FOI release

Staff resources within the academies division

Published 30 August 2011

  • Date requested: 08 August 2011
  • Publish date: 30 August 2011
  • Updated: 27 October 2011

1. Request

Can the Department provide the following information:

  1. How many staff members there are in the Department as a whole, and then also specifically those working in the academies section of the Department?
  2. Also, how much both staff numbers and budget have changed since May 2010 across the whole department and then also specifically within the academies section?
  3. Are there any planned increases in staffing numbers or budget for the academies section of the Department?
  4. How many agency staff are currently working in the academies section of the Department?

2. Release

From the latest headcount data (as at 31 July 2011), there were 2585 (2465.9 Full-time Equivalent) staff. Of these, there were 262 permanent members of staff directly employed within the academies section of the Department.

  1. Departmental budgets are calculated on a financial year basis. The latest published figure available (2010/11) for total staff costs in the Department was £133,882,000. The figures used reflect expenditure and planned budgets for the academies section over the financial years 2010/11 and 2011/12. In 2010/11, expenditure on staffing was £8 million and the planned staffing budget for 2011/12 is £13.8 million. The number of permanent staff within the academies section since May 2010 has increased by 153. In May 2010, there were 109 members of permanent staff working in the academies section, as at 31 July 2011 there were 262.
  2. Due to the success of the Academies Programme, budgets and staff numbers are being looked at and are likely to be increased. However, the Department is unable to confirm the exact amount at this time.
  3. As of 31 July 2011, there were 31 members of agency staff temporarily employed to fill vacancies within the academies section. There is currently an exercise underway within the civil service to fill these vacancies permanently.