The school workforce census happens annually
The 2023 census date is 2 November and the deadline for returning your census file to the DfE is 1 December.
Maintained schools: you'll likely be required to submit files to your local authority (LA) before the DfE's annual deadline, so check with your LA when you need to do this each year.
Multi-academy trusts (MATs): you'll need to submit a separate census return for each academy in your trust.
Read the DfE's guide to submitting data for more details.
Who to include
The census covers all full-time and part-time staff employed by your school (including pupil referral units).
MATs: this includes staff employed by your trust who work in schools that are part of your trust.
There are 2 levels of data collection
School workforce level data for all staff members who are in 'regular service' at your school. This means submitting