Site News

Key to Success (KTS) decommission date - 1st June 2023
As from 1st June 2023 Key to Success (KTS) will no longer be available. Please use Get Information About Pupils (GIAP).
Why is Key to Success (KTS) being decommissioned?
Key to Success is over 20 years old and much of the technology it was built with is no longer supported as standard. This makes it increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain and enhance to meet the needs of existing and new users. Neither does it comply with the new legal accessibility requirements for public sector websites and applications or the wider government digital service standard.
Get information about pupils (GIAP) has been developed to replace this service.
Historical datasets available in GIAP
We are uploading historical datasets into GIAP going back to 2006. Any other data is outside of the service data retention policy and so will not be available.
DfE Sign-in users who want access to GIAP
An approver at your organisation will be able to provide you with access to GIAP. An approver is someone at your organisation responsible for controlling who has access to DfE Sign-in and the services within the system. It is usually a senior role, such as an administrator, manager, or headteacher.
How can I find a relevant approver?
Once you add your organisation to your account, you can find a list of all recognised approvers under the organisation section of your DfE Sign-in account.
Users who do not have a DfE Sign-in account
If you do not have a DfE Sign-in account, then you will need to create one. Here's how:
- Select the create account button from the DfE Sign-in page
- Enter your name and email address (it is best to use your work email address or one that is clearly associated with your organisation)
- We will send you an email to verify your email address; copy the code from this email and paste it into the box on the verification page
- Create a memorable password of 12 characters or more (we recommend joining three or more familiar words)
- Sign in using your new credentials, and request access to the organisation for which you would like to access GIAP.
You might have noticed the term 'approver' during account creation. An approver is someone at your organisation responsible for controlling who has access to DfE Sign-in and the services within the system. It is usually a senior role, such as an administrator or manager.
For security reasons you will need to be approved by one of your organisation's approvers before you can access the service.
Key to Success is no longer being updated
As from December 2021, Key to Success is no longer being updated with datasets. Please use Get Information About Pupils (GIAP).
GIAP Release v2.8
Get Information About Pupils (GIAP) moved to private beta version 2.8 on the evening of Thursday 6th October 2022. The following bugs, updates and improvements were applied:
Bug fixes:
- Fix applied to prevent the Select and Deselect buttons from changing the order of the search results.
- Fix applied to ensure all pupils are added to My Pupil List when list contains more than 1085 pupils.
- Fix to ensure search results containing duplicate records spanning multiple pages are displayed as expected.
- Fix applied to the gender filter to display the user selection within the filter.
- Fix to ensure learner identifications (IDs) are not presented as invalid UPNs.
- Fix to include attainment download options for multi academy trusts (MATs).
- Correct version to be displayed (2.8) in the footer of each page.
- Fix to ensure masked unique pupil numbers (UPNs) can be added to My Pupil List.
- Fix allow pupils with pupil premium to be downloaded from My Pupil List.
- Link texts on search unique learner number (ULN) and search pupil premium search pages aligned with search national pupil database (NPD) page.
- Error message added to show when the limit of pupils in My Pupil List has been reached.
- Fix to allow menu to collapse when screen size is reduced.
- Fix to Admin security report to populate the UPN/ULN origin and time columns.
- Data release timetable header ID renamed to match the content.
- Fix to ensure the My Pupil List is displayed when page numbers are reduced.
- Hover over effects added to links to conform with Government Digital Service (GDS) standardized design.
- Fix to allow empty lines within the UPN/ULN search criteria.
- Fix to ensure all links have the correct underline style according to GDS standardized design.
- Fix to ensure the session expiration countdown timer functions with multiple browser tabs.
- Fix to ensure users are automatically signed out of the service when the timeout timer reaches zero.
Updates and improvements:
- Functionality has been added to show a banner to alert users when new or updated news has added to the news page - carried over from GIAP version 2.7.
- System timeout function added to inform the user when the system is about to be timed out due to inactivity and allow appropriate action to be taken.
- Functionality added to ensure search results are presented in the same order as the search criteria.
- Functionality added to ensure records are downloaded in the same order they were selected.
- Functionality added to unmask UPNs when a pupil is added to My Pupil List following a download of the record(s) and acceptance of terms.
- Download link labels and their placements made consistent across the service and in line with GDS standardized design.
- GIAP menu selection indicators made clearer to ensure users aware of which selection they have made and indicate the page they are on.
- Common Transfer File (CTF) model and data amended to reflect the changes made between the 2020 and 2022 data schemas.
- Data release timetable improved and renamed to Available data table.
- Provisional release timetable added within Site news.
GIAP Release v2.7
Get Information About Pupils (GIAP) is moving to private beta version 2.7 on the evening of Tuesday 21st June 2022. The following bugs, updates and improvements are to be applied:
Bug fixes:
- Fix applied to the spacing of the columns to remove excess spacing on a page.
- Fix applied to allow the download of more than 20 selected pupils from My Pupil List.
- Removal of an underline from the above the Metadata files link on each page.
- Fix applied to allow actions to be made with invalid pupil records.
- Fix applied to accurately identify duplicate UPNs when they are included within the search criteria.
- Fix to ensure that a search from an empty text box generates the correct type of error.
- Fix to prevent further options becoming available when there are no results to display from a search and to display the correct warning message.
- Fix to allow Multi Academy Trust (MAT) users to add pupils to their My Pupil List.
- Fix to remove the middle name column from Unique Learner Number (ULN) search results.
- Fix an error when search results are greater than 100,000 records and the selected record skips over 100,000 previously found records.
- Fix to present the correct error message when an incorrect date of birth month is entered.
- Fix to ensure all records are removed from My Pupil List when required.
- Fix to ensure that a search from an empty text box does not generate an unknown content message in the search box.
- Fix to change an error message to a warning when no pupils have been found in My Pupil List.
- Fix to remove the redundant radio button from the download type page when downloading from ULNs.
- Fix to ensure the news banner alert displays for new GIAP users.
- Fix to ensure Common Transfer Files (CTF) can be downloaded where search results are returned over multiple pages and a notification is displayed when download limits are reached.
- Fix to allow CTFs to be downloaded from My Pupil List.
- Page titles updated to align with gov.uk design system and accessibility.
- Fix to the download confirmation page - page title added.
- Fix to improve the radio button clickable areas to make it easier to select.
- Horizontal lines added to search results to aid reading.
- Fix to remove the underline from the results header.
- Fix to the links, added a style and underline.
- Fix to the search filter tabs to make them accessibility compliant.
- Fix to the GIAP header link to ensure users are directed to the GIAP landing page.
- Fix to correct the 'Search pupils with ULNs only' page case text.
Updates and improvements:
- Functionality has been added to show metadata that sets out alias, description, years populated and values for each attribute that may appear in a Further Education (FE) download of student Special Education Needs (SEN) and/or pupil premium data.
- Functionality has been added to show a banner to alert users when new or updated news has added to the news page.
- Removal of redundant error message when all pupils are removed from My Pupil List.
- Functionality added to show local authority number of the pupil within the search results to help identify the correct pupil.
- Improvement to the search result accuracy for non-UPN and non-ULN searches. Results will be in order of relevance of the search criteria.
- Improvement to the naming of links to ensure consistency throughout the service.
Users are not expected to take any specific action unless otherwise indicated.
GIAP release notes for version 2.6
Get Information About Pupils (GIAP) is moving to private beta version 2.6 on the evening of 20th April 2022. The following bugs, updates and improvements are to be applied:
Bug fixes:
- 103396, 104467 - Fix applied to allow Common Transfer Files (CTFs) to be downloaded from masked Unique Pupil Numbers (UPNs) following confirmation of authorisation.
- 104413 - Fix applied to ensure links do not produce an error where no pupils are selected from search results.
- 104607 - Fix applied to ensure 'Please return to home page' link on Page not found page returns users back to the new landing page.
- 105047 - Fix applied to allow access to My Pupil List via saved links.
- 103977 - Fix applied to allow news articles to be unarchived by GIAP Admin
- 108128 - Fix applied to ensure attainment data date is ordered correctly within CTF XML files.
- 106521 - Fix applied to the Gender filter to ensure filtered results are displayed as expected.
- 105246 - Fix applied to the selection count of masked pupil details when being downloaded from My Pupil List.
- 103869 - Fix applied to ensure the correct count is displayed on downloads from 'Search without ULN' search results.
Updates and improvements:
106696, 106695, 106693, 105123, 105122, 105120, 103707, 103706, 103705, 100597, 100594, 85572, 100600, 106687, 106686, 106688, 105115, 105113, 105112, 100601 and 100599 - Functionality has been added to allow pagination on all search results on all search methods and datasets, including My Pupil List, with a maximum of 20 pupils per page.
106692, 107983, 105118, 101511 - Functionality added to grey out types of data, within the download options page, that are not available from the pupil(s) selected.
71150 - Removed the 'Pinned to top' label within the GIAP Site News.
71156 - Re-ordered the GIAP Admin document list alphabetically.
71381 - Restricted document title length within GIAP Admin content editor.
105116, 106690 and 96038 - New Home page with GIAP Popular activities listed with clickable links and a role-based Search button.
Users are not expected to take any specific action unless otherwise indicated.
GIAP release notes for version 2.5
Get Information About Pupils (GIAP) is moving to private beta version 2.5 on the evening of 21st February 2022. The following bugs, updates and improvements are to be applied:
Bug fixes:
- 100489 - Fix applied to prevent local authority GIAP Approvers from seeing Further Education (FE) institutions in their security report dropdown menu.
- 98739 - Fix applied to ensure applied filters remain following the addition of a pupil to My Pupil List from the Advanced search screen.
- 99964 - Fix applied to identify and display invalid Unique Pupil Numbers (UPN) when entered in the Search NPD and Search Pupil Premium screens.
- 98494 - Fix applied to ensure the Consent checkbox must be selected before accessing the system.
- 97816 - Fix applied to ensure Common Transfer Files (CTF) for Key Stage 2 show the correct year.
- 98758 - Fix applied to the date of birth filter to allow updated filter entries to show in the filter button.
- 98753 - Fix applied to ensure any date of birth filters entered remain after attempting to download NPD data without making a selection.
- 97679 - Fix applied to ensure an error message is presented following attempts to download a security report by organization without selecting the type of report first.
- 97862 - Fix applied to ensure data can be downloaded with or without cookies being allowed.
- 98740 - Fix to allow UPN and Unique Learner Number (ULN) searches to continue with duplicates included in the search criteria.
- 99772 - Middle name column removed from Advanced ULN search results screen.
- 96344 - Fix to allow DfE Admin's Managed Documentation to provide notifications of success or failure following updates.
- 100217 - Fix applied to My Pupil List to allow all pupils in the list to be removed.
- 97955 - Replaced reference to UPN for ULN when duplicates are in the search results.
- 96402 - Fix applied to the date and time of the UPN security report.
Updates and improvements:
- 95904, 100397, 97163, 95904, 100397, 97163, 95259, 100424, 100421, 100420, 97306, 92737, 97958, 97959, 96178, 92738, 97973 and 100426 - Functionality has been added to allow users to access security reports by ULN.
- 90566 - Functionality has been added to allow all system logging information to be retained for 365 days.
- 92049 - Functionality has been added to allow data files to replace existing files with the same version number if erroneous data has been loaded into GIAP.
- 92080 - Alternative Provision Pupil Premium pre-prepared downloads made available in the Data Downloads area of GIAP (already implemented).
- 100418 and 88379 - New error page set up when page is not found and to re-direct users to the home page.
- 100411 and 91391 - Functionality has been added to ensure original search results are displayed when 'return to search results' is selected.
- 100409 and 88182 - Text formatting on all error messages have been aligned.
- 56871 - Functionality has been added to provide a count of how many pupils have been selected.
- 47311 - Checkboxes pre-selected as default following a UPN, ULN or pupil premium search.
- 100419, 100410, 86184 and 94624 - Checkboxes replaced with radio buttons for non-UPN and non-ULN searches.
- 100408 and 89448 - Functionality added to handle invalid UPNs from within My Pupil List.
Users are not expected to take any specific action unless otherwise indicated.
GIAP release notes for version 2.4
Get Information About Pupils (GIAP) moved to private beta version 2.4 on the evening of 15th December 2021. The following bugs, updates and improvements were applied:
Bug fixes:
- 93939 - Fix applied to prevent an error 404 from occurring when downloading Special Educational Needs data.
- 94848 - Fix applied to ensure data types are available to select and download for FE college users.
- 67849 - fix applied to improve the system performance of bulk downloads (over 1000 UPNs).
- 95222 - Fix applied to allow actions to be made when there are more than 1000 pupils contained within My Pupil List.
- 96392 - Fix applied to ensure text boxes appear at the top of search filters and the Enter or Return key can be used to insert the input text as a filter.
Updates and improvements:
- 95904 - Functionality has been added to allow Multi Academy Trust (MAT) approvers the ability to access security reports for the trust and all schools within the trust.
- 92736 - Functionality has been added to allow DfE Admin users to access security reports on single academy trusts (SATs) and MATs in the same menu.
- 95611 - HTML tags have been removed to help improve system performance to allow bulk searches of up to 4000 unique pupil numbers (UPNs) and unique learner numbers (ULNs).
- 93773, 93774 and 92735 - Functionality has been added to allow SAT approvers to download 'Log-in Details' reports for their establishment.
- 95899, 92732 and 92734 - Functionality has been added to allow SAT approvers to download security reports based upon detailed searches on all users within their organization.
- 83391 - Functionality has been added to enable security reports to be produced on Further Education college user non-ULN search logs.
Users are not expected to take any specific action unless otherwise indicated.
GIAP release notes for version 2.3
Get Information About Pupils (GIAP) is moving to private beta version 2.3 on the evening of 10th November 2021. The following bugs, updates and improvements are to be applied:
Bug fixes:
- 93939 - Fix applied to the Common Transfer File (CTF) Date of Birth field to ensure format is CCYY-MM-DD as per specification.
- 93289 - Fix applied to provide all types of FE College users the ability to search Unique Learner Numbers (ULNs).
Updates and improvements:
- 90741 - Consolidation of the initial Get Information About Pupils start pages, to improve user experience.
- 94105 and 85512 - Functionality has been added to provide validation on search entries for ULNs.
- 92739, 94054 and 94114 - Functionality has been added to allow users within establishments with a pupil age range of 14 and above, including single academy trusts (SATs) and multi academy trusts (MATs), to search ULNs and download FE Pupil Premium and SEN data.
- 94108, 93756, 91707, 94104, 78913, 94168 - Functionality has been added to allow FE Colleges and school establishments with pupils aged 14 and above to be able to search without a ULN and download FE Pupil Premium and SEN data.
Users are not expected to take any specific action unless otherwise indicated.
GIAP Release v2.2
Get Information About Pupils (GIAP) moved to private beta version 2.2 on the evening of 13th October 2021. The following updates and improvements were applied:
Updates and improvements:
- 89891, 51425, 89895, 88914, 78905, 87803, 77359, 89893, 92090 and 91721 - Functionality has been added to allow FE Colleges to be able to search on Unique Learner Numbers (ULNs) and download FE Pupil Premium and SEN data.
ULN search functionality will be rolled out to school establishments with pupils aged 14 or over in a future release.
Users are not expected to take any specific action unless otherwise indicated.
GIAP Release v2.1
Get Information About Pupils (GIAP) has moved to private beta version 2.1 on the evening of 8th October 2021. The following updates, improvements and bug fixes have been applied:
Bug fixes:
- 91054 - Fix applied to filters within the Advanced Search. This fix will allow users to filter upon any search criteria in any order.
- 91107 - Fix applied to the URL while working within My Pupil List. This fix will allow users to select and work with large volumes of selected pupils in My Pupil List.
Updates and improvements:
- 89705 and 92109 - Functionality has been added to provide users with choices when one or more Unique Pupil Numbers (UPNs) have not been found.
- 87924, 89882, 89887, 92080, 92086, 92098, 92084 and 66600 - Pupil level alternative provision pupil premium data will be made available to local authority users as a pre-prepared download.
Users are not expected to take any specific action unless otherwise indicated.
What is coming next?
Functionality for Further Education (FE) Colleges and users of school establishments with pupils over 14 to search pupils by Unique Learner Numbers (ULNs), and availability of Special Educational Needs (SEN) and FE pupil premium data is expected to be available next week.
In anticipation of the ULN functionality in GIAP, FE College users should check that they have access to the system. For access, please see 'How to access GIAP' further below.
GIAP Hotfix v2.0.1
A hotfix is being applied to Get Information About Pupils (GIAP) and will move to private beta version 2.0.1 on the evening of 22nd September 2021.
Local authorities downloading attainment data
90631 - The hotfix is necessary to allow GIAP users based in local authorities to have the option, where applicable, to download pupil attainment data of the pupils selected from National Pupil Database (NPD) searches and My Pupil List.
Users are not expected to take any specific action unless otherwise indicated.
What is coming next?
For the next release, expected early October, we will be providing fixes and improvements on the following:
- Functionality added to allow users to select and take further action on (including download NPD and pupil premium data) Unique Pupil Numbers (UPNs) that are found within search results that also include UPNs that are listed as 'Not found'.
- Functionality for Further Education (FE) Colleges and users of school establishments with pupils over 14 to search pupils by Unique Learner Numbers (ULNs).
- FE Special Educational Needs (SEN) and FE pupil premium data to be available for FE Colleges and users of school establishments with pupils over 14.
Get information about pupils release version 2.0
Get Information About Pupils (GIAP) is moving to private beta version 2.0 on the evening of 6th September 2021, subject to final testing.
Change to programming language:
GIAP has undergone a change of programming language under the surface of the application. The implementation of the new programming language will promote a more responsive, in-house capability for future development and releases. This release is aimed to provide users with more stability and a better experience of performance going forward, whilst maintaining the same functionality of the previous version.
This version of the system has been developed to meet Government Digital Service (GDS) accessibility requirements; and this initial release is designed to work for all users regardless of their local JavaScript (JS) status. Further JS only optimisations are planned to follow in future updates to improve the user experience of this version, along with further updates feeding in from the user research process.
Security reports
We have simplified the security reporting functionality to allow reports to be downloaded by pupil record, organisation or by school.
GIAP Content Manager
We have made changes for our GIAP DfE Administrators to be able to manage the content of GIAP pages without the need for developers, ensuring quicker and more cost-efficient responses for changes to GIAP content.
Pre-prepared pupil premium files
- 74646 and 74647 - Functionality has been added to ensure Service Child premium is outputting the correct value based on combinations of MODSERVICE, CENSUSSERVICEEVER6 and user organisation type within the pre-prepared downloadable files.
- 68265, 76403 and 74647 - pre-prepared pupil premium data files have been renamed in line with DfE published specification so that schools and local authorities can easily identify expected files named in that convention.
- 64697 - Revised the fields within the pre-prepared pupil premium data files in line with DfE published specification so that formats are as expected and can be input into recipient's MIS without modification.
Further updates and improvements are also to be applied:
Updates and improvements:
- 76460 and 68975 - Search fields to be populated with census data only. This is to ensure that a valid UPN is searchable within GIAP despite having non census data containing an invalid or null valued UPN.
Users are not expected to take any specific action unless otherwise indicated.
Spring census 2020-21 and pupil premium 2021-22 data on GIAP
The spring census 2020-21 and pupil premium 2021-22 data files are now available to download from GIAP.
There is a known discrepancy between the AP pupil numbers on GIAP and those used in the initial pupil premium publications on 24 June, which were incorrect in some instances. This will be rectified on the published allocations in September. The affected LAs will be informed shortly.
Historical data
3 years of historical data has been added to this GIAP system as part of the 1.5 release, as per below:
Autumn Census: 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21
Spring Census: 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20
Summer Census: 2017-18 and 2018-19
KS1: 2017-18 and 2018-19
KS2: 2017-18 and 2018-19
KS4: 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20
Phonics: 2017-18 and 2018-19
EYFSP: 2017-18 and 2018-19
Pupil Premium: 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21
These datasets are available within the downloads from NPD and Pupil Premium search results as well as Data Downloads. More historical data is expected to be added in later iterations of GIAP.
Key stage 4 2019-20 data
As part of the covid-related adjustments to sharing pupil data this year, key stage 4 2019-20 CLA data will be made available via the secure data transfer system - School to School. Key stage 4 2019-20 NPD searchable data will be available to download from Get Information About Pupils (GIAP) from the evening of 21st June 2021. This data should only be used for operational planning purposes this year and not as part of performance monitoring or accountability. Users should note that the Department will not be publishing institution level data based on 2020 key stage 1 and 2 assessments, tests, GCSEs, AS levels, A levels, other regulated general qualifications, or vocational and technical qualifications and those working with schools and colleges, such as Ofsted, Department for Education regional teams and local authorities, should use data from previous years as a starting point for discussions around a school's or college's performance but should not use 2020 results data for this purpose. Further information can be found here:
Coronavirus (COVID-19): school and college performance measures - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Search limits
Please note that, as per update 72752 - the system permits UPN searches up to a maximum of 2000 UPN numbers. This has been reduced from 4000 to improve overall system performance. The Help page still shows the limit as 4000 - this will be corrected at a later date.
We would greatly appreciate your feedback on the updates included in release v1.5, and your experience of other features in GIAP. Please click on the feedback link at the top of any GIAP page to provide this.
Users are not expected to take any specific action unless otherwise indicated.
GIAP frequently asked questions
Last updated: 9th February 2021
Why is Key to Success (KTS) being replaced?
KTS is nearly 20 years old. Much of the technology it was built with is no longer supported as standard. This makes it increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain and enhance to meet the needs of existing and new users.
Neither does it comply with the new legal accessibility requirements for public sector websites and applications or the wider government digital service standard.
A discovery review in 2019 concluded the best way to meet the needs of our users going forward was to develop a new digital service. The new service is called Get information about pupils (GIAP).
How will GIAP be developed and how long will it take?
GIAP is being developed using Agile methodology. This allows the project team to provide early and continuous delivery of a replacement service for KTS. GIAP is currently in private beta phase where we take the best ideas and evidence from the alpha prototyping phase and build a service for real. We build in ‘iterations’, so that users can get to experience the core features of the service as early as possible and provide feedback. This feedback helps us improve the existing features of the service and is factored into the design of the remaining features. The beta phase is also where we start to think about how and when the new service will replace the old one. We start out in a ‘private beta’. This gives us opportunity to test the new service with large numbers of real users before we ask users to treat it as the live service. (Think of it as sea trials for a new ship).
Some iterations will include very visible changes and improvements, others will include less visible but equally important ‘behind the scenes’ improvements. With each iteration, the capability of the new service will increase. We expect this private beta phase to last several months, until we get to the point where the new service can be used for real. (Until the sea trials are completed and the new ship can be commissioned).
When will KTS be switched off?
KTS will remain available whilst historic data is transferred, and key features are made available in GIAP. Further information on system updates and data releases will be published on the GIAP News page.
What features have been developed so far and what else is planned?
A GIAP user guide can be viewed in a YouTube video located on the GIAP Start page.
GIAP is currently running on version 1.2. Please see release notes in the News section for details of system updates, improvements, and bug fixes.
Further planned system improvements include:
- Advanced search on NPD and Pupil Premium – show results of search criteria at the top of the list.
- Date of Birth in the search filters – the ability to filter by month and/or year only.
- My Pupil List – an indicator to show how many pupils you have added.
- Download file formats – CSV and CTF download options.
- Datasets – more dataset to be searchable.
- Select All – downloads list to have a Select All option.
- Improved search result columns - Surname, first name and middle name(s) to display in separate columns.
- Security reports - LAs or academies to be found within the security report pages.
How do I access downloaded .tab files in Excel?
A csv file type option is in development for inclusion in a future GIAP iteration. In the meantime, if your computer does not have .tab files associated with a spreadsheet-based program (Microsoft Excel, for example), an alternative solution is:
- Open your file explorer and locate the .tab file you wish to use.
- Drag and drop the .tab file onto your desktop (the unzipped version – if previously zipped).
- Open your spreadsheet.
- Drag and drop the file onto the spreadsheet - this will open the file in a new spreadsheet.
When will autumn school census and pupil premium data be available?
Both autumn school census and pupil premium data should be available in GIAP by 23rd February.
When will pupil premium data for pupils in alternative provision (AP) be available?
Pupil premium data for pupils in alternative provision (AP) should be available in GIAP by 23rd February.
Some pupils are in KTS but not GIAP.
An issue was identified where some pupils in KTS were not uploaded into GIAP. This has been addressed and will be implemented within the next iteration.
Not all data in KTS is available in GIAP.
While GIAP is in private beta phase there will be limited data available. The data available in GIAP will increase during the iterative development of the service.
Can we search on ULNs as well as UPNs?
ULNs will be included as part of the search criteria and results in a later iteration of GIAP.
How can I provide feedback about the new service and take part in user research?
Although the pace of user research has slowed to allow developers to catch up with the backlog of enhancements, we would still like users to continue providing feedback via the Feedback form within the top banner of the service. We ask users not to add feedback to the Slack channel itself. If you have a specific question about the service which requires a response, a service request form can be raised by selecting the ‘contact’ link within the service.
How can I get support when using the new service?
A user guide can be viewed in a YouTube video located on the GIAP Start page.
You can access the Help page from the link in the footer of any GIAP page.
You can raise a service request by selecting the 'contact' link in the footer of any GIAP page.
With Key to Success (KtS) being gradually withdrawn from service, we are not planning to publish any further census data into the system. New published data will be available within Get Information About Pupils (GIAP).
Following the next iteration of GIAP enhancements and features, the pace of user research is to be slowed to allow developers to catch up with the backlog of enhancements. User research pace will resume once the backlog is clear.
The KtS service will remain available whilst historic data is transferred and key features are made available in GIAP. Further information on system updates and data releases will be published on the GIAP News page.
Please continue to provide feedback via the Feedback form within the top banner of the service. We ask users not to add feedback to the Slack channel itself. If you have a specific question about the service which requires a response, a service request form can be raised by selecting the 'contact' link within the service.
Launch of Get Information About Pupils (GIAP) private beta on Thursday 8th October
The KtS replacement project team are pleased to announce Get Information About Pupils (GIAP) private beta is due to go live on Thursday 8th October 2020.
Available features of GIAP from private beta Go Live
The 'site is under maintenance message' will be removed and the following features and data content will be available from the start:
- Search the National Pupil Database (NPD) with up to 2000 Unique Pupil Numbers (UPN)
- Search Pupil Premium with up to 2000 UPNs
- Search NPD and Pupil Premium for pupils using first name and/or surname
- Filter searches using date of birth, name or gender
- Save searches to a pupil list
- Access pre-prepared downloads for your institution - Note that this will only be establishment, multi academy trust or local authority level NPD data. Attainment data will be available on Analyse School Performance (ASP)
- View planned maintenance and publication schedule on the site news page
- Glossary of terms within Help
- Security reports for approvers
- Searchable data from School Census (NPD) at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4
A further introduction to the features of GIAP can be found in an accessible video when you sign in to GIAP and in the GIAP help page.
Tell us what you think
We would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to engage with our researchers to this point. The purpose of this next phase is to provide all users with the opportunity to explore the new service that has been developed around the results of that research and provide further feedback.
Please tell us what you think of the new service by completing the
feedback form.
What is next
The existing Key to Success application will continue to run alongside GIAP for the time being. During this phase we plan to add the following features and data content in a series of minor releases:
- Search the National Pupil Database (NPD) with up to 2000 Unique Learner Numbers (ULN)
- Searchable data from School Census, Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2, Key Stage 4, Early Years Foundation Stage Profile, Phonics and Pupil Premium
- Downloadable data will be from School Census, Pupil Premium, and Pupil Premium Alternative Provision (for local authorities)
Once we have worked our way through this backlog and responded to feedback trends, the existing Key to Success application will be retired. The service will then be regularly iterated in response to ongoing research and feedback throughout the remainder of our beta phase.
How to access GIAP
You will be able to access GIAP private beta through DfE Sign-in from Thursday 8th October. Here's how:
Existing Key to Success DfE Sign-in Approvers
If you are already a Key to Success DfE Sign-in approver for your organisation, then you should already be assigned the GIAP service. However, you will need to add the service to users at your organisation. Here's how:
- From the manage users page, choose the required user
- From the right-hand list, choose 'add services'
- Choose Get Information About Pupils
- Select the 'GIAP User' role
- Save your changes
Note that the 'GIAP Approver' role provides the user with administration level access to GIAP. The GIAP Approver will have access to a new security reports feature in their GIAP admin menu. These reports help the GIAP Approver perform the responsibilities within their role, as detailed in the DfE Sign-in terms and conditions and in the GIAP terms of use. Currently, both GIAP Approver and GIAP User option can be selected - please select one option only. Where you wish to add a 'GIAP User' role, please ensure that you select 'GIAP User' ONLY.
Approvers who do not have Key to Success
If you are a DfE Sign-in approver but do not have KtS then you can add GIAP to your own account by selecting add services to my account from the services page.
- Select the Get Information About Pupils service
- Choose the 'GIAP Approver' role
- Save your changes
DfE Sign-in users who want access to GIAP
An approver at your organisation will be able to provide you with access to GIAP. An approver is someone at your organisation responsible for controlling who has access to DfE Sign-in and the services within the system. It is usually a senior role, such as an administrator, manager, or headteacher.
How can I find a relevant approver?
Once you add your organisation to your account, you can find a list of all recognised approvers under the organisation section of your DfE Sign-in account.
Users who do not have a DfE Sign-in account
If you do not have a DfE Sign-in account, then you will need to create one. Here's how:
- Select the create account button from the DfE Sign-in page
- Enter your name and email address (it is best to use your work email address or one that is clearly associated with your organisation)
- We will send you an email to verify your email address; copy the code from this email and paste it into the box on the verification page
- Create a memorable password of 12 characters or more (we recommend joining three or more familiar words)
- Sign in using your new credentials, and request access to the organisation for which you would like to access GIAP.
You might have noticed the term 'approver' during account creation. An approver is someone at your organisation responsible for controlling who has access to DfE Sign-in and the services within the system. It is usually a senior role, such as an administrator or manager.
For security reasons you will need to be approved by one of your organisation's approvers before you can access the service.
Help and support
- Further help on how to access DfE Sign-in can be found here.
- If you would like to provide feedback about your GIAP experience and / or leave your contact details for taking part in future user research you can do so by following the user satisfaction survey link in the beta banner as you sign in to GIAP or via this feedback link.
- Further help on how to use GIAP can be found by selecting the Help link at the bottom of any GIAP page.
- If the GIAP Help page does not contain an answer to your query you can submit a service request using the Contact link at the bottom of any GIAP page and selecting the 'Key to uccess' option from the form.
- A Video User Guide is also available.

School Service Updates
The Government has announced that it will not publish any school or college level educational performance data based on tests, assessments or exams for 2020. Subject to availability, the 2020/21 Autumn Census and 2020 Children Looked After (KS4) will also be available, timings to be confirmed.
July 9, 2020: Pupil Premium data is now available for download on the 2020-21 Pupil Premium page.
April 27, 2020: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2019 Key Stage 4 final data.
April 7, 2020: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2019 Key Stage 2 final data.
February 13, 2020: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2019 Key Stage 4 amended data.
January 14, 2020: Final Pupil Premium data is now available for download on the 2019-20 Pupil Premium page.
December 16, 2019: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2019 Key Stage 2 amended data.
December 9, 2019: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2019 EYFSP final data.
November 14, 2019: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2019 Phonics final data.
November 7, 2019: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2019 Key Stage 4 provisional data and 2019 Key Stage 1 final data.
October 10, 2019: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2018 Key Stage 2 final data.
October 7, 2019: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2019 Key Stage 1 and Phonics provisional data.
September 17, 2019: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2019 Key Stage 2 provisional data.
July 12, 2019: Pupil Premium data is now available for download on the 2019-20 Pupil Premium page. The formatting issue with the LastFSM field has now been resolved.
April 25, 2019: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2018 Key Stage 4 final data.
February 1, 2019: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2018 Key Stage 4 amended data.
December 20, 2018: Final Pupil Premium data is now available for download on the 2018-19 Pupil Premium page.
December 17, 2018: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2018 KS2 amended data.
December 10, 2018: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2018 EYFSP final data.
November 21, 2018: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2018 KS1 and 2018 Phonics final data.
November 15, 2018: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2018 KS4 provisional data.
October 8, 2018: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2018 Key Stage 1 and Phonics data.
September 21, 2018: KS2 data has been reloaded and full results are now available.
September 18, 2018: We are aware of an issue with missing results in KS2 data and are currently working to resolve this. We will issue another message when the full results are available.
September 13, 2018: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2018 KS2 provisional data.
August 31, 2018: From today schools with sixth forms will have access to new functionality. This will allow schools to see if any new students entering their sixth form have been in receipt of pupil premium funding in key stage 4 or if they received SEN support in year 11. This is to enable institutions to check which of their new intake of students might require additional support, may be eligible for bursary funding and which students will be reported on in the 16-18 performance tables disadvantage measures.
August 03, 2018: Looked After Premium data is now available for download on the 2018-19 Pupil Premium page.
July 20, 2018: Pupil Premium data is now available for download on the 2018-19 Pupil Premium page.
April 26, 2018: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2017 KS4 Final data.
April 05, 2018: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2017 KS4 provisional data.
March 06, 2018: The pupil searchable data has been updated with 2017 KS2 Final data.
January 08, 2018: Final Pupil Premium data is now available for download on the 2017-18 Pupil Premium page.
