Data sources
Sources used by the education IT authority layer
Material factual claims should trace to a named source or be identified as LeadSync analysis.
01
Source hierarchy
Primary government guidance and source datasets are preferred. Supplier claims are not treated as neutral standards.
02
Freshness
Each page displays a review date. Material source changes enter editorial review rather than silently rewriting conclusions.
03
Boundary
Financial returns describe reported categories, not the contracts, invoices, service quality or specialist context needed to prove savings.
Accountability
Sources and evidence
- Financial Benchmarking and Insights ToolDepartment for Education. Public-sector precedent for comparing school and trust spending with similar organisations.
- Consistent financial reporting frameworkDepartment for Education and Education and Skills Funding Agency. Definitions and reporting context for maintained-school financial returns.
- Academies accounts returnDepartment for Education. Reporting context for academy trusts and their auditors.
- Broadband internet: core standardDepartment for Education. Expectations for connection type, capacity, resilience, security and safeguarding.
- Filtering and monitoring: core standardDepartment for Education. Governance, review and technical expectations for filtering and monitoring.
- Cyber security: core standardDepartment for Education. Cyber-governance and resilience expectations for schools and colleges.
- IT supportDepartment for Education. Expectations for planning, commissioning and reviewing education IT support.
- Get Information about SchoolsDepartment for Education. Authoritative establishment identity, status, phase, local-authority and trust context.
- Local authority name and associated codesDepartment for Education. Canonical GIAS local-authority names with GIAS and ONS/GSS identifiers.
- Schools, pupils and their characteristicsDepartment for Education. Official school and pupil statistics by local authority and region.
- ONS postcode products and postal geographyOffice for National Statistics. UK-wide postcode geography and the limitations of postal boundaries.
- Get Information about SchoolsDepartment for Education. Official establishment evidence for England.
- School contact detailsScottish Government. Official school address, type and status evidence for Scotland.
- Addresses and phone numbers for schools and pupil referral unitsWelsh Government. Official school and pupil referral unit address evidence for Wales.
- School enrolment - school level data 2025/2026Department of Education Northern Ireland. Official school-level enrolment evidence for Northern Ireland.