School Workforce Census Day: 2nd November 2023

Please upload on the 10th November

What is the SWC?

This data return informs central government departmental policy on pay and the monitoring of the effectiveness and diversity of the workforce. The nature of the data collection means that it will improve the accuracy of data analysis for schools, local authorities and the DfE. Therefore, the data returned will need to be complete and accurate and signed off by the Headteacher.

It replaced five previous returns: 618G, Secondary School Curriculum and Staffing Survey (SSCSS), Survey of Teachers’ Pay (OME), Survey of Teacher Resignations and Recruitment (NEOST) and the workforce sections of the ASC, SLASC and PLASC returns.

Before submitting the Census in COLLECT please ensure that all errors and queries have notes against them and that the return has been signed off by your Headteacher.

Staff Privacy Notices

Every member of staff whose details will be recorded for the Census needs to be given a Privacy Notice that informs them of the reason why data are to be collected.

All schools are asked to circulate the Privacy Notice, and covering letter, to “staff in scope” – anyone whose individual details you are recording for the Census.

A sample privacy notice and more information about this topic are provided by the DfE and can be found here.

The submission of the School Workforce Census return, including a set of individual staff records, is a statutory requirement on schools. This means that your school does not need to obtain consent from members of staff for the provision of information, and staff do not have the option to “opt out”. Also, the school cannot be accused of breaching a duty of confidence to staff members.

As well as circulating the Privacy Notice and covering letter to existing staff, schools need to ensure that any new staff starting at the school receives copies of these documents and that the data collection requirements should be mentioned in the induction process. Also, it is good practice to re-issue the Privacy Notice annually, so that staff are always aware of the data collection and are made aware of their rights as data subjects.

Further Support

For more information see the DfE guidance for submitting data

Training Sessions with Schools IT

  • Scholarpack – October 11th 2023 – 10:30 – 12:00
  • SIMS – October 12th 2023 – 10:30-12:00
  • Arbor – October 17th 2023 – 10:30-12:00

Click here for more details

Contact Schools IT to book your place – https://bookwhen.com/schoolsit or 0115 91 50900 option 1

SIMS help

Arbor Help

https://support.arbor-education.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002834237-Workforce-Census-Guide-2023

Scholarpark Help

Not yet available

Bromcom Help

https://docs.bromcom.com/article-categories/school-workforce/ (2023 not yet published)

If you have a query about the data to be collected, please email it to [email protected] or call 0115 876 5199 

If you buy into Schools IT support package, or are looking for one off support options, for software support please contact Schools IT [email protected] or call 0115 91 50900

We will do our best to answer your questions, but sometimes we will have to contact the DfE for an answer or clarification on their guidance.