Data intelligence

Lamda Limited and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art were affiliates of The Conservatoire of Dance and Drama up until 31/07/19. Therefore the 2018/19 and restated 2017/18 data returned by The Conservatoire of Dance and Drama in the OfS annual financial return 2019 includes the two providers. Lamda Limited and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art became independent providers on 01/08/19 and were required by OfS to submit data to the OfS annual financial return 2019. Some figures (for 2017/18 and 2018/19) will therefore be double counted between the three providers’ returns.

During the 2019/20 academic year ACM Guildford Limited received assets and liabilities from The Academy of Contemporary Music Limited. This transfer was completed on 1 March 2019. The return therefore covers a six month period in the 2019/20 academic year from 1 March 2019 to a financial year ending 31 August 2019.

JSA Education Group Ltd. was registered with the Office for Students on 20 August 2020. This is a new provider which will receive students from September 2021.

New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering was registered with the Office for Students on 26 August 2020. This is a new provider which will receive students in September 2021.

The London Interdisciplinary School Ltd. was registered with the Office for Students on 26 October 2020. This is a new provider which will receive students from August 2021.

In 2015/16, University of the West of England, Bristol incorrectly reported some figures within the Finance record Table 3, sections 1a and 1e. The correct figures are as follows:

• 1 Non-current assets
  • 1a Intangible assets
    • Year ended 31 July 2016 £0k
    • Year ended 31 July 2015 £0k
  • 1e Fixed assets
    • Year ended 31 July 2016 £582,474k
    • Year ended 31 July 2015 £530,499k

The correct figures for The University of Bolton’s Other Income from Intellectual Property rights, and Other Operating Income are £1k and £867k respectively. These figures differ to those HESA has published.

In 2015/16, The University of Birmingham misreported their Other income from intellectual property rights within Table 7. This figure should have been £453k.

Liverpool John Moores University have returned other operating expenditure on repairs and maintenance under other premises expenditure in error. The figures in Table 8 should read: Repairs and maintenance, other operating expenses £6,547,000; Other premises expenditure, other operating expenses £9,630,000.

In 2015/16, Buckinghamshire New University reclassified costs previously in 3c 204 Staff & Student facilities "Other staff costs" to 2 201 Total Academic Services.

The University of the Highlands and Islands is a partnership of 13 independent colleges and research institutions with a small core management referred to as the ‘executive office’. Consequently the university only reports on income and expenditure directly related to the executive office activities. This will affect any data derived from the Finance Statistics return relating to income; staff and resources expenditure; expenditure by activity or cost centre; assets; and bursary and scholarship costs.

The Finance Statistics return submissions for The University of East Anglia and The University of Essex include figures for income, net return, net assets and deferred capital grants for the University Campus Suffolk, which is a 50:50 joint venture between these two universities.

From 2021/22 some providers included an accounting cost relating to pension provisions following periodic pension valuations. This adjustment is shown in the staff cost totals within Tables 1, 8 and 12. Note that this cost is not reflective of the pure underlying financial performance of these institutions for this year.

For 2018/19 and 2017/18 where applicable, University Centre Peterborough was incorrectly reported in the East Midlands UK region. The region should be East of England.

For 2018/19, The University of Cumbria incorrectly returned £12k in 135 Education instead of 202 Central administration and services, for 5 UK central government tax credits for research and development expenditure on ‘Research grants and contracts - breakdown by source of income and HESA cost centre’.

In 2013/14, Bangor University moved their department 'Medical and Social Care Research' to the Health & communities studies cost centre. It was previously allocated to the Psychology & Behavioural Sciences cost centre. This has increased the Health & communities studies Research grants and contracts income (FSR table 5b) from zero in 2012/13 to £2,712,000 in 2013/14.

The University of Manchester incorrectly returned £22,198,000 of research grants and contracts income under 'UK central government’ in Table 5b (Column 4), rather than under ‘UK central government tax credits for research and development expenditure’ (Column 5).

In 2015/16, Kingston University incorrectly analysed research funding of £12,145.62 as miscellaneous income instead of research income in their year-end financial statements. This impacted the disclosures made in their 2015/16 HESA return.

The University of Oxford have returned all salaries and wages under ‘Salaries and wages academic staff’ for the 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 academic years. This figure should have been allocated between both ‘Salaries and wages academic staff’ and ‘Salaries and wages non-academic staff’.

Aberystwyth University have returned all salaries and wages under ‘Salaries and wages academic staff’ for the 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 academic years. The figures should have been allocated between both ‘Salaries and wages academic staff’ and ‘Salaries and wages non-academic staff’. For 2020/21 this is Academic £25,594, non-academic £26,661.

University Centre Quayside Limited have returned all salaries and wages under ‘Salaries and wages academic staff’ for the 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21 academic years in Table 12. This figure should have been allocated between both ‘Salaries and wages academic staff’ and ‘Salaries and wages non-academic staff’.

In 2019/20, Aberystwyth University incorrectly reported a number of items of income and expenditure as being separately disclosed material items from the Audited Financial Statement of comprehensive income and expenditure in the Finance record Table 10. The intention had been to draw user’s attention to line items where there had been a significant movement from previous years reported results. However, the items disclosed were not material items that required separate disclosure in the audited financial statements and all the return in Finance record Table 10 should have been nil other than staff costs, which is detailed below.

In 2018/19 and 2019/20, Aberystwyth University included Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) pension provision movement within Staff Costs in Table 1 without a separate Exceptional item disclosure under table 10 - Separately disclosed material items. The values under table 10, staff costs, should be £18,542k for 2018/19 and (£10,305k) for 2019/20.

In 2018/19 and 2019/20, Bangor University included Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) pension provision movement within Staff Costs in Table 1 without a separate Exceptional item disclosure under table 10 - Separately disclosed material items. The values under table 10, staff costs, should be £18,158k for 2018/19 and £(11,384k) for 2019/20.

For 2018/19 and 2019/20 Cardiff University omitted to separately disclose material items from the audited financial statement of comprehensive income and expenditure. The separately disclosable items are included within the operating expenditure. The values under table 10, staff costs, should be £92,908k for 2018/19 and £(55,214k) for 2019/20.

In 2018/19 and 2019/20 Glyndŵr University have reported staff costs within separately disclosed material items that represent total Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) contributions. These values are: £2,706k for 2018/19 and £3,237k for 2019/20. Included within these costs are exceptional past service costs representing Guaranteed Minimum Pension and McCloud contributions account for of £625k in 2018/19 and £173k in 2019/20 of staff cost values. This approach aligns with the University Group Financial Statements methodology to clearly show the impact of LGPS as part of the overall University Group Financial Statements and was agreed with the provider’s external auditors.

In 2016/17, Cardiff Metropolitan University omitted severance payment data from Table 13 of the Finance record.  The correct figures are as follows:

3 Aggregate of compensation paid for loss of office to staff earning in excess of £100,000 per annum (Excludes head of provider)
3a Loss of office at the provider

• i Total amount of compensation paid across the whole provider - £778k
• ii Number of people to whom this was payable - 3

2a) Public lectures – Academic staff time
In 2010/11 Aston University reported the British Academy of Management (BAM) Conference which was hosted by Aston University, accounting for 60 days’ academic staff time. This conference did not take place in 2011/12.

2c) Exhibitions (galleries, museums etc.) – Attendees
The British Science Festival was held at Aston University in September 2010 and the attendee data relating to this event was reported in the 2010/11 return. This event took place at an alternative venue in 2011, hence the same data was not reported in the 2011/12 return.