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A DfE Service Manual and its content is intended for internal use by the DfE service community.

TRA record identification

In order for external Lead Provider systems to record information such as training progress or outcomes against a participants CPD records a unique identifier (UID) is created. The UID identifier is created by the CPD service.

The Teacher Regulation Agency (TRA) has its own UID called a Teacher Reference Number (TRN), each TRN identifies a specific TRA Record. The TRA Record is where the DfE records various details about a teachers training such as whether a teacher is qualified to teach or not amongst other things. The outcomes of inductions play a part in this qualification and so are also held in the TRA Record. To record an outcome the TRA needs the TRN for the appropriate TRA Record to be able to record the outcome against the correct record.

Recording the outcome of the training is a role performed by an Appropriate Body ( for ECF Inductions through the TRA Appropriate Body portal ) or the Lead Provider ( for NPQs through the Lead Provider APIs ). Appropriate bodies need the TRN in order to find the appropriate TRA Record to report the outcome against therefore the Lead Provider needs to be able to pass the validated TRN on to the Appropriate Body to enable this task.

In the Early Roll out of ECF and NPQs it was established that the TRN is too basic a format to collect accurately so a decision was made for the digital service built for National Rollout to collect and validate the TRN as it is entered and make it available to Lead Providers systems once validated.

Overview

The CPD Service is responsible for ensuring that each CPD record is associated with a single TRA Record and that funding is only attributed to the training delivered against that CPD Record once.

When a participants training is reported by a user the service collects enough details to match a record in the Teacher Regulation Agency (TRA) records. To do this the service is required to collect the participants full name, TRN, date of birth and if needed their National Insurance Number (NINo). This process mimics the current login process for the teacher self-service portal and is also part of the method by which DfE Analysts link up the various DfE data collections around a teachers profile for analysis purposes.

If a search of the TRA Record database using the TRN or NINo plus date of birth matches a TRA record and the first name provided also matches the details held within the TRA Record it is considered to have been entered correctly. From this point on only the TRN needs to be retained within the CPD service as the now validated TRN links the CPD Record to an equivalent TRA Record and links the records from now on.

The CPD service does not record which of the validation data entered matches the TRA Record and which does not. See the notes section for more detail

If there is no match the user will be asked to correct their details by comparing them to the teacher self-service portal themselves or making a request of the TRA to remind them of their TRN using the Find a Lost TRN digital service and the search process is repeated.

If there is still no match or the user is certain that the details entered are correct then the data collected and a manual TRN validation process is requested.

The TRN data entry validation process

To identify a TRA Record a TRN is required. A TRN is 7 digit number issued to a Initial Teacher Training (ITT) participant on beginning their ITT course. The TRN is unique to a TRA Record, it is supposed to be unique to a single qualified or qualifying teacher but the legacy process has meant that in reality several people can be issued with the same TRN which has to be reconciled once the error has been identified. Additionally it is possible for an individual qualified or qualifying teacher to be issued with several TRNs again attempt are made to rectify this if identified.

When a TRN is submitted by an individual it can be entered incorrectly. There are several reasons for this issue including non standard formats, mistaking other numbers for the TRN and basic user entry error. To help guard against these issues guidance has been published to help identify the actual TRN of an individual from paperwork they may possess but this cannot guard against user entry errors.

To help validate the TRN entered the CPD service connects directly to the TRA Qualifications API to search for the TRA Record as the data is entered. A TRN is requested along with a Date of Birth, if no record can be found with these two pieces of data then a NINo is also requested and a search for NINo and Date of birth is requested. If any records are returned at either stage then a final check is made against the first name. This process means that automatic TRA Record identification is based on 3 out of 4 pieces of data matching, this gives a 96% match rate with Manual TRN Validation helping to fill the final gap.

What this process does

The process finds a TRA Record by matching on a minimum of three out of five pieces of information provided by the current user;

  1. Teacher Reference Number
  2. Date of Birth
  3. National Insurance Number
  4. First name
  5. Full name - if used for manual validation

What this process does not do

  1. Verify the identity of a user interacting with the service
  2. Provide a secure authentication process for digital services
  3. Ensure that the TRA Record found holds information about the current user on the service

The current process of identifying a TRA record with ECF Participants

The following diagram and details helps to explain the processes and systems involved in identifying a TRA record for a participant reported through the CPD service.

School induction tutorParticipantManage ECFManage CPDGOV UK NotifyTRA recordsLead Provider APILead Providerloop[Periodically]loop[Periodically]Registers participant (contact details only)Stores contact detailsRequest registration invitation sentRegistration invitation sentPoll for new Participant recordsRetrieve participant recordsparticipant records returnedParticipant records collected (contact details only)Request for further details sentProvides TRA record search detailsSearch TRA recordsTRA Record matches returnedCheck first name matchesStore TRA record TRNStore TRN validation dataPoll for new Participant recordsRetrieve participant recordsparticipant records returnedParticipant records collected (TRN plus TRN validation status)School induction tutorParticipantManage ECFManage CPDGOV UK NotifyTRA recordsLead Provider APILead Provider

The process in detail

  1. the School induction tutor (SIT) will report the contact details for each participant in the cohort, which will include name and email address.
  2. the contact details are stored by the service to facilitate communications with participants when required
  3. an API call with the contact details is made to the GOV UK Notify API service to initiate the invitation email
  4. a GOV UK branded invitation email with a one-time use web link is sent to the participants email address
  5. The Lead Provider polls the Participants API for the latest records
  6. The API retrieves the latest participant records for the specific Lead Provider
  7. The Lead Provider reads the records returned and creates a new training record in their LMS
  8. The Lead Provider makes initial contact with the participant to gather additional details required to deliver the training, this may include a different email address to use going forward or a preferred name along with additional things like dietary or access requirements amongst others.
  9. the participant follows a web link in the registration invitation email from the CPD Service and is asked to complete the TRA record search details
  10. the TRN or NINo plus DoB are submitted to the TRA Qualifications API
  11. the TRA Qualifications API returns any matched records and the first name is checked
  12. the TRN returned is stored by the service against the CPD record
  13. the submitted TRN and validation data is stored to facilitate manual validation checks if a match is not made
  14. The Lead Provider continues to poll the Participants API for the latest records
  15. The API retrieves the latest participant records for the specific Lead Provider
  16. The Lead Provider reads the records returned and updates the appropriate training record in their LMS with the validated TRN

The current process of identifying a TRA Record with a non participant user

The second year of the National Role out of ECF required better support for participants moving schools. The decision was taken to allow the SITs to provide the TRN and validation data, falling back to asking the participant if a match still could not be found. The same matching rules are used and the process is unchanged for Lead Providers collecting the participant records.

The following diagram and details helps to explain the simpler process and systems involved.

School induction tutorManage ECFManage CPDGOV UK NotifyTRA recordsLead Provider APILead ProviderPloop[Periodically]Registers participant (including TRA Record search details)Stores contact detailsSearch TRA recordsTRA Record matches returnedCheck first name matchesStore TRA record TRNStore TRN validation dataPoll for new Participant recordsRetrieve participant recordsparticipant records returnedParticipant records collected (TRN plus TRN validation status)Request for further details sentSchool induction tutorManage ECFManage CPDGOV UK NotifyTRA recordsLead Provider APILead ProviderP

The process in detail

  1. the School induction tutor (SIT) will report the full details for each participant in the cohort, which will include name, email address, TRN and TRN validation data.
  2. the contact details are stored by the service to facilitate communications with participants when required
  3. the TRN or NINo plus DoB are submitted to the TRA Qualifications API
  4. the TRA Qualifications API returns any matched records and the first name is checked
  5. the TRN returned is stored by the service against the CPD record
  6. the submitted TRN and validation data is stored to facilitate manual validation checks if a match is not made
  7. The Lead Provider polls the Participants API for the latest records
  8. The API retrieves the latest participant records for the specific Lead Provider
  9. The Lead Provider reads the records returned and creates a new training record in their LMS
  10. The Lead Provider makes initial contact with the participant to gather additional details required to deliver the training, this may include a different email address to use going forward or a preferred name along with additional things like dietary or access requirements amongst others.

The current process of identifying a TRA record with NPQ participants

The following diagram and details helps to explain the processes and systems involved in identifying a TRA record for a participant of the NPQ training programme.

ParticipantRegister NPQManage CPDGOV UK NotifyTRA recordsLead Provider APILead Providerloop[Periodically]loop[Periodically]Provides application details (including TRA Record search details)Stores application detailsSearch TRA recordsTRA Record matches returnedCheck first name matchesStore TRA record TRNStore TRN validation dataPoll for new Application recordsRetrieve application recordsApplication records returnedApplication records collected (TRN plus TRN validation status)Request for confirmation of trainingConfirmation of training confirmedConfirms application has been acceptedStores acceptance notificationCreates participant recordPoll for new Participant recordsRetrieve participant recordsparticipant records returnedParticipant records collected (TRN plus TRN validation status)Request for further details sentParticipantRegister NPQManage CPDGOV UK NotifyTRA recordsLead Provider APILead Provider

The process in detail

  1. the User will register application details, which will include name, email address, TRN and TRN validation data.
  2. the application details are stored by the service to facilitate communications with participants when required
  3. the TRN or NINo plus DoB are submitted to the TRA Qualifications API
  4. the TRA Qualifications API returns any matched records and the first name is checked
  5. the TRN returned is stored by the service against the CPD record
  6. the submitted TRN and validation data is stored to facilitate manual validation checks if a match is not made
  7. The Lead Provider polls the Applications API for the latest records
  8. The API retrieves the latest application records for the specific Lead Provider
  9. The Lead Provider reads the records returned and creates a new application record in their LMS
  10. The Lead Provider requests confirmation from the applicant about training
  11. The applicant confirms they wish to train with this Lead Provider
  12. The Lead Provider submits an accepted declaration
  13. The Acceptance is stored and a new participant record is created
  14. The Lead Provider polls the Participants API for the latest records
  15. The API retrieves the latest participant records for the specific Lead Provider
  16. The Lead Provider reads the records returned and creates a new training record in their LMS
  17. The Lead Provider makes initial contact with the participant to gather additional details required to deliver the training, this may include a different email address to use going forward or a preferred name along with additional things like dietary or access requirements amongst others.

Notes

Data processed as part of the record identification process

  1. Full name ( could defer from the TRA Record )
  2. Teacher Reference Number ( as entered by a user, could be incorrect )
  3. Teacher Reference Number ( as found in a matched TRA Record )
  4. Date of Birth ( could be incorrect )
  5. National Insurance Number ( not in all cases, could be incorrect )

Only the Full name and TRN are passed to Lead Providers. The full name facilitates initial contact with the applicant or participant. The TRN facilitates the passing of outcomes to the TRA and Evaluators.

Validity of the data collected during the record identification process

The TRN identified by searching and matching with a TRA Record based on the TRA Record matching rules is stored against a CPD Record. No record of which data was used to identify the TRA record is held, the validation data NINo, Date of Birth and submitted TRN are removed.

The request for the participants name is requested as found in the TRA Records, this does not guarantee that the name entered will match the TRA record entry. To mitigate against family name changes - such as in the event of a marriage or divorce - only the first name is tested.

The Date of Birth is required to match the one held with either the TRN or the NINo. If the Date of Birth is incorrect manual validation will be required.

TRA Record Matching rules

In the automated validation process the Date of Birth and the first name also needs to match the one held within the TRA Record for the submitted TRN.

If the TRN and Date of Birth do not match a TRA Record then a NINo is requested to perform a second search. If the second search results in a match and the first name matches then the resulting TRA Record is considered correct and provides access to the TRN to be recorded against this CPD Record.

If a match is still not found then manual TRN validation is requested.

Data retention policy

The Validated TRN and full name collected by the CPD Service is held in the CPD records separately to the TRN and other data entered during the validation process before being purged.

The full name stored is as entered, only the first name is matched against the TRA Record to facilitate family name changes. The family name may be taken into account in manual validation. The submitted full name is passed to Lead Providers through the Applications and Participants APIs in order to facilitate initial contact.

The CPD Service will keep the TRN indefinitely to link CPD Records to other DfE Records for analysis purposes. All other data used in validating the TRN will be deleted as soon as a match has been made.

Recording outcomes through the CPD Service

The Lead Providers are now required to report NPQ outcomes as part of the completed declaration process. As this uses the UID of the participant record the TRN is no longer required by Lead Providers in order to perform the recording of NPQ outcomes with the TRA.

ECF Outcomes are reported by the Appropriate Bodies who need the correct TRN to be provided to them by the Lead Provider in order to find the relevant TRA Record to record the outcome against through the TRA Appropriate Body Portal.

Passing names as initial contact details to Lead Providers

As mentioned above the name stored in the CPD Service is the name collected during the TRA Record identification process. This is the name that is passed to the Lead Providers. Only the first name is used during the automated TRN Record identification process, but in the manual TRN validation process the full name as entered is taken into account.

The details of whether the full name collected actually matches the TRA Record name is not captured in the CPD Service, the reason for this is that the CPD Service tries to facilitate changes of name which would fail the search process and the full name was only found to aid further in identifying a TRA Record in a small number of cases.

The CPD Service has no further needs for the full name other than the TRA Record checking process, once a TRN is identified the correct CPD record can be identified easily. The name is passed to the Lead Providers as initial contact details in an attempt to reduce duplication of data entry, if the trainee wishes to be referred to as something else during the Training the provider should facilitate the capture of this.

The CPD Service does keep the full name recorded against the CPD Record for the purposes of User Research in case it shows a name change. But as the collection process specifically asks for the name in the TRA Records this not a reliable source of this information.