Guidance

Provider data self-assessment toolkit (PDSAT) online update

Updated 10 January 2023

Applies to England

Introduction

PDSAT is currently a piece of software provided by ESFA that produces a series of reports to test the integrity of individualised learner record (ILR) data. It enables users to identify potential issues with the data recorded in ILR data returns. PDSAT provides indicative reports based on areas of concern and risk, rather than definitive results. These reports may contain potential data anomalies that require further investigation, clarification, and rectification.

For the 2022 to 2023 funding year, ESFA is moving away from PDSAT as a piece of software and transforming it into an online solution.

Any significant change such as this raises questions. The purpose of this document is to provide answers to some of the key questions that PDSAT users may have. Further updates will be made via ESFA Update in due course.

Questions and answers

Why is PDSAT moving online?

The existing downloadable software version has been a tremendous success since we introduced it in 2016. However, moving online brings benefits, based on user feedback, that we cannot take advantage of by maintaining the existing design. For example:

• Users will no longer need to install PDSAT, they may no longer need to involve their IT teams to help provide administration rights and there will be no requirement for a local SQL installation.
• Users will experience a more dynamic solution that will include drill-down dashboards for reviewing and analysing ILR data, in addition to the now familiar Excel reporting.
• Users will also be able to access PDSAT regardless of their operating system.
• PDSAT will be able to evolve to include additional features made possible by being an online platform.

When will PDSAT online be available to use?

Our current plan is to release PDSAT online in late November / early December 2022, ideally in time for the R04 ILR return deadline, however we are releasing weekly ESFA updates in the run up to release.

Does anything need to be installed?

Users will be able to access PDSAT online by visiting the PDSAT website and logging in. It requires no additional installations (although having excel will inevitably prove useful).

Will ILR data be secure within PDSAT online?

Yes. PDSAT online will be securely hosted, developed, and maintained by a third-party supplier, which has delivered the PDSAT contract for ESFA for over fifteen years.

ILR data that providers upload to PDSAT online will be available only to those users that the provider has granted access to.

There is no facility within PDSAT online to share ILR data with other registered users i.e., a registered provider cannot share ILR data with a consultant who has their own registered account within the online environment.

How will a user access PDSAT online?

As online PDSAT will be a standalone website it will require an initial registration process which ESFA will oversee.

Providers and other users will be able to pre-register following information released in ESFA Update announcements in the coming weeks. Registration will also be available once the PDSAT website is released.

In all instances ESFA will approve granting or withdrawal of access to PDSAT online.

How will providers access PDSAT online?

Each provider will nominate a primary user (organisation owner) and this person will register for a PDSAT account. The facility to register for an account will be available from the PDSAT home page. A user’s email address will be used as their username.

The primary user will complete and submit a registration form. ESFA is responsible for undertaking checks on all registrants prior to approval.

Once approved, this person will be notified and will be able to log in to PDSAT. Once approved, they will be responsible for managing access within their organisation.

Can users have different levels of access?

Yes. The table shows the different levels available.

	Administer user access	Upload ILR data	Review output
Organisation owner	Yes	Yes	Yes
Uploader	No	Yes	Yes
Reviewer	No	No	Yes

Can a provider have more than one organisation owner?

Yes, the initially registered organisation owner will be able to provide this same level of access to another user as they deem appropriate. Providers may wish to have more than one organisation owner to provide cover in case of absence or if one leaves the organisation.

What if a registrant is not approved?

The registrant will receive notification of the reason for refusal to approve. Depending on the reason, there may be an opportunity to revisit their registration form and resubmit.

What if a provider wants to start using PDSAT online as soon as it is available? Will they have to wait until their account is approved?

In order that providers can start managing access within their organisations and using PDSAT online as soon as it is released, we are opening a pre-registration period at the end of October 2022.

How quickly will a request for access be turned around?

After PDSAT online release, registrants should receive approval or a notification of rejection within approximately 2 working days of submitting their registration form.

Those who have pre-registered will be advised on week commencing 14 November 2022.

How will pre-registration work?

Once a provider has nominated an organisation owner, this person will be able to complete a simple pre-registration form that we will make available at the end of October 2022. The form will be available for two weeks so that as many providers as possible can take advantage.

We will carry out our checks during the pre-registration period and notify registrants of the outcome. Approved registrants’ details will be passed to our third party supplier, enabling it to create their accounts to be ready for use on release of PDSAT online.

What if a provider misses the pre-registration opportunity?

Pre-registration is not a prerequisite for accessing PDSAT online. Providers will have the opportunity to register with PDSAT online once it goes live.

Consultants use PDSAT as well. How will they access PDSAT online?

It will be for providers to decide how they wish to provide ILR data to consultants for use within PDSAT online.

Providers who use consultants can give a consultant access by issuing them an organisational email address and then granting user access as per the table above. In this way, the provider can retain control of its ILR data, uploading it to PDSAT online and providing reviewer access to the consultant.

However, consultants will also be able to request their own PDSAT online account and process ILR data in a similar way to that which they currently do. This would require providers to securely send their ILR data to the consultant, as they would in the current environment.

It should be noted that once an email address is registered for use with online PDSAT it cannot be re-registered elsewhere i.e., an employee of a provider who is added as an uploader cannot have an individual account using their registered email address.

Will consultants be able to pre-register?

We are looking at a pre-registration period for consultants and will issue further information in early November 2022.

What about auditors?

Access to PDSAT online for ESFA contracted auditors will be handled separately by ESFA. Other audit firms that work with providers will be considered in a similar way to consultants. We expect to release further information on this early in November 2022.