for providers in responding to queries:
2018-19 HESA data checking tool HESES18A sample data verification queries (this document was updated on 22 August to correct minor errors)
2018-19 HESA data checking tool TRACT18 sample data verification queries
2018-19 HESA data checking tool Research Degree Programme (RDP) supervision fund data summary sample data verification queries
2018-19 HESA data checking tool Student Loans Company (SLC) comparison sample data verification queries
HESA alternative provider student data verification
We aim to assist providers in submitting data to HESA that is fit-for-purpose by the HESA sign-off deadline in November.
All queries for the exercise are raised through the HESA Minerva system. The responses to queries raised by HESA which we are interested in are highlighted by HESA in their Minerva queries. We review the responses and follow them up if necessary. We need to be satisfied with the response to the query before it is closed.
There are some apparent anomalies in data that HESA does not specifically query, but due to the potential impact on the use of the data by the OfS we ask for explanations. In such cases, we raise queries through Minerva, specifically identifying them as OfS queries. We review the responses and follow them up if necessary. We need to be satisfied with the response to the query before it is closed.
Details of the queries that are raised and assistance for providers in responding to queries:
2018-19 HESA AP data checking tool HESES18B sample data verification queries
2018-19 HESA AP data checking tool Pearson comparison sample data verification queries
2018-19 HESA AP data checking tool Student Loans Company (SLC) comparison sample data verification queries
ILR data verification
We aim to assist colleges in providing the R14 data for submission to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) that is fit-for-purpose, by the deadline in October each year, through the ILR data checking tool.
Once data is submitted to the ILR data checking tool, we will email the student data contact with queries to which we need responses, or a request for data resubmission. It is essential that the same data is submitted to both the data checking tool for review, and to the ESFA.
Details of the queries that are raised and assistance for providers in responding to queries:
2018-19 ILR data checking tool HEIFES18 sample data verification queries (this document was updated on 22 August to correct minor errors)
2018-19 ILR data checking tool data quality sample data verification queries (this document was updated on 22 August to correct minor errors)
2018-19 ILR data checking tool student characteristics sample data verification queries
2018-19 ILR data checking tool student numbers sample data verification queries (this document was updated on 12 September 2019 to correct minor errors)
2018-19 ILR data checking tool NSS 2020 sample data verification queries
2018-19 ILR data checking tool Graduate Outcomes (GO) sample data verification queries
