System update 21 April 2026

An updated version of the Get Information about Schools (GIAS) service has been released to all users.

This release includes the following improvements:

  1. bug fixes, fine-tuning and changes to improve the overall user experience:
    1. 286556 - edit server.properties - update
    2. 300740 - blob storage client execution - update
    3. 293703 - convert UKRLP service requests - update
  2. The following should resolve issues some academies and free schools have been having accessing their records:
    1. 287480 - view historic governance roles (left within the last 12 months) regardless of governance sharing option for an establishment in a multi-academy trust (MAT) - bug fix
    2. 287481 - edit historic governance roles (left within the last 12 months) based on governance sharing option for an establishment in a multi-academy trust (MAT) - bug fix

Users are not expected to need to take any specific action unless otherwise indicated.

Further information

1. Office for National Statistics (ONS) updates

The update to the geo spatial fields that are updated quarterly from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has now taken place for the February update.

The relevant fields updated (where applicable) are:

  1. Government Statistical Service (GSS) local authority (LA) code (also known as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) local authority (LA) number) name
  2. Government Statistical Service (GSS) local authority (LA) code (also known as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) local authority (LA) number) code
  3. administrative district name
  4. administrative district code
  5. ward name
  6. ward code
  7. parliamentary constituency name
  8. parliamentary constituency code
  9. urban/rural description name
  10. urban/rural description code
  11. middle super output area (MSOA) name
  12. middle super output area (MSOA) code
  13. lower super output area (LSOA) name
  14. lower super output area (LSOA) code

The next quarterly update will take place sometime in or after May 2026.

2. Removal of special education needs (SEN) provision type data from Get Information about Schools (GIAS) for other independent schools, other independent special schools and non-maintained special schools only

The establishment types:

  1. other independent schools
  2. other independent special schools
  3. non maintained special schools

have not had the ability to update their type of special educational needs (SEN) provision type since 2017 on the Get Information about Schools (GIAS) user interface (UI), therefore the data in the system is significantly out of date.

The data is not visible on the UI, however where these fields are present in the search filtering, downloads, extracts, and scheduled extracts for the webservice functionality the information is displayed.

The field names are displayed as follows:

SEN1 (code)
SEN1 (name)

SEN2 (code)
SEN2 (name)

SEN3 (code)
SEN3 (name)

SEN4 (code)
SEN4 (name)

SEN5 (code)
SEN5 (name)

SEN6 (code)
SEN6 (name)

SEN7 (code)
SEN7 (name)

SEN8 (code)
SEN8 (name)

SEN9 (code)
SEN9 (name)

SEN10 (code)
SEN10 (name)

SEN11 (code)
SEN11 (name)

SEN12 (code)
SEN12 (name)

SEN13 (code)
SEN13 (name)

Changes to be made

Given that this data is significantly out of date due to the SEN provision type not being updatable via the GIAS UI since 2017, it will be removed from all open records following a request from the Independent Education Unit (IEU).

Please note that closed records will not be changed.

This task will be undertaken on the evening of Wednesday 29 April 2026.

Kind regards

GIAS support team



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