Staff Individualised Record - SIR23 in Detail
The Staff Individualised Record, or SIR as it is known, is a statistical return providing information about staff working in FE Colleges. It is an anonyomised record rather than a named record and provides an extensive set of information including gender, ethnicity, disability, teaching qualifications, category of work, staff turnover etc. SDMS V HRPersonnel for Windows: College Edition includes a module specifically designed to collect this information, validate it and export it to the Education and Training Foundation.
The SIR Module of SDMS V HRPersonnel for Windows has now been amended and updated to meet the latest SIR23 requirements. We are currently programming changes to accomodate the latest changes for SIR24 - see SDMS Latest News for details! Latest News
The Education and Training Foundation (The Foundation) now manages the Staff Individualised Record (SIR) collection which was previously managed by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS). This is the third collection managed by the Foundation and it will follow the same process as previous years, using the online SIR data collection system.
It is now responsible for Data Collection (including Primary Data Collection, Data Cleansing, Collation, Analysis and Reporting) in the Further Education (FE) Sector, comprising FE Colleges, Adult and Community Learning Providers and Work based Learning Providers. This data was previously collected by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) from FE Colleges and is known as the Staff Individualised Record (SIR)
Background to the SIR
Since 2013 the Foundation has had overall responsibility for the SIR data collection process. Prior to this the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) had taken over management of the Staff Individualised Record (SIR) collection from LifeLong Learning UK (LLUK). Formerly, under LLUK the SIR16 collection (in 2008) released a new SIR data collection system supported by a new field structure and submission mechanisms. SIR17 (in 2009) collected further information and allowed use of OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) where the sector could analyse their own staff data in comparison to the sector at a regional or sub-regional level. Further changes were made in SIR19 2010/11 year with the collection process the same as under Lifelong Learning Uk, via the online SIR data collection system. With SIR20 major reductions in the scope of the data were made to reduce data collection burdens on Colleges. Further modifications and changes in the same direction were made with SIR21 and 22.
Each year, learning providers in the Further Education sector return data about staff employed during the previous teaching year (for SIR23 running from 1 August 2014 to 31 July 2015). The Education and Training Foundation uses this data to inform the targeting of government investment and for other statistical purposes.
Over the years SIR data has enabled:
- Learning and skills sector stakeholders (e.g. The Learning and Skills Council, and employer umbrella bodies) to obtain data for statistical analysis;
- Monitoring progress with the implementation and uptake of the Government’s “Success for All (S4A)” agenda. Accurate and complete staff data are central to monitoring and managing improvements in the qualifications level of the post 16 workforce;
- Analysis of trends for the sector as a whole; and
- Compliance with requests from the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for information and advice about the sector.
The Foundation’s responsibility and developments of the SIR will have the following benefits:
- Provide evidence to support stakeholders in meeting their statutory responsibilities regarding race, equality and diversity.
- Allow providers to analyse their data in comparison to the wider sector and general population data, via OLAP reporting.
Time Table:
As I am sure you are aware, the SIR23 collection will open on 03/08/2015 and providers are expected to submit, validate and sign-off their return by 01/12/2015. The SIR23 data collection will follow the same process as previously; using the online data collection system. Data should be submitted for the teaching year which is defined as 01/08/2014 to 31/07/2015 (the end of the collection year).
What has changed for SIR23?
In the latest specification for the Staff Individualised Record 23 for 2014/2015 data collection; the number of data items are the same as the previous submission and still require 18 fields to be produced.
The only change which has been made relates to the details collected for the Main Subject Taught which has the following amendments.
A response of 01 - Science and Mathematics is no longer valid and has been replaced with the introduction of the following two codes
15 - Science
16 - Mathematics
Within the specification document they have notified us of some changes which will be made for Future Data Collections, From SIR24 the system of collection will change and there will be dramatic improvements in the data and reports available to those providing data. It will also begin to cover the entire education and training sector, including private training providers and adult and community learning providers. The Specification for SIR24 has now been published and the HRPersonnel SIR24 changes are currently being programmed.
The SIR23 (for 2014/15) collects data about staff employed by learning providers in the Further Education College sector, plus workers provided by agencies (Note, data from agencies should be returned by the agencies themselves – see below). Full records are requested for all staff that worked at least 15 hours during the whole of the 2014/15 teaching year.
Specifically SIR23 return should include:
- All staff employed by the learning provider for a total of 15 hours or more during the 2014/15 teaching year (including administrative and support staff);
- Staff supplied by an employment agency who provided teaching and/or promoted learning, for a total of 15 hours or more during the 2014/15 teaching year. Please see the paragraph at the bottom of this page for further information on how these staff records should be returned; and
- Self-employed staff that provided teaching and/or promoted learning for a total of 15 hours or more during the 2014/15 teaching year.
In addition to this, where a learning provider has a separate company, staff data is required if the accounts of that company are consolidated within the accounts of the learning provider.
The SIR23 should not include:
- Staff who are either supplied by an employment agency or who are self-employed and are employed solely for the purposes of administrative or support duties;
- Any staff who left the employment of the learning provider prior to 01/08/2014;
- Any staff who joined or will join after the 31/07/2015;
- Any staff not employed for a total of at least 15 hours during the whole of the 2014/15 teaching year.
Where learning providers use agency staff, these staff should not be returned by the learning provider themselves. This data will be returned and validated by the agency and appended to each providers own submission. This is to reduce the burden placed on individual learning providers and to allow agencies to validate their own data, improving the accuracy of supply staff data.
Modification to HRPersonnel SIR Data Entry Form:
The SIR Data Entry screen in SDMS V HRPersonnel for Windows has been updated to reflect these changes as shown the screen below illustrates:
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Upgrade for SIR23
An upgrade for SDMS V HRPersonnel has now been released to all FE Colleges incorporating the changes set out in the final specification published. For more information on SIR, changes to SIR23, the full SIR Specification for 2014/2015 can be viewed on the SIR Data Collection website:
https://www.sirdatacollection.org.uk/consultation/sites/default/files/FE_specification_SIR23.pdf
SIR23 Training Booklet:
Further and more detailed guidance on SIR data collection and HRPersonnel from SDMS is available in our SIR23 Training Booklet. To obtain a copy Click Here
Further Information:
For further information on this SDMS SIR Module, SDMS V HRPersonnel or other SDMS products please contact Sales and Business Development on 01952 200911 or by email: sales@sdmsltd.com.
