Blog

Statistical responsibilities in the Cabinet Office

Statisticians in Cabinet Office work in various teams and on a wide variety of activities that range from publishing National Statistics bulletins to producing evidence and analysis in support of key departmental policy priorities. But perhaps the most obvious glue that helps bind us statisticians together is the Code of Practice for Statistics. Whilst this sets out the […]

Learn more

The GSS Conference venue team talk food

The countdown is well and truly on for the GSS conference 2019 in Edinburgh. The Venue team of the GSS conference committee visited the Sheraton Grand Hotel for a second time in June to decide on the delicious courses that will be served at the conference dinner. This year’s conference venue is a lovely hotel […]

Learn more

The Good Practice Team and beyond: Seven themes and a wealth of opportunities!

I have recently joined the Good Practice Team (GPT) at the Office for National Statistics after re-locating from the Welsh Government. I want to share my experiences so far about the work that our team is currently doing across the Government Statistical Service (GSS). Many of you will be aware of the training courses that […]

Learn more

Getting the COGS moving

Connected Open Government Statistics (COGS), formerly referred to as the GSS Data project, is something our community has been working on for the last couple of years. The timing is right for the project to finally leave the nursery slopes, and we now need more people to work with us to complete the next phase. […]

Learn more

Do you have any questions?

Have you ever thought about what makes statistics good? Is it taking account of user needs? Publishing accurate figures? Avoiding a letter from OSR? To be of value we think statistics must address questions people want answers to – this includes government, charities, businesses or individuals – and they need to do this in an […]

Learn more

How we listened to our users to improve our education statistics

The Department for Education (DfE) is one of the largest producers of official statistics in government, covering a wide breadth of policy areas. These statistics are valuable to the public and allow us to deliver evidence-based policy, inform public debate and provide transparency around the education system. Our current model for making these statistics available […]

Learn more

Can a UK definition of homelessness be achieved?

What exactly is harmonisation? Does it have anything to do with music? Who are the Harmonisation team and what work have they been undertaking to support cross-GSS work on homelessness? Internal Communications at Office for National Statistics recently spoke to Daisie Hutchinson, a social researcher within the Harmonisation Team in the Best Practice and Impact […]

Learn more

Quality Street

Does anyone like coffee creams? I for one didn’t shed a tear when they were banished from the selection a few years ago, but the existence of a ‘bring back the coffee cream’ Facebook group suggests that they did have a small but loyal fan base. Could it just be that it’s a matter of […]

Learn more

Modernising a survey which has been running for over 50 years

The National Travel Survey (NTS) is considered a world-leading and gold-standard travel survey, with governments from many other countries using the NTS as a template for their own travel surveys. It has been running for over 50 years which is great as it captures long term trends, but modern travel trends are evolving fast (Uber […]

Learn more

Strengthening our housing and planning statistics

Housing and planning statistics play a vital role in helping to inform decision-making of all kinds across the UK. In January I blogged about the progress made in joining up statisticians across departments and the devolved administrations – both at an operational and strategic level. I reflected on the balance between driving forward improvements whilst […]

Learn more