Glossary
Data quality report
A report that highlights records which look unusual and warrant investigation, without asserting that they are wrong.
In full
Data quality reports identify patterns that are commonly associated with error, such as learners who appear to be continuing long after their planned end date, or claims that sit outside the normal shape for the provision.
Appearing on one is an invitation to check, not a finding. Some flagged records are entirely correct and simply need their evidence to be locatable.
The rules behind this
Appearing on a data-quality or funding-monitoring report usually means a record has been flagged for investigation, not that it is confirmed wrong. Some flagged records are entirely correct and simply need evidence.
Where this comes up
diagnostic
A learner is flagged on a data quality or funding monitoring report
A record meets the criteria of a report that identifies data worth checking. That is a request to investigate, not a statement that the record is wrong. Some flagged records are entirely correct and simply need their evidence to be locatable.
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Working data quality and funding monitoring reports
Reports that flag records for investigation are the most useful assurance tool available, and the most commonly misread. A flag is a question, not a finding.
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Building a funding map for your college
A funding map sets out every stream a college receives, how each is earned, when it reconciles and what data drives it. It is the fastest way for a finance or leadership newcomer to become useful.
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Being ready for a funding audit
What an audit tests, how sampling turns a few errors into a large adjustment, and the preparation that actually helps.
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The data quality routine that prevents most problems
A small number of checks, run every month without exception, prevent the majority of funding, performance and audit problems in further education.
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Getting it right at the front door
Most funding-critical data is captured at enrolment. Front-door quality is the cheapest data quality there is, and the only kind that scales.
Sources
These are the official documents this page rests on. Where a figure, a deadline or an exact rule matters, the document is the authority and this page is the explanation.
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