Business Data Standards for Timetable

Title: Business Data Standards for Timetable

Standards Profile

Description: ISB STATUS - RECOMMENDED

Sector: System Wide Standard

Stage: ISB Decision

ISB Decision: Recommended

Purpose:

Consortium members working together to deliver Diplomas and other 14 – 19 learning need to exchange timetable and related information (enrolled learners, staff, curriculum, rooms and other resources and calendar information).

On 24 November 2009, the ISB approved the status of RECOMMENDED for a number of widely usable standards that between them are sufficient to meet this need. The ISB will review progress in 9 months’ time with the expectation that the standards will be given ‘approved’ status.

The Business Data Standards define data items in terms of their meaning (semantics) and structure, but do not define specific encodings or messaging structures needed to realise an implementation of a system performing any specific function.

Systems that wish to exchange any of the data defined in these Business Data Standards in compliance with the standards must encode and transfer data according to the specifications.

Use of the standards is not mandated by the ISB but may be mandated by a system owner. Systems that choose to conform to the data standards will be assured that they will be able to exchange data easily with any other conformant system.

Background:

The Department for Children, School’s and Families’ (DCSF)14–19 Reform Programme presents a new operating model for education where the focus is on the learner and not the institution. With new qualifications such as the 14-19 Diplomas learning will be delivered by a range of learning providers in a range of locations. It is critical for delivery success that these learning providers can exchange information on learners and that learners can access resources relevant to them wherever they are.

The delivery of Diplomas commenced in September 2008 with 144 consortia of Schools, Colleges, Further Education and Higher Education (Learning Providers) offering 20,000 places on five lines of learning.

· From September 2009, Diplomas will be available in 10 subjects.

· From September 2010, a further four will be added, and an additional three in September 2011.

· By 2013 there should be access to the full national entitlement meaning a place in education for every learner aged 14-19 across England.

The need for interoperability between information systems to support the institutions, learning providers and learners is paramount.

Each learner will have a Home Centre which has responsibility for monitoring attendance, pastoral care, some of the qualification entries and monitoring of progress. They need to have the information readily available to fulfil their duty of care.

Timetabling is the activity of scheduling groups of learners, virtual and physical classrooms, equipment, teachers/lecturers and other resources to provide the learning delivery necessary to achieve the stated aims of learners and providers within given time periods (typically an academic year or term).

In schools, timetabling may be carried out by the school or by a specialist timetabling service provider, and may make use of the school MIS or a specialist timetabling application. Many schools have bespoke systems for this purpose.

To support Diplomas and other 14-19 learning arrangements, learning consortia may need to coordinate timetables to ensure that a learner can achieve their learning objectives with no clashes between learning delivery partners (e.g. the learner not being expected to be in two different places at the same time).

Hence there is a need to transfer timetable and related information (enrolled learners, staff, curriculum, rooms and other resources and calendar information) between stakeholders and between application systems.

Maturity:

Futures: The ISB will review progress with the expectation that the standards will be given ‘adopted’ status

Penetration:

Interest Area: Data Management

Standard Type: Framework

Standard Category: Admissions

Standard Object Type: Code of Practise

Originating Authority: Sector (escs)

Audience: Content Owner / Developer;Developer

Copyright and Licensing: Crown Copyright

Support: