Data intelligence

In 2015/16, The School of Oriental and African Studies incorrectly reported the allocation of academic department depreciation to individual academic departments within the Finance record Table 8. Academic department depreciation is less than 1% of total academic department expenditure.

With the exception of 145 Media Studies, the effect on each academic department is not material. 

The revised figures for 145 Media Studies are: Depreciation: £3k, Total: £381k.

Please note for the University of Sheffield the debtors figure within current assets includes a long term debtor (i.e. due after more than one year) of £15,735k for 2010/11 and £16,198k for 2010/11. This long term debtor is the capital contribution to the Student Residences Project and is released as the student accommodation becomes available. The HESA return does not have a line to show long term debtors and as in previous years I have included it in the debtor line within current assets.

The University of Leicester incorrectly assigned expenditure to 3biii 'General education expenditure - other general expenditure’ in the 2012/13 Finance Statistics return table 7. The expenditure should have been listed under sub heads 3bi ‘national bursaries’ and 3bii ‘institution specific bursaries and scholarships’.

The amended figures are as follows (£000s):

3bi National Bursaries:
Other operating expenses = 248
Total Expenditure = 248

3bii Institutional specific bursaries and scholarships:
Other operating expenses = 2,525
Total Expenditure = 2,525

3biii Other general expenditure:
Academic staff costs = 115
Other staff costs = 1,389
Total staff costs = 1,504
Other operating expenses = 3,807
Total Expenditure = 5,311

Loughborough University have misreported a number of items within Table 8 of their 2012/13 Finance Statistics Return. The affected items, with corrected figures, are as follows:

Other operations - Buildings, Total actual spend £000s: 13,816.

Other operations - Buildings, Internal funds £000s: (12,191).

Total capital expenditure, Total actual spend £000s; 20,863.

Total capital expenditure, Internal funds £000s; (4,851).

In 2015/16, The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama incorrectly reported some figures within the Finance record Table 9, sections 1a and 3a. The correct figures are as follows:

• 1 Residences operations
  • 1a Buildings
    • 1 Total actual spend £0k
    • 4 Internal funds £0k

• 3 Other operations
  • 3a Buildings
    • 1 Total actual spend £625k
    • 4 Internal funds £625k

For 2018/19, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance entered values in Table 9 : ‘Analysis of Capital expenditure’ for ‘Residences operations: Buildings’, these values should have been under ‘Other operations: Buildings’ on the same table.

The Conservatoire of Dance and Drama in error omitted some of their capital expenditure for 2011/12 from part of the report. They should have included £8,000 under 2b Other operations: Equipment. This figure is reported in their consolidated cash flow statement.

Bath Spa University misreported in Finance Statistics return Table 8, £500K capital expenditure in Other operations: Buildings, internal funds. The figure should read £2924K instead of £3424K. The Residences and catering operations: Buildings, internal funds capital expenditure should read £500K instead of £0.

Istituto Marangoni Limited (10009527)

For 2018/19 the year end for Istituto Marangoni Limited​ latest audited year is now 30/06/2019. The year end for the previous audited year is 31/12/2018. Therefore, the current financial statements and corresponding return data cover a six month period. As such, each of these year ends appear as separate rows when the 2018/19 option in the academic year filter is selected in the open data tables.

NCH at Northeastern Limited (10048199)

For 2018/19, the year end for NCH at Northeastern Limited latest audited year is now 30/06/2019. The year end for the previous audited year is 31/08/2018. Therefore, the current financial statements and corresponding return data cover a ten month period. As such, each of these year ends appear as separate rows when the 2018/19 option in the academic year filter is selected in the open data tables.

The London School of Architecture (10062810)

For 2018/19 the year end for The London School of Architecture latest audited year is now 30/06/2019. The year end for the previous audited year is 31/12/2017. Therefore, the current financial statements and corresponding return data cover an 18 month period.

In 2015/16, the University of Sunderland reported a different classification within Creditors in its Annual Financial Statements and in Finance record Table 3, sections 7a and 3b. The correct figures are as follows:

• 7 Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year
  • 7a Bank loans and external borrowing
    • Year ended 31 July 2016 £0k
    • Year ended 31 July 2015 £0k
• 3 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
  • 3b Bank loans and external borrowing
    • Year ended 31 July 2016 £26,080k
    • Year ended 31 July 2015 £27,566k

In 2017/18, Aberystwyth University omitted data within Creditors in Finance record Table 3, section 7b. The correct figures are as follows:

• 7 Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year
  • 7b Obligations under finance leases and service concessions
    • Year ended 31 July 2018 £49,311k
    • Year ended 31 July 2017 £48,950k

In 2013/14, The University of Huddersfield had significant Expenditure (FSR Table 7) versus student FTE for their physics cost centre. This was due to new physics courses being developed to be offered to students in the future.

In 2013/14, the Royal Veterinary College incorrectly reported within the FSR Table 7, 2 Total academic services: other staff costs and other operating expenses and the same 2 figures for 3a Central administration and services. The correct figures are as follows:

2 Total academic services:

    other staff costs £1,701K

    other operating expenses £1,331K

3a Central administration & services:

    other staff costs £5,837K

     other operating expenses £3,409K

In 2013/14, The University of Lincoln had significant Expenditure versus student FTE in the Pharmacy & Pharmacology and Chemistry academic departments (FSR Table 7). This is due to two new schools being established within these academic departments. The new School of Pharmacy accepted students for the first time in 2013/14 and the School of Chemistry is due to take its first cohort of students in 2014/15. Once both schools are established it would be expected that their unit expenditure (Expenditure divided by student FTE) would be comparable to other similar academic departments within the university.

In 2013/14, The University of Chester had an extremely high unit expenditure for its physics cost centre. This is due to a genuine small fraction of a student being returned to this cost centre within their student return. This has the effect of significantly inflating the expenditure figure when calculated as a unit expenditure, i.e. expenditure divided by student FTE.

For 2018/19, The University of Liverpool incorrectly returned the value for 202 Central administration and services, Other operating expenses for the ‘Expenditure - breakdown by activity and HESA cost centre’. The correct value is £2,794k.

For 2018/19, AECC University College incorrectly returned £37k in 202 Central administration and services instead of Premises, Other expenditure, and £29k in Other expenditure, Other instead of 106 Anatomy and physiology, for Other staff costs in ‘Expenditure - breakdown by activity and HESA cost centre’.

Hartpury University is a group with a number of subsidiary companies, one of which is a designated Further Education Institution. The data within Table 8: ‘Expenditure - breakdown by activity and HESA cost centre’ include substantial costs associated with the FE provision delivered, including at the cost centre level. 

For the University of Sheffield, their other operating expenses for central administration and services increased by £2,021K (2011/12 £10,508k v. 2010/11 £8,487k). This difference includes exchange rate differences, which were a gain of £437k in 2010/11 and a £2,719k loss in 2011/12.

For the University of Lancaster, the clinical medicine cost centre has a very high unit expenditure of £912,139. Calculated from £1,959K expenditure and 2.1 student FTE. This is genuine because Medicine at Lancaster is funded by HEFCE via Liverpool University who return the student FTE's.

The Finance record is constructed each year to the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP). A fundamental review of the Finance record was completed in 2014, with the resulting changes implemented in a new specification for the 2015/16 collection, taking into consideration the changes from the implementation of Financial Reporting Standards (FRS) 102. Financial Reporting Standards (FRS) 102 is the new financial reporting framework for higher and further education providers for reporting periods starting on or after 1 January 2015. These new standards have introduced significant changes in the way financial performance is reported, which present difficulties in comparing results from 2015/16 and 2016/17 with historical trends, and in comparing results between providers. Some transitional changes reflected in the restated 2014/15 results mean this is also an atypical year.

For 2019/20, the University of Buckingham has not been included as their data was finalised after the cut off for publication.

For 2019/20 and 2018/19, Regent's University London Limited was not required to submit financial data, therefore the data for this provider is shown as zeros in the tables.

For 2020/21, the University of Buckingham has not been included in Tables 7, 8 and 9 as their data was finalised after the cut off for publication. Data in other tables is available as this is based on restated prior year figures taken from the University of Buckingham's 2021/22 return.