FAQ

The way you receive a login to EduBase depends on who you represent:

- State Maintained Schools login details are the same as their S2S (Or Data Collection) login details. As S2S login details are security sensitive they are not available from the EduBase service desk. To get a reminder of your S2S login details please ring the Data Services Group helpdesk on 01325 39 2626.

- Independent Establishments may request their login details directly from the EduBase service desk by emailing us at helpdesk@edubase.gov.uk

- Members of a Government Department, Local Authority, NDPB or related institution must ask their team leaders to request a login on their behalf, by emailing us at helpdesk@edubase.gov.uk

- Members of a private company under contract must also supply details of their government contact who can be contacted for verification.

- Members of private companies not under government contract are generally not entitled to login access to EduBase.

- Members of the public are free to access the public site, and receive up to two free extracts per year under the power of information framework.

- If you already have a login account, and have forgotten your password, you can easily reset it by clicking on 'Forgot your login details' in the Login page and entering your e-mail address. If you get the message of unrecognised email, just contact the Service Desk and we will assist you further. Please note that this function is not available for maintained schools.

- If you are still having difficulties, make sure you have entered your login details correctly. You can ensure this by copying and pasting from your password reminder email. Also, please make sure that your CAPS LOCK is not on when you enter your password. 

If you continue to experience problems please contact the Service Desk to assist you.
 

There are two ways which a field on EduBase can be changed. 

- If you have login details, you can suggest changes yourself (Please see the Login FAQ for more information on logging in). Some changes will be actioned immediately, 
others will have to be approved first. This can take some time (Approx. 1 week)
          
- If you do not have login details please email the Service Desk (please do not use the feedback form to request a field change), including the URN or DCSF number of the Establishment, the change you wish to make, 
and your identity as we need to validate every change. We will inform you when your change request has been actioned.

You can search for an establishment using one of the three options that EduBase gives:

1. The quick search.
This is the basic search that appears when you visit EduBase. It allows you to quickly search for an establishment if you know its identifiers or its basic information. 

2. The advanced search.
This is accessible from the left hand side menu of from the relevant link of the home page. 
The advances search gives you the option to filter the main fields of EduBase with a few clicks.

3. The filters functionality (accessible only in the secure portals).
This functionality is accessible by the 'Filters and Extract/Filters' link on the left hand side menu. This allows you to perform a detailed search of EduBase. 

If you need assistance in using the filters, please visit the relevant FAQs, read the help text available, consult the user guide or contact our service desk. 

There may be an answer already in the help documentation. On most pages there is a help box at the top of the page. Click on it to expand.

There is also a number of FAQ's which may also assist in any queries you may have.

In addition, under the help page (accessible from the left hand side menu) you can download the user guide and step-by-step guides for some of the system features (if available to you). 

Assistance is available by emailing us at helpdesk@edubase.gov.uk or by calling us on 0870 120 2527.
Please always include as much information as possible, including, if possible, the URN or LA/Establishment number (DCSF Number). This will allow us to process you query more efficiently.  

Often, the Establishment is on EduBase, but your search is not picking it up. 
If the Establishment is closed it will not show up on the quick search. Please use the 'Advanced search' page and choose Closed and Proposed to Open.

Here are some ways to improve the chances of a successful search:

Try filling in less fields, for instance, leave the locality blank when searching by school name, just choose the Local Authority.

Try using just part of an Establishment's name when searching, their statutory name may be slightly different to their commonly used name.

Use the first half of the Establishment's postcode.

Search by DCSF (LA/Establishment) Number or URN at the bottom of the 'Advanced Search' page.

Everyone is entitled to two free extracts (EduBase information on a spreadsheet) per year. To request one, please email the Service Desk.

This is the number of full time pupils at the time of the Annual Census only. For certain establishments such as Nurseries, this number can differ from the number of part time students.
(Currently EduBase does not hold this information).

EduBase will have this feature in a future planned release. You will have the ability to hold many different addresses for your establishment and different contact names linked to several addresses. 

When this update happens, notifications will be posted on the Website.

EduBase holds Previous LA/Establishment Number information. During  a school's life, for certain reasons, its DCSF (LA/Establishment) number may change.
EduBase will show up a school if its 'previous' number matches your search. The greyed out row in your results is the school that was returned because its previous numbers match your search criteria. 

An Extract is a snapshot of EduBase delivered in a spreadsheet format, such as Excel, or as an XML file. An extract is made in two parts:
- Firstly you can filter on which schools appear in the extract using ‘Filters’, eg. I want only Community special schools. 
- Then, you can specify how much information about each establishment you require, using the 'select fields and extract data' page. eg. I want only the URN and the address.

Please note that you need to have an account with EduBase to access this functionality.

Under the Power of Information framework, public and commercial users are entitled to two free extracts per year, after which there is a service fee. 

Please contact our service desk for information regarding the service charges.