To create a CTF (Common Transfer File) in SIMS/SIMS.net, open the CTF export routine under Routines > Data Out, choose the fields, pupils, effective date and destination required by the receiving organisation, export the XML, then review SIMS’s Exception Log and find the file in the configured CTF export folder.
There is no single set of fields or pupil-selection rules for every CTF. An assessment upload, a local-authority return and a school-transfer import can require different settings. The procedure below uses the NFER Online Assessments instructions as a fully worked example and shows where other workflows diverge.
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What a CTF file is in SIMS
In a school information-management context, CTF means Common Transfer File. SIMS exports selected pupil or student data as an XML file for a defined recipient and purpose. The receiving service may use it for an assessment upload, a transfer between schools, a local-authority collection or another approved data exchange.
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The NFER Online Assessments Help Centre states: “Note – depending on your version of SIMS, some screens may have slightly different wording to those shown here.” That page was modified on 19 November 2024 and is a useful example of the version differences you may encounter.
Decide which CTF workflow you need before opening SIMS
Have the receiving organisation’s instructions open before you start. Confirm the following items in writing or in the current service guide:
- Purpose: assessment upload, pupil transfer, key-stage collection, home-educated case or another defined return.
- Recipient: the school, local authority, assessment service or other authorised destination.
- Data fields: for example, basic details, SEN information, assessment outcomes or another specified set.
- Pupil scope: current pupils, already-exported pupils, a year group, a named list or the full list required by the recipient.
- Effective date and destination: these can affect which records appear and how the XML is addressed.
- File-handling instructions: the upload portal, transfer route, naming convention and deadline supplied by the recipient.
Do not copy a year-group or destination rule from one guide into another workflow. The NFER example, Lancashire’s CMJ/CML instructions, Kent’s collection guidance and iTRACK’s import instructions all use CTFs for different purposes.
Where the export command is in SIMS
In many installations, the route is Routines > Data Out > Export CTF. Depending on the SIMS version and local configuration, the command may instead be labelled Export General CTF or Export Partial CTF.
One recipient-specific guide, from iTRACK, shows the route as Routines > Data Out > CTF > Export CTF. If you do not see the expected menu, do not select an unrelated export routine. Ask the SIMS administrator whether your installation uses a different label, whether your account has the required permissions or whether the school’s configured menu differs from the published instructions.
How the documented workflows differ
These examples show why CTF settings must be matched to the recipient. They are not interchangeable templates.
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| Workflow | Purpose and date | Documented settings or distinctions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFER Online Assessments | Upload to NFER Online Assessments; guide modified 19 November 2024 | Select Student Basic Details and SEN Information; use the current date as Effective Date; choose Current Students; tick Include students already exported; refresh the list; for this guide choose years 1–6 and set every destination to England. | NFER Online Assessments Help Centre |
| Lancashire CMJ and CML CTFs | Local-authority CMJ/CML cases; issue 2.0, November 2021 | For a Home Educated case there is no actual destination school for a General CTF. The instructions describe using an alternative destination and selecting Destination LA/Other. The published output location is SIMS > Star > CTFout. | Lancashire County Council guide |
| Kent Key Stage Data Collection | Key-stage collection guidance indexed for the 2023 collection | The CTF is an XML return containing pupil-level scores or outcomes. The guidance tells users to note their import and export directory settings because installations can differ; check the instructions for the current collection before exporting. | Kent guidance notes |
| iTRACK import | Recipient-specific import into iTRACK | Use the recipient’s specified data items, choose Current Students, include already-exported pupils, refresh the list, assign a destination and export a full list rather than a partial list for this import. Check the Exception Log and use the configured CTF export directory. | iTRACK support article |
Worked example: create an NFER Online Assessments CTF
The following sequence follows the NFER guide. Use it only when NFER’s current instructions are the recipient specification; another service may require different fields, years or destinations.
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- Sign in to SIMS with an account allowed to export pupil data.
- Open Routines > Data Out > Export CTF. If your version shows Export General CTF or Export Partial CTF, use the equivalent CTF export command identified by your administrator.
2. Select the NFER data items
In the section that lists the data to export, tick:
- Student Basic Details
- SEN Information
For this NFER workflow, leave the other data boxes unticked. A description field may be available and is optional; some SIMS versions do not display it.
3. Set the effective date and pupil view
- Set Effective Date to the current date.
- Set the view to Current Students.
- Tick Include students already exported. This matters when a pupil has appeared in an earlier export but is still required for the present upload.
- Click Refresh Students so SIMS rebuilds the list using those settings.
4. Select the year groups and destination
For the NFER instructions, choose years 1–6. The learners should then appear in the selection list. Select all required learners in the destination field and set the destination to England for every row, as the NFER guide specifies.
Those year and destination values are not universal CTF defaults. If you are exporting to another service, stop here and apply that service’s pupil scope and destination rules instead.
5. Export the XML
- Click Export CTF.
- Respond to any SIMS prompts that appear.
- Read the Exception Log immediately after the export. Resolve relevant errors before sending the file.
- Note the filename displayed in SIMS. The NFER guide gives the pattern
XXXXXXX_CTF_ENGLLLL_00Y.xml; the first placeholder represents the school’s DfE number.
6. Locate the file and upload it through the authorised route
Look in the installation’s configured CTF export directory. The NFER guide says schools often use C:SIMSSTARTCTFOUT, but the path is installation-specific. Confirm that the filename and timestamp match the export you just created, then follow NFER’s authorised upload instructions. Do not email or move the XML through an unapproved channel merely because the usual folder is inconvenient.
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Adapting the process for other CTF recipients
Lancashire CMJ and CML cases
Lancashire County Council’s issue 2.0 guide, dated November 2021, covers CMJ and CML CTFs rather than the NFER assessment upload. Its Home Educated example explains that a General CTF may have no actual destination school. In that situation, the instructions describe choosing an alternative destination and setting the destination local authority to LA/Other.
That is a scenario-specific destination arrangement. Do not enter England for every row simply because the NFER guide does so, and do not invent a destination school where the local-authority instructions say none exists. Follow the current Lancashire or responsible-authority procedure for the case you are handling.
Kent key-stage data collection
Kent’s Key Stage Data Collection guidance describes a CTF as an XML return containing pupil-level scores or outcomes. It also tells users to note the import and export directory settings because those directories can vary between installations. The indexed document relates to the 2023 collection, so check the instructions for the current collection year before relying on its field list, dates or submission route.
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The iTRACK support article uses the CTF route under Routines > Data Out > CTF > Export CTF. It directs users to select the data required by that import, choose Current Students, include students already exported, refresh the list, assign a destination and export a full list rather than a partial list. The full-list requirement belongs to the iTRACK import and should not be treated as a rule for every CTF recipient.
Where SIMS saves the XML file
SIMS writes the CTF to the export directory configured for your installation. Published examples include:
C:SIMSSTARTCTFOUT, identified as a common location in the NFER guide.SIMS > Star > CTFout, shown in Lancashire’s instructions.
These examples do not guarantee the path on your computer. A school may have a different drive, network location or folder name. Kent’s guidance likewise tells users to note their configured import and export directory settings.
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If SIMS reports a filename but you cannot find it, record the filename exactly, check the configured CTF export directory rather than searching random folders, and ask the school’s SIMS administrator or local IT team to confirm the path and your access rights.
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Exception Log: what to check before sending a file
The export is not complete from a practical standpoint until you have read the Exception Log. SIMS can create an XML while also reporting records that need attention.
Missing pupil or an unexpectedly short list
- Confirm that the correct pupil view is selected, such as Current Students for the NFER and iTRACK examples.
- Check the effective date; an incorrect date can change which records qualify.
- For workflows that require previous records, make sure Include students already exported is ticked.
- Click Refresh Students after changing a filter, date or inclusion option.
- Compare the resulting list with the recipient’s required year groups or named pupils. Do not add pupils outside the authorised scope to make the count look right.
Missing UPN or another record exception
The iTRACK guidance specifically discusses checking errors such as missing UPNs for its workflow. A missing identifier or other data exception should be corrected in the school’s MIS record, or escalated to the administrator responsible for data quality, before you generate the final file. Do not guess an identifier inside the XML.
The destination is wrong
Stop before upload if a pupil is assigned to the wrong destination or if the destination field was filled using instructions for another service. Correct the destination in SIMS, refresh the pupil list if required, export a new file and retain only the authorised version for transfer.
SIMS displays a prompt or warning
Read each prompt rather than dismissing it automatically. Some prompts require confirmation of the export; others identify data that SIMS could not include. Record the message, inspect the Exception Log and ask the SIMS administrator if the warning affects the recipient’s required fields.
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- Confirm that the filename shown by SIMS matches the file in the configured CTFOUT directory.
- Check that the file has an
.xmlextension and a recent modified time. - Verify that the selected data items match the recipient’s instructions, such as Student Basic Details and SEN Information for the NFER example.
- Verify pupil scope, year groups, effective date and destination against the same instructions.
- Read the Exception Log and resolve issues that could affect the receiving service.
- Use the recipient’s approved upload or transfer process and keep the filename and export date in the school’s normal audit record.
Do not edit the XML manually to add pupils, change identifiers or repair destinations. Re-export from SIMS after correcting the underlying record or selection.
Version, permissions and local configuration
Two users can see different labels or folders while working in different SIMS versions or school installations. A menu may say Export CTF in one environment and Export General CTF or Export Partial CTF in another. The configured directory may be local, on a shared drive or under a different SIMS/Star folder.
If you cannot access the routine, lack permission to view the required pupil data, cannot select the destination or cannot read the export folder, contact the school’s SIMS administrator or local IT support. The NFER guide itself directs users to local IT or the SIMS administrator when the file location is unclear or inaccessible.
Keep the recipient’s version-specific instructions with the task record. A guide dated November 2021 or indexed for a 2023 collection may explain the concept correctly while still needing confirmation against the current year’s submission window and field requirements.
Data protection and handoff
A CTF contains school pupil or student data. Only an authorised member of staff should select the records, export the XML and transmit it. Use the receiving organisation’s approved portal or transfer method, follow your school’s information-governance policy and avoid leaving duplicate copies in personal downloads, unprotected removable media or unrelated shared folders.
The procedural guides establish how to create and locate the file; they do not create one universal retention or security rule for every school. Apply the policy and transfer instructions issued by your school, local authority and recipient.
Final decision rule
When instructions conflict, prioritise them in this order: the current recipient specification, the purpose of the export, your SIMS version and local configuration, then the example paths and settings in older guides. The reliable workflow is therefore:
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- Identify the recipient and purpose.
- Open the CTF export routine that exists in your SIMS installation.
- Select only the fields and pupils authorised for that workflow.
- Set the required date and destination, then refresh the list.
- Export the XML, note the filename and inspect the Exception Log.
- Find the file in the configured CTFOUT directory and transfer it through the approved route.
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