The SSDA903 is the annual Children Looked After (CLA) Census, collected by the DfE by end of June each year and referring back to the position at 31st March of the same year. Nexus is able to accept imports of this census, not only providing analysis of the census cohort but also linking the cohort to assessment results. This article details how to obtain and import the SSDA903 into Nexus via Keypas.
Who this is for
Nexus users with responsibility for importing this census. That may be someone in a core data team, a member of the virtual school or any other user with that task.
Before you start
This import is restricted to users who have Keypas CLA permissions. These permissions are separate to the assessment file imports from school due to the fact that Children Looked After are a vulnerable group and LAs may wish to place additional controls on who can access that data.
Key facts about the SSDA903 and how to obtain it in your LA
The SSDA903 is a statutory social care data return made by every Local Authority to the DfE. It captures information on pupils that have been looked after at any point in the previous year, even if they are not currently looked after at the point of the census.
Because this is restricted data, it has a separate set of permissions which must be assigned before any user can view or work with data associated with Children Looked After (CLA). This is in common with other CLA elements of Nexus which has its own set of permissions.
Importing the SSDA903 means that both CLA cohort analysis and assessment results for Children Looked After are available - with national, regional and statistical neighbour comparisons - well ahead of the publication of the DfE official release (typically up to 9 months later).
The 903 can be imported as soon as the file is available in your Local Authority. The collection date is 31st March each year and submission must be completed by 30th June. As soon as your LA submission is complete, you can load that into Keypas. You do not need to wait for the 30th June (though in reality the 'ready' date will likely be closer to the end of the period just due to the work involved.)
If you are uncertain who can provide you with the necessary files in your LA, check with Social Care for the person who is responsible for submitting the SSDA903. Whoever has made that submission to the DfE will have the files that are needed to load into Keypas.
Importing statutory CLA (SSDA903) files
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You (or the person responsible for SSDA903 submission) will download the CSV files for your LA's SSDA903 return from the CLA portal. You will need the following files:
- header
- episodes
- uasc
- adoption
- oc2
- You can then either prepare to manually add the above files to the 'Add related files' box (at the same time) in the Nexus Import Wizard via the process below or create a zip file to hold them.
Please note that if using a zip file there should be no folders within the zip file - just the 5 files.
- Log into Nexus and browse to the import screen Keypas > Imports > Import New File > CLA (SSDA903):
- At the bottom of the import screen you can either drag and drop your ZIP file or Add Related Files.
- Click Upload
- If there are no problems with the upload, you should see the following. (If there are any warnings or errors, these will need to be resolved).
- Click Next - and the import will be added to the processing queue.
Once imported
Importing the SSDA903 files gives Nexus a list of pupils that have been in the care of your LA, wherever they were at school (which may be in another LA). Then, when their educating/home LA loads their key stage data, or when the NPD data is loaded into Nexus, that data will populate your CLA reports.
There are CLA Nova reports for you to analyse your CLA data, use the Tag 'CLA' on the report home screen to view all available CLA reports. There are also areas of Insight (again limited by permissions) specific to the CLA cohort.
Nova reports are available immediately after the import has completed. Insight Analysis for CLA - like most of the rest of the module - updates overnight.
These elements are covered in other articles about Nova Reports and Insight Analysis.
Where to go next
Because the SSDA903 return is a point in time collection (31st March) and that is not the same point of the year that assessments are undertaken (and because different children are constantly entering and leaving care) Nexus also has a facility for loading, Updating and maintaining the current CLA cohort.
Last reviewed / owner
Last reviewed: August 2026 - Owner: Technical Support Director