Ofqual gender pay gap report 2022
Updated 27 March 2024
Applies to England
© Crown copyright 2024
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gender-pay-gap-report-ofqual/ofqual-gender-pay-gap-report-2022
Executive summary
Ofqual is a non-ministerial department which regulates qualifications, examinations, and assessments in England.
Ofqual currently regulates 205 awarding organisations, and more than 11,600 qualifications for which 10.8 million certificates were issued in 2021. These include GCSEs, AS and A levels, apprenticeship assessments and a broad range of vocational and technical qualifications.
We regulate on behalf of students of all ages and apprentices to make sure that qualifications, apprenticeship end-point assessments and National Assessments are good quality.
Ofqual has exceeded the 250-employee threshold for reporting since 2021. Ofqual’s current headcount has increased further since 2021.We remain relatively small, however, in the context of government departments. Ofqual’s workforce as of 31 March 2022 was just under 300 people. It is, therefore, important to note that any small changes to the organisational structure with regard to staffing can have a large impact on the gender pay gap reporting statistics, both positively and negatively.
This report provides information on Ofqual’s gender pay gap for the year 2021 to 2022, with data to 31 March 2022 and comparable information for the previous year where relevant.
Introduction
Organisational context
Approach
Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is incredibly important to us at Ofqual. EDI is a core theme in all our work and one of four priority areas within the 2022 to 2025 people strategy.
Efforts continue to increase the diversity of senior leadership at Ofqual with the introduction of new initiatives which build on the strong EDI foundations already in place. In accordance with the Civil Service Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy, we aim to be data driven, evidence led, and delivery focused.
Structure
Ofqual is a non-ministerial department, and this report only includes data relating to Ofqual employees.
Ofqual Civil Service grades range from administrative to senior civil servants. Grades vary according to the level of responsibility that individuals have, and each grade has a set pay range as per the table on page 5. Ofqual employed 290 staff as of 31 March 2022. Ofqual’s gender split was 38.6% male staff and 61.4% female staff on 31 March 2022 and 89.6% of employees are Midlands based.
The table below shows the breakdown of men and women represented in each grade:
| Grade | Number of men (% of total workforce) | Number of women (% of total workforce) | % of women in each grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SCS | 9 (3.1%) | 9 (3.1%) | 50.0% | |
| G6 | 13 (4.5%) | 14 (4.8%) | 51.9% | |
| G7 | 35 (12.1%) | 46 (15.9%) | 56.8% | |
| SEO | 26 (8.9%) | 42 (14.5%) | 61.8% | |
| HEO | 22 (7.6%) | 43 (14.8%) | 66.2% | |
| EO | 7 (2.4%) | 21 (7.2%) | 75.0% | |
| AA | 0 | 3 (1.0%) | 100% | |
| Total male/female across all grades | 112 (38.6%) | 178 (61.4%) | N/A |
Gender pay gap report
The gender pay gap is the difference in the average earnings between all men and women in an organisation.
From April 2017, employers with 250 or more employees must publish information on their gender pay gap. The pay gap must be reported on in 6 different ways:
- the mean and median gender pay gaps
- the mean and median gender bonus gaps
- the proportion of men and women who received bonuses
- the proportion of men and women according to quartile pay bands
The mean gender pay gap is the difference between the mean hourly rate of pay of male full-pay relevant employees and that of female full-pay relevant employees.
The median gender pay gap is the difference between the median hourly rate of pay of male full-pay relevant employees and that of female full-pay relevant employees.
The gender pay gap is different to equal pay. Equal pay deals with the pay differences between men and women who carry out the same jobs, similar jobs, or work of equal value. It is unlawful to pay people unequally because they are a man or a woman.
For the purpose of this report, hourly rates have been calculated in line with the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey requirements and regulations as follows:
- a calculation of March pay for each employee
- a calculation of March hours for each employee
- a calculation of the gender pay gap compliant hourly wage
Gender pay and bonus gap
| Difference between men and women | Mean (%) | Percentage change from 2021 (%) | Median (%) | Middle (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender pay gap | 9.1 | - 2.5 | 14.3 | 2.2 |
| Gender bonus gap | 5.0 | - 8.1 | 8.3 | 8.3 |
Pay quartiles
Pay ranges
Ofqual aims to appoint new external staff into post on the minimum salary for the grade. For internal promotion purposes, individuals are eligible to have their pay adjusted to reward promotion. This is based on the higher of the following:
-
the pay band minimum of the higher grade
-
existing basic salary + 10% (providing it is at or below the pay band maximum for the current grade)
Any variation to this must be approved by the Executive Director Finance and Operations. Pay awarded must not exceed the maximum for the grade.
There is no incremental progression through the salary range but pay may increase if an annual consolidated pay award is made. A pay increase was not awarded during this reporting period.
Ofqual grades and pay bands are as follows:
| Grade | Minimum £ | Maximum £ |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative Officer (AO) | £19,500 | £20,808 |
| Executive Officer (EO) | £22,500 | £26,401 |
| Higher Executive Officer (HEO) | £31,000 | £36,540 |
| Senior Executive Officer (SEO) | £38,000 | £44,660 |
| Grade 7 | £46,660 | £57,348 |
| Grade 6 | £63,000 | £71,050 |
| SCS1 | £71,000 | £117,800 |
| SCS2 | £93,000 | £162,500 |
| SCS3 | £120,000 | £208,100 |
Grading structure
Ofqual has continued to grow as an organisation and the overall headcount increased by 11.9% during the last year, which has altered the workforce composition.
The following table illustrates the percentages of Ofqual’s grading structure where the postholder is female and compares the year-on-year change:
| Grade | 2022 | 2021 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA | 100.0% | 50.0% | +50.0% |
| EO | 75.0% | 79.3% | -4.3% |
| HEO | 66.2% | 58.1% | +8.1% |
| SEO | 61.8% | 64.7% | -2.9% |
| G7 | 56.8% | 54.1% | +2.7% |
| G6 | 51.9% | 52.4% | -0.5% |
| SCS | 50.0% | 50.0% | 0.0% |
| Total | 61.4% | 59.5% | +1.9% |
Ofqual’s gender split has been maintained at SCS grade and the number of women at AA, HEO and G7 has increased by 50%, 8.1% and 2.7% respectively in the past 12 months. The proportion of women in EO roles has decreased by 4.3%. This has traditionally been a grade with more female employees at Ofqual, however, and overall, the percentage of females in this grade remains high. These, and other changes in the workforce demographics, contribute to the changes in this year’s pay gap figures.
Analysis of the pay gap at Ofqual
The median and mean gender pay gap for the Civil Service is 11.3% and 8.5%, up from 8.1% and 7.8% in 2021 respectively.[footnote 1]
Analysis shows the pay gap at Ofqual is largely down to the proportion of female and male employees in different grades. While we have more women than men in all grades except SCS, there is a larger proportion of women in the lower paid grades and, therefore, more women than men in the lower pay quartiles.
We have seen a decrease in favour of men since the last reporting period of 2.5% based on the mean data but an increase of 2.2% based on median data. The increase at median is largely due to an increase in headcount at SEO, grade 6 and grade 7, and a reduction of 5.9% of women being paid in the upper middle quartile.
Ofqual 2022 pay gap
| Mean | Median |
|---|---|
| 9.1% in favour of men | 14.3% in favour of men |
Ofqual 2022 bonus gap
| Mean | Median |
|---|---|
| 5.0% in favour of men | 8.3% in favour of men |
Ofqual 2021 pay gap
| Mean | Median |
|---|---|
| 11.6% in favour of men | 12.1% in favour of men |
Ofqual 2021 bonus gap
| Mean | Median |
|---|---|
| 13.1% in favour of men | 0.0% in favour of men |
Gender profile
| Gender | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Female | 61.4% | 59.5% |
| Male | 38.6% | 40.5% |
Ofqual’s overall proportion of female staff is higher than the Civil Service average of 54.5%.[footnote 2] Over the period of 2021 to 2022 we have seen a small increase in the proportion of female staff joining the organisation (1.9%).
Distribution of women through each pay quartile
Ofqual percentage of women 2022
| Lower | Lower middle | Upper middle | Upper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71.8% | 64.8% | 53.5% | 52.1% |
Ofqual percentage of women 2021
| Lower | Lower middle | Upper middle | Upper |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70.8% | 59.4% | 58.5% | 48.4% |
Analysis of the bonus gap
During the reporting period bonus payments were directly related to annual appraisal and performance. Employees were eligible to receive a bonus based on either exceeding or meeting performance objectives, based on performance during the appraisal year. Employees who received an exceeded rating received a higher non-consolidated award than those with a met rating.
Of those staff eligible to receive a bonus, 38.7% were men and 61.3% were women. On average men received a higher bonus payment. This is because the non-consolidated pay award at Ofqual is based on an employee’s full-time equivalent salary and there is a larger proportion of women working part time hours in comparison to men. Ofqual’s part time workforce is composed of 10.3% female compared to 1.7% of males. The portion of men rated as exceeded was 37.9%, compared with 36.8% of women. A higher proportion of women were not eligible to receive a bonus due to probation/long-term sick leave compared to men.
Percentage of men and women receiving a bonus
Ofqual 2022
| Men | Women |
|---|---|
| 81.3% | 80.9% |
Ofqual 2021
| Men | Women |
|---|---|
| 80.0% | 81.2% |
Actions undertaken since the last reporting period
Since the last publication Ofqual has taken the following steps to further reduce the gender pay gap:
- continued redaction of personal data which includes gender at application and shortlist stage
- continued executive-level reporting across each stage of the recruitment cycle (application, interview, offer which highlights gender at each stage of the process)
- the introduction of positive action statements on job adverts tailored to grades where more gender diversity is required
- an increase in the number of females employed on a full-time basis
- commission of an external EDI review through the lens of recruitment
- continued and increased focus on EDI throughout the organisation with sponsorship at executive level
- the introduction of specific organisation-wide EDI objectives within the appraisal process
- continued review of pay on appointment process to mitigate against new starters having an adverse impact on the pay gap
- continued commitment to EDI by ensuring it is one of 4 focus areas for the 2022 to 2025 People Strategy
- the launch of a women’s network
Further action to be taken:
- continued review and development of recruitment practices and processes including asking EDI questions at interview, where applicable
- review of pay bands including minima and maxima
- review of pay anomalies across the organisation with a particular focus on gender
- decoupling of bonus payments linked to annual appraisal, with a move to in-year awards. Upon undertaking this change we will consider the impact this may have on part-time staff
- expansion of Ofqual’s sponsorship programme to support internally and externally diverse candidates
Declaration
We confirm that data reported by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) is accurate and has been calculated according to the requirements and methodology set out in the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017.
Charlie Henning
Director of People and Culture