The School Workforce Census return is due on 6 November.
Please can you upload your completed returns to the School to School system on 6 November. If you’re unable to upload your return on this date you must contact us at payrolldevelopment@northumberland.gov.uk
If you are an Academy you will need to either obtain your Secure Access System log in details and pass them to us or arrange for us to have access to your school. If you are loading your own file directly into Collect please let us know.
The spreadsheet attached should be completed and returned alongside your census. Every school must submit both a census and a spreadsheet on 6 November.
Even if you have no casual/shared staff arrangements we need the top part of the sheet completed. Your Headteacher and SENCO must be recorded on SIMS and on the sheet.
General Data
Please check your staff data is up to date. Disability must be recorded now or set to refused if staff did not want to answer. Missing data in previous returns included ethnicity codes, teacher numbers and qualified teacher status so can you please ensure these fields are completed. Full names should always be entered, not initials or known as names. If any staff marry or change their name, they should inform your Payroll Administrator as soon as possible. Please ensure you enter correct dates of birth and National Insurance numbers, if you have to enter a “best guess” to add a new member of staff please ensure to get the correct details from them later on. These data items are used to match the staff in your return to the staff in the file from the payroll system.
Please do not enter any contractual information, this is all extracted from the payroll system. If you enter any this will cause errors in the return so please remove before running your return.
Shared/Agency Staff
Staff who are shared across a federation/group of schools should be included in each schools return. You need to enter full details for them in Sims for every school they work across. I’ve attached a miscellaneous staff spreadsheet for staff who work at your school but are contracted to/based at a different school.
Please indicate the start date of the arrangement, number of hours per week they work at your school only and send the spreadsheet along with your return on 6 November. Supply teachers who have worked at your school for more than one month should also be included on this spreadsheet. If they are employed through an agency you will need to obtain the same details as an employed member of staff and their pay details from the agency. Please remember to return this. Other casual staff employed on an ad hoc basis do not need to be included. The spreadsheet should be sent to payrolldevelopment@northumberland.gov.uk
Absence, Curriculum and Qualification data
It is mandatory to provide absence data so please ensure you include this data in your return.
Apprentices need to be included if they are employed for more than one month. Local Services cleaning, caretaking and catering staff should still be included. Governors, volunteers, before/after school clubs staff, PGCE students on teaching practice, trainee teachers on SCITT programme and staff who left employment before 1 September 2024 do not need to be included.
Centrally employed staff should not be included in the school return as they are included in a separate central return. Schools do not therefore need to record this information on their management information systems unless they wish to hold it for their own use. Staff who fall into this category include: Supply Teachers (unless long term – see above), Educational Psychologists, Consultants, Advisors, Hearing Impaired staff, Specialist Teachers, Music Tutors and agency staff. They would only be included in your occasional teacher headcount or third party headcount for agency staff.
As a reminder, please do not enter any contractual information such as start dates, job role or pay data, this is all extracted from the payroll system. If you enter any this will cause errors in the return so please remove before running your return.
If you have any queries on the above or would like to discuss anything further, please do not hesitate to email us.
The SIMS handbook will be issued to you from Information Services. Please contact Information Services directly if you have any queries regarding this or about your Sims software.
Finally, can I remind you again that this is a statutory return so must be sent to us on time.
Yours sincerely
Shona Knox
Payroll Development Officer Email: payrolldevelopment@northumberland.gov.uk
