Schools sector data capability grant

Why is DfE exploring support for improving data use in the schools sector? 

The Department for Education wants to reduce the time and money schools in England spend on low  value data admin and help them use data in better ways to inform good decision making. 

The department has undertaken user research to explore how data is collected, managed and  shared in the schools sector. This work, alongside other sector research and surveys, highlights that  teachers and others in the schools workforce report significant workload burdens associated with  collecting, accessing and using data. 

What is the schools sector data capability grant? 

The Department for Education opened the schools sector data capability grant opportunity to fund  sector-led projects up to mid-March 2024.  

In combination the projects will improve understanding of organisations’ data maturity, what works  to support the development of data professionals in the sector and test how data-heavy processes  can be reviewed and improved. Outputs from the projects will be shared with the sector. 

Three projects are being funded, led by 

• Potteries Educational Trust,  

• Ormiston Academies Trust, and 

• Wandsworth Borough Council.

Further information 

For questions related to the grant fund or sector needs around data, digital or AI please email Tim Dumbleton, policy lead for schools sector  data, tim.dumbleton@education.gov.uk

For more general questions, please use to DfE’s contact form:  https://www.gov.uk/contact-dfe