Collecting data without imposing burdens

We have a process in place to ensure that:

• we ask only for essential information
• we collect information just once
• the methods used place the lowest demands on you
• the information you give us is put to good use

Our work with initial teacher training (ITT) providers

Where possible, we combine or eliminate data collections, saving hundreds of hours’ work for ITT providers. We work with the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the General Teaching Council for England to ensure that data collected by one organisation can be used by another where relevant. This practice has dramatically reduced the amount of financial information, for example, that the TDA now collects from higher education institutions. Between 2005 and 2007, 28 per cent more ITT providers said that the TDA asks for the “right amount” of information, according to our Provider Perception Studies.

Our work with schools

Schools are asked for information constantly from Government departments and agencies. The TDA is sensitive to the burdens these requests place on schools, and we are a signatory to the Protocol on Data sharing and Rationalisation in the Schools Sector, sponsored by the Department for Education (DfE). We don’t request information from schools without rigorous scrutiny beforehand.

The Implementation Review Unit (IRU) – an anti-bureaucracy team that reports to Ministers has recognised the TDA’s success in this respect. In the IRU's 2006 annual report, the TDA was singled out as being “one of the first non-departmental public bodies to implement robust arrangements” for minimising the burdens on schools to provide information.

Our work with local authorities

Local authorities (LAs) also benefit from the TDA’s approach to data collection. We have simplified processes, using pre-populated online forms where possible and eliminating unnecessary collections.