This page contains the following guidance for completing the 2025 School Workforce Census. It will be updated as and when we receive updates from the DfE.
- Important Dates
- Key Areas to Check
- Generating the School Workforce Census
- View Errors
- Census Reporting
Important Dates
- Census Date – Thursday 6th November 2025
- Return Date – Friday 5th December 2025
For further information, documentation and links to live training for the School Workforce Census see here
IMPORTANT:It is the school’s responsibility to review the DfE guidance to ensure all
required information is submitted as part of the School Workforce Census Return. Please see here for DfE Guidance
THE SCREENSHOTS USED IN THE GUIDE ARE FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY AND MAY DIFFER IN A LIVE SCHOOL’S MIS.
- Click the + icon to Expand each item for guidance on preparing the School Workforce Census data in Bromcom.
- To print this as a checklist, click ‘Collapse All’ (button on the right), then right-click the page and select ‘Print’.
Key Areas to Check
The School Workforce Census collects a range of information for both current staff and leavers. Below are details of the key areas collected and where each item can be found within the Staff Profile.
For more information see How to locate items in the Staff Profile
Family/Given/Former Family Names
Navigate to Staff > Edit Staff Details > Name Details & Previous Names;
Update if required and click Save.
Date of Birth / Sex
Navigate to Staff > Edit Staff Details > Additional information;
Update if required and click Save.
National Insurance Number
Navigate to Staff > Edit Staff Details > Additional Information;
Update if required and click Save.
Employee Details
This section allows a member of staff to be marked as Supply Staff and to indicate whether they should be included in the Census.
Ethnicity
Navigate to Staff > Profile > Ethnicity & Religion;
Update if required and click Save.
Disability
Navigate to Staff > Profile > Medical Conditions, Dietary Needs and Impairments;
Add/Update the Declared Disability, if required, and click Save.
Qualification Checks
To record the following details for a member of staff, navigate to Staff > Staff Details > Background Check > Qualification Checks;
- Teacher Status
- Teacher Number
- QTS
- QTS Route
- QTLS
- EYTS
- NQT Status
- HLTA Status
Update if required and click Save.
Qualifications
Navigate to Staff > Staff Details > Qualifications
Verify that the qualification details are correct. To make changes, double-click the relevant record to edit;
Click Save to apply any changes made.
For more information, see How to Manage Staff Qualifications and How to add NASENCO Qualification for SENCO Staff
Contract Information
Navigate to Staff > Staff Details > Contracts
By default, only current (Active) contracts are displayed;
To view past or future (Inactive) contracts, change the Current drop-down to Show All.
To view the details of a contract, double-click the relevant contract to open the Add/Edit Contract pop-up.
Verify that the details are correct, especially the Start Date, End Date (if applicable), Contract Type, Date of Last Pay Review and Post (SWF).
The Do not include in Census tick box applies only to the contract, not to the member of staff.
Click Save to update any changes made.
SLT Flag
Make sure that members of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) are correctly identified by using the SLT toggle button. By default, this is set to ‘No’, except for roles automatically recognised as SLT (Head Teacher, Deputy Head, Executive Head Teacher, Assistant Head, or Leadership – Non Teacher).
School Business Professionals
Support Staff in the roles of Bursar, Business Manager, Finance Office, ICT Network Manager, Office Manager or Premises Manager must also be correctly identified as School Business Professionals. To do this use the Post (SWF) drop down and select School Business Professional;
Contract Roles
Verify that the correct contract role(s) have been added by using the Roles tab;
Use Click to Add New Role to add a new or additional role to the contract. To edit an existing role, double-click the role details.
For more details on adding contracts, see How to Add Staff Contract Information
Pay
Verify that the correct Pay details have been added to the contract. To do this, use the Pay tab.
Pay particular attention to Pay Item Type, Start Date, End Date (if applicable), Base Pay, Spine Point Group, Spine Point, Weeks per Year, Hours per Week, FTE and Safeguarded.
Most of this information is automatically pulled from the Base Pay Structure set up in Config > Administration > Base Pay Structure.
For more information, see How to Create/Edit and Update Base Pay Structures
Make sure any Additional Allowances (such as TLR – Teaching and Learning Responsibility) are recorded. This can be done on the Pay tab by selecting the Additional Allowance Pay Item Type;
For more information on adding/amending additional allowances in bulk, see How to Manage Additional Allowances
Payroll Information
Ensure the correct Origin is recorded in the contract. This can be checked and updated in the Payroll Information tab.
Click Save to update any changes made.
For staff marked as leavers, the following contract information must also be recorded;
- Reason for Leaving – this can be found by navigating to Staff > Staff Details > Employee Details
- Destination – this can be found by navigating to Staff > Staff Details > Contracts > Payroll Information.
Base Pay Structures are created in the Administration module. Once set up, they can be added to staff records through the Staff Profile > Contracts > Pay tab.
Access: the minimum permissions required to access Base Pay Structure is found in Config > Setup > Roles and Permissions under the Module Administration > Maintenance.
To verify the Regional Pay Spine:
- Navigate to Config > Administration > Administration Defaults.
- Confirm the Regional Pay Spine is set for the correct area.
- (Optional) Select Allow multiple regions in Scale Point Groups.
- Click Save.
Navigate to Config > Administration > Base Pay Structure.
Verify that the Base Pay Structure details are correct by double-clicking on the relevant Base Pay Structure.
In the Base Pay Structure panel, check that the following details are correct; Base Payment Category, Hours Worked/Week, Weeks Worked/Year;
In the relevant Version, check that the Spine Point Group, Spine Points, Region, Pay Framework and Spine Point Values are correct;
Click Save to apply any changes made.
For more information, see How to Create/Edit and Update Base Pay Structures
To check a member of staff’s absence, navigate to Staff > Staff Details > Absence & Leave Requests;
In the Absences panel, locate the relevant absence record and edit it by double-clicking;
Verify that the absence details are correct, paying particular attention to the Start Date, End Date (if applicable), Hours Lost, and Local Code.
Click Save to update any changes made.
For more information on adding absences, see How to Record Staff Absence
The Staff List page provides a useful overview for identifying and updating any gaps in staff data.
Reports on staff data – such as Ethnicity, Staff Type or Teacher Number – can be generated quickly by using the Add/Remove Additional Columns function.
In the example below, columns for Staff Type and Teacher Number have been added, followed by a column filter on Staff Type set to “Teacher.” The Teacher Number column can then be sorted or filtered to highlight which teachers are missing a Teacher Number in the MIS.
To export the filtered data, click the green X icon at the top right to download it as a CSV file.
In addition, the Quick Edit and Manual Data Export/Import functions on the Staff List page Actions can be used to update staff data in bulk.
For more information, see How to use Quick Edit and How to use Manual Data Import and Export.
Generating the School Workforce Census
To run the School Workforce Census, navigate to Modules > Census > School Workforce.
In the top-right corner of the screen, select the appropriate Year. This field should be correct by default.
Next, click the New button in the top-left to create a new Census Return.
The information in the Workforce Census Parameters panel is pre-populated, but please check the information displayed within the School Details panel is accurate.
If any changes to the School Details panel are needed, click either of the Edit buttons.
This will redirect to Config > Administration and either Core Details or Characteristics.
After making any changes, click Save and close the window.
Upon returning to the Census page, click the Refresh button at the top right of the School Details panel to view the updated information and ensure the changes are included in the Census file.
For more information, see How to Update School Details.
Once the School Details have been confirmed as correct, the Census can be generated by clicking the Generate button at the top left.
This process may take a few moments – please wait while it completes.
The following six sections now need to be completed;
- School Census Items to include – these items are all ticked by default. Items can be unticked if the information is not stored in Bromcom; however, all required information must still be submitted for the SWF.
- Curriculum Details for Teachers and Teaching Assistants – Use the Add, Edit, and Remove functions as needed. Information can be checked via Staff List Page > Select Staff > Actions > Staff Timetabling > Manage Non-Timetabled Time.
- Please Note: Only Secondaries, Middle Deemed Secondaries and All-Through Schools are required to return this data.
For more information, see How to Manage Staff Timetabling
- Absences – Review the displayed absences and use the Add, Edit, or Remove functions to make any necessary changes.
- Teacher Vacancies – Review the displayed Teacher Vacancies and use the Add, Edit, or Remove functions to make any necessary changes.
Primary Schools: for Teacher Vacancies please be aware of error 7020 where for some vacancies a Subject will be required, in this scenario one option is to create a subject called Primary Curriculum see How to Create a Subject - Occasional Teachers on Census Day – Add the number of Occasional Teachers in school on Census Day, (e.g. Supply staff). The information is categorised as Qualified, Unqualified, or Unknown.
- Cover/Agency Staff on Census Day – Add details of Cover/Agency staff working in school on Census Day, (e.g. cleaners employed by a contract cleaning company).
The next step is to validate the Census by clicking the Save & Validate button. This action will complete the generation of the Census file and initiate the validation process, which will identify any errors or queries within the return.
View Errors
After validation, the system will return to the Census page. The generated file will be visible, along with the following options:
View Summary – Displays the summary page for the return. This can be printed and used as a starting point for reviewing data.
View Errors – Lists any errors or queries identified during the validation process. A full list of potential errors and queries can be found in the Bromcom School Workforce Census Error Resolutions 2025 Guide
View File – Allows the generated Census XML file to be viewed and saved. This step is only necessary when submitting the return to the Local Authority or uploading to COLLECT.
To view the summary file, select the appropriate return – if multiple returns have been generated – and click View Summary.
This will download the Census Summary file to the local computer, allowing it to be viewed or printed as needed.
Once the School Workforce Census Return has been generated, any errors must be addressed before the return can be authorised and submitted. Select the relevant return and click the View Errors button. The screen will then update, as shown in the example below.
Each Error and Query will now be displayed, ready to be dealt with.
For full guidance on using the error summary screen, along with a comprehensive list of errors and queries check back in this area in October.
Common individual errors and queries can also be searched in the Help Centre for more detailed resolution guidance. Enter the error or query number into the search bar, then select the relevant guide from the results.
In addition, the DFE School Workforce Census Technical Information, including validation rules, can be accessed here.
Once all errors have been resolved and any outstanding queries reviewed and accepted, it is important to re-run the Census to ensure all updates are included.
After re-running the Census, select the appropriate return (if multiple returns exist) and click the Authorise button.
This process converts the Census Return file into the required XML format for uploading to the COLLECT website. Multiple authorised files can be retained, each date-stamped to assist in identifying the correct version for submission.
The Census Return file is now ready for submission and can be exported by clicking the View File button, which will save a copy to the downloads folder on the local machine.
Census Reporting
IMPORTANT: To generate School Workforce Census reports, a Census Return must first be created.
Navigate to Reports > Census > School Workforce to access the list of built-in reports.
IMPORTANT: It is the school’s responsibility to review the DfE guidance to ensure all required information is accurately submitted as part of the School Workforce Census Return. The DfE Guidance can be accessed here.