Transparency data

Data audit framework

Updated 8 March 2023

Applies to England

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ofquals-statistics-policies-and-procedures/data-audit-framework

Ofqual collects data from awarding organisations it regulates. Data is uploaded to Ofqual’s secure data portal as CSV files. Routine data collections undergo validation to ensure that the data received conforms to the published specification for that collection.

The automated validation includes

  • content for example data types and values
  • format for example column headings and file format
  • consistency check is also performed (where appropriate) to guarantee that values provided are complete and accurate (within the context of that particular collection)

If any problems are detected, then a summary of the issues is provided to the submitting awarding organisation and the submission is rejected. This process continues until a valid submission is made, at which point the submitting awarding organisation is informed that the submission is successful and no further submissions can be made.

We also plan to periodically conduct information audits to assure ourselves that the information we collect is correct. We plan to follow the approach given below for the audit.

1. A web-based questionnaire for awarding organisations

Covering:

  • what information is collected from the learning centres
  • how it is manipulated and stored
  • how it is quality assured before being sent to us

2. A programme of face to face compliance meetings with a sample of awarding organisations

The sample being made of:

  • a group based on risk
  • a random selection
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