As part of the wider GIAS service review, we assessed whether the current service name, Get information about schools, continues to accurately describe the service and aligns with GOVUK and DfE service naming guidance. The guidance states that service names should:
- use language familiar to users
- describe a user task
- be technology and policy neutral
- be evidence-based and tested with users
- prefer verbs over nouns.
View the DfE service naming guidance.
Why a name change was considered
The current service name no longer reflects the full scope of the service. While GIAS contains information about schools, it also holds data on:
- other education providers
- trusts and groups
- governance information.
User research also indicated that some users viewed the current name as too narrow for the breadth of information available.
The objective was not to rebrand the service, but to ensure the name accurately reflects its purpose and supports user understanding.
Naming process
The team ran two collaborative naming workshops. Activities included:
- reviewing service naming guidance
- revisiting service objectives, users and key tasks
- generating candidate verbs and nouns
- generating possible service names
- reviewing and voting on preferred options.
This process produced a shortlist of three options.
Shortlisted names
Find information about education providers 🟢
- Fully aligned with service naming guidance
- Describes the primary user task
- Low assessment risk.
Get information about education providers 🟢
- Also aligned with service naming guidance
- Closely related to the existing service name
- Low assessment risk.
Register of education providers 🔴
- Reflects the service's role as a source of record
- However, does not follow the preferred verb-led naming pattern
- Carries higher assessment risk and would require additional justification.
Recommendation
After a thorough assessment of the three names against service standards and user needs, the recommendation put to SLT was:
Find education provider information ✅
This option:
- clearly describes the primary user task
- uses a verb-led structure consistent with service standards
- better reflects the breadth of providers represented within the service
- remains concise and easy to understand.
Next steps
The name has been approved by the senior leadership team. Before being put into use however, it will be tested with users, in line with GOV.UK and DfE service naming guidance.