Postcode Profiler data update: Postcode Profiler refresh

Following our previous Data Update concerning the refresh of the Postcode Profiler, we are pleased to announce that the updated version of the Postcode Profiler is now available in the Reports section of the database (members only).

Further information regarding the source datasets and the data fields in the Postcode Profiler can be found within the Key tab of the Postcode Profiler Report, when generating the output.

This refresh updates not only the Postcode Profiler source data, but also brings additional changes to enhance its usability, with each improvement listed in this Data Update. One key addition to this release is the update to the most recent version of the English and Welsh Indices of Deprivation dataset releases, which were made available in late 2025.

Indices of Deprivation

As per our previous Data Update concerning the incorporation of new English and Welsh Indices of Deprivation data into the Postcode Profiler, this refresh will see the following changes implemented into the Postcode Profiler Tool:

For both England and Wales, the upcoming release of the new Indices of Deprivation data will see the relevant data points within the Postcode Profiler updated from the 2019 versions of the data to the new 2025 versions. This will impact the following metrics for both England and Wales:

• Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)
• Education, Skills and Training (EST)

And the following metric will also be impacted for England:

• Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI)

The Postcode Profiler contains both a ‘Current’ and an ‘Archived’ version of the Indices of Deprivation fields, with the latter providing the metrics sourced from the second most recent version of the Indices of Deprivation. As such, in addition to the above, this update will also see the ‘Archived’ Indices of Deprivation be updated from the 2015 to the 2019 version for England, and from the 2014 to the 2019 version for Wales.

Additional Postcode Profiler updates

Other additions to this Postcode Profiler update are as follows:

• Each postcode is populated with information from the Office for Students (OfS) postcode file. Where it does not exist within this file, mapping to the OfS aggregated datasets, either at LSOA or MSOA level, is applied
• All Postcode Profiler language has been updated to reflect current Uni Connect terminology and where requested, Uni Connect Partnership names have been updated
• Following guidance from the OfS, postcodes which are flagged as Uni Connect in the OfS postcode lookup file, but which could not be mapped using their OfS or ONSPD casward codes, have been mapped to a Uni Connect Consortia using a best fit matching exercise, based on their LSOA11 Code
• The report meets accessibility standards

Alongside the above, the updated Postcode Profiler underlying text file will be available for you to download from the File Store (members only). This update reflects all postcode data held throughout the system including geographic indicators on the Student record and Event Programme applications.

Postcode Profiler Uni Connect Consortia allocation update

As per our announcement concerning the Postcode Profiler Uni Connect Consortia allocation update, we have integrated the advised best fit matching exercise to allocate as many Uni Connect Partnership assigned postcodes as possible (those identified as 1 or 1* in the Uni Connect field according to the OfS postcode lookup file).

Following this exercise, this means that there are Uni Connect assigned postcodes in the Postcode Profiler dataset that have been allocated to a Uni Connect Partnership, but which do not have further Uni Connect Ward information assigned.