This census is a statutory annual collection of data from independent schools and covers approximately 2,400 registered schools. It takes place every year in January. The purpose of the collection is three-fold: it collects data needed for the Department's function as regulator of independent schools; it collects statistical data needed for purposes such as pupil projections; and it collects data on qualification aims. No data relating to individual pupils is collected but data relating to individual staff and members of proprietor bodies is collected.
