School workforce census

Preparing for Census

The School workforce census (SWC) is an annual statutory requirement which was introduced in 2010 by the Department for Education. It is a collection of data about each member of teaching and support staff working in local authorities, local authority-maintained schools and academies.

Why the data is collected

The school workforce census is the DfE’s primary source of data on school staff, and informs departmental policy on pay and the monitoring of the effectiveness and diversity of the school workforce.

• The DfE's data analysis is published in the July following a November census and is available here
• The DfE also have school performance tables based on the latest release of workforce data and pupil ratio
• How we use SWC data: Our data analysis of the School workforce census
• Workforce information from the census, alongside other education data, can also be found in the Facts and Figures booklet that Management Information produce annually.

Useful Information

There is useful information below to assist you with preparing for the census.

• School workforce census information and contacts for maintained schools
• School workforce census information and contacts for academies.