Recording Vacancies for the Welsh School Workforce Annual Census (SWAC)

This guide outlines the process for recording and managing vacancies in Arbor, ensuring they are accurately included in the Recruitment module of the Welsh School Workforce Annual Census (SWAC) data return. The Recruitment module captures details of job roles that were advertised during the previous academic year.

Permissions

You'll need permission School: Staff/HR: Vacancies Administer/View permissions to use this feature. This feature is accessed via School > All Staff > Vacancies. If you don't have the necessary permission, ask your admin team to give you permission using these instructions.

Key things to note

You must record any vacancies that were active during the last academic year (e.g. 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025 for the 25/26 academic year), even if an appointment was never made or the role was left unfilled. The records are automatically included in the Census using the supplied dates. The start and end dates correspond to when the vacancy was opened and when the role was filled (if the role is not yet filled, leave this empty).
 

Recording a New Vacancy

1. Navigate to School > All Staff > Vacancies.

   

2. Click the Add button to start a new vacancy record.
3. Enter the required details:
   • Start Date and End Date: These dates determine which Census the vacancy is included in. The end date is still used even if the vacancy is closed and unfilled.
   • Role: The selection of roles is limited to those specifically required for the Census.
   • Subject: Select the correct subject, or select "Not applicable" for Primary schools or for roles like Headteacher where a subject is not relevant.
   • Year Group: Use "National Curriculum not followed" for non-teaching roles like Headteacher.
   • Welsh Medium Vacancy: Tick this box if the role requires the ability to teach or work in Welsh.
   • Tenure: E.g., Full-time or Part-time.
   • Number of applications and Number of times advertised.
   • Appointment has been made? Check this if the vacancy has been filled.
   • Type of vacancy cover used: Allows multiple selections detailing how the role was covered while it was unfilled (e.g., Senior management).

Managing Existing Vacancies

Use the School > All Staff > Vacancies page to manage existing vacancies. You can use the filter near the top to change your date range and see past vacancies.

To edit a vacancy:

• Click on the vacancy
• Click Edit  on the slide-over
• Make your edits
• Click Save Changes to confirm or Delete to remove the record completely

Error and Query codes

Mandatory errors

Mandatory errors indicate missing or invalid data, or logical inconsistencies in how the vacancy was managed or recorded. These errors must be rectified.

• 13167: Vacancy end date is missing where an appointment has been made. If an appointment was made, the end date must be provided. 
  
  Solutions:
   
  • If the vacancy has not been filled, untick the Appointment made tickbox
  • If the vacancy has been filled, enter an end date for the vacancy 
     

• 13168: No vacancy cover record expected for a vacancy where an appointment has been made.

  Solutions:
   

  • If the vacancy has not been filled, untick the Appointment made tickbox
  • If the vacancy has been filled, ensure the Type of Vacancy field is left blank

• 13169: Vacancy cover is missing for vacancy with no appointment.

  Solutions:
   

  • If the vacancy has been filled, tick the Appointment made tickbox
  • If the vacancy has not been filled, ensure the Type of Vacancy field is not left blank

• 13165: Please check: the number of applications for a vacancy is expected to be greater than 0. If an appointment was made, the number of applications must be greater than 0.

  Solutions:
   

  • If the vacancy has not been filled, untick the Appointment made tickbox
  • If the vacancy has been filled, ensure the number of applications field has a value of 1 or more. Cautionary Queries (Y)

Cautionary Queries

These queries should be checked, but do not necessarily prevent submission if the data is confirmed as correct.

• 13216: Please check: no recruitment records returned. At least one <RecruitmentDetails> container is expected to be present in the return.

  Solution:
   

  • If you had vacancies during the previous academic year, record these under School > All Staff > Vacancies.

• 13171: Please check: the number of times a vacancy was advertised is expected to be greater than 0. The number of times the vacancy was advertised should be greater than 0.

  Solution:
   

  • If you had vacancies during the previous academic year, ensure you have entered a value of 1 or more in the Number of times advertised field or the School > All Staff > Vacancies page.