The last Student and Student Alternative collections: making way for 22056
7 November 2022 marks the end of an era in our data collection history: the sign-off date of the last Student and Student Alternative records as we know them.
I joined HESA in July 1994, and my role was to support a sole Liaison staff member. We spent most of our time on the phone helping some very confused staff to understand who and what was a Student Record. We spent the majority our calls referring to fields by page number in a physically printed coding manual. The Liaison team now is now made up of 14 staff who are subject matter experts in all aspects of all the records and the data collection process.
In the first year 1994/5 (C94011B) we collected data from 182 providers containing 1,799,825 instances just in the Student record.
Since then, we have moved from a printed coding manual, dispatched to providers (not a favourite time for HESA staff or the postal service) to online coding manuals on the website.
In 2014/15 we onboarded a new set of providers to HESA who reported data through the Student Alternative Record.
For the 2020/21 Student and Student Alternative collections (C20051 and C20054) we collected data from 281 providers containing 3,330,485 instances across the records.
From 1 August 2022 we entered the first reporting year of the new, revised Student Record 22056
As we work to close the last ever Student and Student Alternative collections (C21051/C21054) in this format we must remember that from 1 August 2022 we entered the first reporting year of the new, revised Student Record 22056.
The Student 2022/23 collection replaces the Student and Student Alternative collections. This is an annual collection using the Student-Data Futures 22056 data model.
The HESA Data Platform (HDP) will be available to all providers to submit data from March 2023. Sign off for the 2022/23 collection will take place in October 2023.
As always, our suite of e-learning is available to support providers with their collection requirements and our systems. We have retained the introduction to Data Futures, alongside statutory e-learning on the 22056 Student record, and further modules covering quality assurance and data migration.
Data Futures operational updates (coding manual releases, resource updates, etc) are available via the HESA weekly update. If you are not an operational contact, you can sign up for the HESA weekly update; you can change your preferences at any time.
The Liaison team has been a constant presence throughout the 28 years of collecting and processing Student data across the four nations. We support providers through the data collection lifecycle via our +44 (0)1242 388 531 contact number and [email protected] email and we will continue to provide the level of service and expertise you have come to expect.
