School workforce census (SWC)

The school workforce return is a statutory collection required by the DfE, which this year takes place on the first Thursday in November, which in 2021 is Thursday 4 November. You should make this statutory return using the school workforce census part of your MIS and upload it to collect by Friday 5 November 2021.

Changes from previous collection

The DfE have confirmed only two significant changes to the specification since 2020 (although some other minor modifications have been made):

• A new field, Newly Qualified Teacher, has been added to track whether NQTs are in their first or second year of induction,
• Items which were made optional for 2020 have reverted to mandatory status.

DFE specifications

See links below for full DfE guidance available on GOV.UK:

• School workforce census: guide to submitting data
• School teachers' pay and conditions
• School workforce census 2021: technical information

Capita instructions

You can download the handbooks from the Capita website:

SIMS publication centre - select 'handbooks' and then select 'England'

If you require any information regarding MIS file versions or where data should be entered, or how to run the census within your MIS please refer to your MIS technical support provider.