A guide for local authorities and schools, and technical documents for software suppliers, to use the 2019 common transfer file (CTF).

Documents

Common transfer file guide 2019

Ref: DfE-00145-2019PDF, 390KB, 48 pages

Common transfer file 19: specification

Ref: DFE-00063-2019PDF, 1.1MB, 62 pages

Common transfer file 19: schema

ZIP, 24.9KB

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Details

This guide is for local authorities and schools to help them use common transfer file (CTF) 2019 to transfer pupil data. The CTF is valid for use from September 2019.

The guide includes information on:

  • the statutory obligations to use CTF when transferring pupil data
  • when to send CTFs and partial data transfers
  • how to send CTFs and partial data transfers
  • filename structure
  • receiving CTF information

This technical specification and xml schema are for software suppliers developing and maintaining CTF files in school and local authority management information systems (MIS).

Schools and local authorities use the CTF to send pupil data when a pupil transfers from one school to another.

You should also refer to the common basic data set (CBDS). This defines common data items that schools and local authorities use in MIS software, and that we use in our data collections.

Published 18 March 2019
Last updated 9 July 2019 + show all updates

  1. Added new guidance on how to use common transfer file (CTF) to transfer pupil data.
  2. XML schema added.
  3. First published.