About

A modern HTML solution for visualising Department for Education "Common Transfer File", or "CTF" data. It is designed to offer a simple CTF checking service to educational settings & local authorities.

Purpose

After exporting a CTF, how can you be confident about what is inside the file? How many pupils does it contain...? What were their results..?
If the data is not what you expected, you may be risking an accusation of maladministration. The Department for Education defines the following example of maladministration:
"incorrect reporting of pupils' check scores"
To avoid this, it would be useful if the CTF could be opened, and the contents displayed in a simple, clear format so that they can be checked.
Check My CTF visualises CTF data as charts & tables, and by checking your CTF you can be confident that the data matches your expectations.

How It Works

In a traditional client-server based system, the data is transported over the internet to the server for processing, then the server will respond with the results.
Check My CTF is different. The code required to visualise the CTF is delivered to your web browser when the page loads, meaning that no personal information in the CTF is transferred over the internet.
This code is called JavaScript. JavaScript are tiny files which are delivered to your web browser when a page is loaded. Web developers use JavaScript to tell a website how to behave when you do things like clicking on a button. Check My CTF uses JavaScript to read the CTF that is safely stored on your computer so that the information inside the file can be visualised as charts & tables.

Data Security

CTF data must be protected under GDPR, as it can contain names, addresses, dates of birth, and other personal information, in addition to special categories of data such as ethnicity.
Check My CTF does not require any CTF information to be transferred over the internet. Instead, the code required to visualise your data is delivered to your web browser when you load the page.
Therefore, by using this service you are simply viewing a CTF which is stored on your computer, using code which was delivered to your web browser when the page loaded.
No CTF data is recorded or retained by using this service.
After you have finished checking the CTF, be mindful that you should close the window so that the information is not left on screen for others to see. In case you forget to close the window, Check My CTF will automatically refresh the page after 5 minutes of inactivity, which will remove any previously visible CTF information.

Browser Compatibility

	Internet Explorer	Microsoft Edge	Google Chrome	Mozilla Firefox
Compatibility

CTF Compatibility

The Department for Education release a new iteration of the CTF specification for each academic year. Check My CTF is compatible with the following CTF specifications.

CTF Version	Academic Year	Assessment Files	CMJ/CML (Joiners & Leavers) Files	Census Files
CTF v20.0	2020-21
CTF v21.0	2021-22
CTF v22.0	2022-23
CTF v23.0	2023-24
CTF v24.0	2024-25

Attribution

Design & Implementation: Adam James Smith
Charts: Chart.js
HTML Design Template: HTML5 UP (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License)
Icons: Font Awesome
CTF Specification: Common Transfer File (www.gov.uk)

About the Author - Adam James Smith

Logo containing the words 'Check My CTF', the text is capitalised and coloured in white. The letter 'M' is styled to look like a bar chart with three vertical lines to appear similar to a capitalised letter 'M'.
"Over a decade of experience developing software for a US-based corporation, I now hope to bring this technical experience to my local authority role.

Check My CTF is self-published as a means of improving my understanding of education data, and to provide a useful service both within my own county of Lancashire, and for other education settings & local authorities nationally."