NOMS workforce statistics bulletin: December 2015
Source: data.gov.uk (2018-05-25)

National Offender Management Service workforce statistics. The quarterly National Offender Management Service (NOMS) workforce statistics bulletin is designed to monitor changes to staffing figures and the structure of NOMS staff population over time. It is produced on a quarterly basis to most appropriately reflect the dynamic nature of the data included within many of the tables, and covers all civil service employees of NOMS.

1
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
National Offender Management Service  
Workforce Statistics Bulletin 
 
31st December 2015 
 
 
 
Ministry of Justice  
Statistics Bulletin 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Published 4th February 2016 

 
2
Contents 
 
Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 3 
Release Schedule........................................................................................................... 4 
Summary ............................................................................................................................. 5 
Commentary ....................................................................................................................... 6 
Staff in Post .................................................................................................................... 6 
NOMS HQ .................................................................................................................... 7 
Region and Division ..................................................................................................... 8 
Function ....................................................................................................................... 8 
Grades ......................................................................................................................... 9 
Joiners and Leavers ................................................................................................... 11 
Equality and Diversity .................................................................................................. 13 
Gender: ...................................................................................................................... 13 
Age: ............................................................................................................................ 13 
Disability: .................................................................................................................... 15 
Full Time / Part Time: ................................................................................................. 16 
Sexual Orientation: ..................................................................................................... 16 
Religion/Belief ............................................................................................................ 16 
Other Protected Characteristics: ................................................................................ 17 
Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 18 
Users and uses of these Statistics ............................................................................. 21 
Data Sources and Data Quality ....................................................................................... 22 
Rounding Policy ......................................................................................................... 22 
Revisions Policy ......................................................................................................... 23 
Explanatory notes - Symbols and conventions .......................................................... 23 
Glossary of Terms ........................................................................................................... 25 
Contact points .................................................................................................................. 33 
List of Tables .................................................................................................................... 34 

 
3
Introduction 
 
This publication considers in detail staffing levels and staff inflows and outflows for the 
National Offender Management Service (NOMS) since April 2010. Additional headline 
figures are provided back to 2000.  
 
NOMS was created as an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice in July 2008. It is 
responsible for commissioning and delivering Prison and Probation Services across 
England and Wales.  Offender management, prisons and probation are devolved within 
Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands also have 
separate prison administrations. 
 
NOMS delivers services directly through public sector prisons and the National Probation 
Service and commissions services through private sector prisons and, for probation, from 
Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs). The information presented in this bulletin 
relates to staff employed by NOMS, who are all civil servants. Other workers within NOMS 
who are employed by third parties, either within contracted areas of delivery such as 
private sector prisons or CRCs or as contractors and other contingent workers, including 
other non-civil service public sector employees, within NOMS are not included. Also 
excluded are voluntary workers, NOMS staff on loan, on secondment out, and those on a 
career break. The coverage of the figures is illustrated in figure 1. The data presented in 
the rest of the bulletin relate to the right side of the diagram. 
 
Figure 1: NOMS Structure 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Public Prisons
Including Immigration 
removal centres run on 
behalf of Home Office
National Probation 
Service
NOMS Headquarters
Civil Servants (Included in Bulletin)
Private Sector 
Prisons
Community Rehabilitation 
Companies
Currently publicly run but 
may be transferred to the 
private and third sectors
Other contractors, NHS, 
education, sessionals
and agency workers
Private, Third sector and Non Civil 
Servant Public Sector (Not Included in 
Bulletin)
Custody
Community
Public Prisons
Including Immigration 
removal centres run on 
behalf of Home Office
National Probation 
Service
NOMS Headquarters
Civil Servants (Included in Bulletin)
Private Sector 
Prisons
Community Rehabilitation 
Companies
Currently publicly run but 
may be transferred to the 
private and third sectors
Other contractors, NHS, 
education, sessionals
and agency workers
Private, Third sector and Non Civil 
Servant Public Sector (Not Included in 
Bulletin)
Custody
Community

 
4
Both the public sector Prison Service and National Probation Service are principally 
managed on a geographical basis. The young people’s estate and high security prisons 
are however, managed as virtual regions. The geographic structures of the two 
operational parts of NOMS are arranged differently, as detailed in figure 2.   
 
Figure 2: Organisation Within Public Prisons and NPS 
 
NPS Divisions
Prison Service Regions
(services provided through 
Local Delivery Units)
(services provided through 
prisons, young offender 
instituions, juvenile 
establishments and 
immigration removal centres)
North East Probation Service
North East
North West Probation Service
North West
Midlands Probation Service
Yorkshire and Humberside
South East and Eastern 
East Midlands
Probation Service
West Midlands
South West and South 
East of England
Central Probation Service
Greater London
London Probation Service
Kent & Sussex
South Central
South West
High Security Prisons
Young People's Estate
NOMS HQ 
Operates 
from a 
number of 
offices 
across the 
country, with 
principal 
office in 
Westminster.
Regional 
Services 
(providing 
services directly 
to 
establishments 
but organised 
regionally)
NOMS in Wales (NPS and Public Sector Prisons)
 
 
 
 
 Release Schedule  
 
This publication is produced on a quarterly basis to most appropriately reflect the dynamic 
nature of the data included within many of the tables. The next edition of the quarterly 
NOMS Workforce Statistics bulletin, for the situation date as at 31 March 2016, is 
scheduled to be published on 5 May 2016.  
 
 
This quarter there are two further tables added to the bulletin which address specific 
requests that were fed back following the 30 September 2015 edition. The new tables are 
 
 
Table 9b: NOMS leavers, by Reason for Leaving and Main Operational Grades 
(Headcount) 
 
Table 9c: NOMS leavers, by Reason for Leaving and Region (Headcount) 
 

 
5
Summary 
 
As at 31 December 2015, civil service employment in NOMS was 43,290 staff in post on a 
full time equivalent (FTE) basis. This includes 8,800 staff in the National Probation Service 
(NPS), which made up 20.3% of NOMS staff, 31,240 in Public Sector Prisons and 3,250 in 
NOMS HQ and Area Services.  
 
 
1. There was an decrease of 80 FTE in post  compared to last quarter when it stood 
at 43,370.  
2. Over the year from 31 December 2014, total staff FTE has increased by 90. 
However, over the year 1,670 facilities staff in establishments have transferred to 
the private sector and 90 IT staff have transferred to NOMS from the Ministry of 
Justice. Excluding structural changes staff numbers have increased 1,670 over the 
last year. 
3. Underlying changes in staff numbers are distorted by organisational changes such 
as the transfer of an establishment to or from the private sector or the transfer into 
NOMS of NPS staff. Excluding these changes, the reduction in staff from 31 March 
2010 to 31 December 2015 was 10,240 (22.8%).  
4. In the key operational grades there were 
 
18,240 Band 3-5 officers, a decrease of 180 on the quarter, but an 
increase of 440 on the year. 
 
4,780 operational support grades, a decrease of 50 on the quarter, but 
an increase of 180 on the year. 
 
3,240 probation officers, a rise of 30 on the quarter and 200 on the 
year.  
5. NOMS HQ and Area Services represent 7.5% of the NOMS total FTE, of which 
5.1% are in NOMS HQ and 2.4% in Area Services.  
6. 2,250 new Band 3-4 prison officers were appointed in the 12 months to 31 
December 2015, 2,070 of these were new recruits and 180 were existing NOMS 
staff who have re-graded into the prison officer role. In the previous 12 months 
there were 920 new officers appointed. 
7. In the 12 months to 31 December 2015, there have been 910 staff recruited to the 
NPS. 
8. Overall external recruitment into NOMS in the 12-months to the end of December 
2015 was 5,210 compared to 2,290 in the previous 12 months.  
9. There were 3,730 leavers in the 12-months to 31 December 2015 compared to 
3,850 in the previous 12 months. Of the leavers, 1,610 resigned, 850 retired, and 
620 were dismissed. 
10. Women predominate within the NPS, representing 75.4% of staff in post, whereas 
across the public sector Prison Service and NOMS HQ female representation is 
39.0%. 
 
 

 
6
Commentary  
Staff in Post 
 
As at 31 December 2015, civil service employment in NOMS was 43,290 staff in post on a 
full time equivalent (FTE) basis. This includes 8,800 staff in the National Probation Service 
(NPS), which made up 20.3% of NOMS staff, 31,240 in Public Sector Prisons and 3,250 in 
NOMS HQ and Area Services.  
 
 
This represents an decrease of 80 FTE in post compared to last quarter when it 
stood at 43,370.  
 
The underlying changes in staff numbers are distorted by organisational changes 
such as the transfer of an establishment to or from the private sector or the transfer 
into NOMS of NPS staff. Excluding these changes, the reduction in staff from 31 
March 2010 to 31 December 2015 was 10,240 (22.8%) 
 
 
Figure 3: Total Prison Service / NOMS Staff FTE - 31 March 2000 to 31 December 2015 
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Total staff in post FTE (thousands)
31 March
FTE SIP
FTE Without NPS
 
 
Measurement of staffing resource using Full Time Equivalent (FTE) in Her Majesty’s 
Prison Service (HMPS) began in March 2000. HMPS became part of the National 
Offender Management Service (NOMS) on 1 June 2004. The trend in overall staff in 
NOMS over this period is shown in figure 3. Staff FTE increased during the nine year 
period from 31 March 2000 (42,870 FTE) through until 31 March 2009 (51,060 FTE). After 
this time the trend reversed, with staff FTE falling over the subsequent years to a level well 
below that at the start of the period. On 1 June 2014, the way that probation services are 
delivered changed. Prior to that date probation services were delivered by 35 Probation 
Trusts across England and Wales, which were responsible for their own staffing. On 1 
June 2014, the National Probation Service, which is responsible for high-risk offenders in 
the community, was created and staff in the NPS joined NOMS as Civil Servants. The 
remainder of offenders in the community are managed by Community Rehabilitation 

 
7
Companies (CRCs), which are now contracted out to the private and voluntary sectors and 
fall outside of the scope of this bulletin.  
 
The transfer of NPS staff from Probation Trusts on 1 June 2014 resulted in a sharp 
increase in staffing as illustrated in figure 3. For comparability purposes, the chart also 
displays the continuing trend of staffing without NPS included. 
 
Although the trend for staff reductions in NOMS began in March 2009, the financial year 
from 31 March 2010 to 31 March 2011 saw the introduction of policies with the intention of 
reducing staff FTE within NOMS. Strict controls were put on recruitment, 14 
establishments closed and a further two have been transferred to the private sector. There 
was also a review of NOMS Headquarters functions that reduced staff numbers. 
 
 
NOMS HQ 
 
The National Offender Management Service Headquarters (NOMS HQ) operates from a 
number of offices across the country, with its principal office in Westminster.  
 
The definition of NOMS HQ changed in March 2013 when a review of its structures was 
completed and a core central structure was implemented. At that time some regionally 
located staff in Area Services, which operate on a regional or national basis and provide 
services directly to establishments, were separated from the core of NOMS HQ. To enable 
comparisons of current definitions to definitions prior to this change, NOMS HQ and Area 
Services are considered together within this publication.  
 
 
HQ and Area Services represent 7.5% of the NOMS total FTE, 5.1% in HQ and 
2.4% in Area Services.1 
 
Since 30 September 2015, the size of the core HQ has increased by 80 FTE to 
2,2202.  
 
The size of the core NOMS HQ fell substantially on the completion of the review of 
its structures in March 2013 to 1,560 FTE. Since March 2013 the scope of services 
that are delivered regionally has increased. Some services, such as psychology 
and some finance functions that were previously provided within establishments 
are now part of area services and NOMS HQ. These increases in area services 
staff were offset by equivalent reductions within establishments. 
 
 
                                                 
1 Totals are formed from unrounded parts prior to rounding. For this reason, rounded totals may not 
equal the sum of their rounded parts. 
2 The September 2015 figures relating to NOMS HQ have been amended due to one unit being 
reclassified from NOMS HQ to NPS. Comparisons are to amended figures. 

 
8
Region and Division 
 
The public sector Prison Service is managed principally on a regional basis in England. 
High Security Prisons and the Young People’s Estate are however managed functionally 
and are reported separately. The geographical regions differ slightly from standard 
regional locations for operational reasons; the South East of England is separated into 
Kent and Sussex and South Central, and Greater London includes four establishments 
located outside of the London boroughs.  
 
The NPS is divided into six divisions in England, which are then sub-divided into Local 
Delivery Units (LDUs). For the purposes of reporting LDUs are grouped into clusters.   
 
In Wales, prison and probation services are delivered together under a single Directorate 
called NOMS in Wales. However, within this bulletin Prison and Probation Services in 
Wales are reported separately. 
 
 
The largest Prison Service region is High Security Prisons with an FTE of 4,590, 
representing 10.6% of NOMS staff. Wales employs the smallest FTE within the 
Prison Service with 750 FTE, representing 1.7% of total staff. 
 
Directly employed staff numbers across the public sector Prison Service fell by 
0.8% (250 FTE) over the past quarter.  
 
NPS Divisions in England vary in size from the North East, with 1,620 FTE to the 
South West and South Central with 1,160. In Wales there are 580 FTE providing 
Probation Services. 
 
Staff numbers in the NPS remain virtually unchanged over the past quarter. 
 
 
Function 
Prisoner security categories in the United Kingdom are assigned to every adult prisoner 
for the purposes of assigning them to a prison. The categories are based upon the 
severity of the crime and the risk posed should the person escape. Correspondingly, 
prisons are given categories relating to the function of the establishment, dependent on 
the type or types of prisoner held. Definitions of the categories can be found in the 
glossary at the back of this bulletin. 
 
In the NPS, the category of work is assigned in terms of ‘work area’. Work areas relate to 
individual members of staff 
 
The distribution of NOMS Establishment staff FTE across prison categories and NPS work 
areas is shown in Table 2 of the accompanying tables.  
 
 
Male Local and Category C prisons predominate within staff in post FTE.  
o The largest group of staff work in Male Local establishments, accounting for 
30.1% of staff in Prison Service establishments (9,420 FTE), while 28.5% 
(8,910 FTE) work in Category C prisons. 
 
The majority (55.3% or 4,860 FTE) of NPS staff work on ‘Offender Management’ 
with a further 16.3% (or 1,430 FTE) working on courts.  
 
 

 
9
Grades 
Separate grading systems exist for staff in the NPS and the other parts of NOMS. 
 
NPS staff transferred into NOMS on the terms and conditions they had within Probation 
Trusts. This means they have a different grading structure from the rest of NOMS, running 
from Band 1 for the most junior to Band 6 then further Bands from A to D for the most 
senior staff. Probation Officers typically work at Band 4, with Probation Services Officers 
usually at Band 3 and Senior Probation Officers at Band 5. The migration of data on bands 
and roles from the 35 Probation Trusts was not straightforward due to the range of 
reporting systems in use. Consequently, it is not presently possible to identify the full 
range of NPS roles.  
 
In the non-NPS parts of NOMS, a new grading structure was implemented in April 2012. 
Initially covering new recruits, and then for all staff from April 2013. Previous NOMS 
grades are being replaced by a system of Bands ranging from Band 1 for the most junior 
staff to Band 11 for the most senior staff below the senior civil service. All staff recruited or 
promoted since April 2012 are on the new terms and conditions. Other NOMS staff, 
outside of the NPS, are given the opportunity each year to opt in to the new terms and 
conditions. As at 31 December 2015, there were 15,250 FTE staff on the new terms and 
conditions, representing 44.3% of the workforce outside of NPS grades.  
 
The distribution of staff FTE by grade is illustrated in Figure 4. Definitions of the categories 
used can be found in the Glossary. 
 
 
The largest groups of staff are prison officers, including specialists, with 14,840 
FTE (43.1% of total staff outside of the NPS) and operational support grades with 
4,780 FTE (13.9% of total staff outside of the NPS). 
 
The only NPS job specifically identified in this bulletin is probation officer, of which 
there were 3,240 at 31 December 2015 representing 36.4% of NPS staff. 
 

 
10
Figure 4: Distribution of Staff across Operational and Non Operational Grades,  
as at 31 December 2015 
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
Bands 9-11 / Senior Managers
Bands 6-8 / Managers
Band 5 / Custodial Managers
Band 4 / Supervising Officer
Band 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl specialists)
Band 2 / Operational Support
Senior Civil Servant
Bands 9-11 / Senior Managers
Bands 6-8 / Managers
Band 4 / Executive Officer
Band 3 / Administrative Officer
Band 2 / Administrative Assistant
Other Admin
Psychology
Chaplaincy
Healthcare - Nursing Grades
Healthcare - Other healthcare
Industrial / Facilities
Other Grades
Bands A to D
Probation Officer
Other Band 4-6
Bands 1 to 3
PRISON SERVICE
OPERATIONAL
HMPS AND NOMS HQ NON OPERATIONAL
NPS
FTE 
 
 
 
Over the 12 months to 31 December 2015, the FTE of Prison Service Operational 
staff increased by 600, to 23,960. 
o Band 3 -5 Officers increased by 440, to 18,240 FTE3 
o Band 2 Operational Support Grades increased by 180, to 4,780 FTE. 
 
 
Over the 12 months to 31 December 2015, there was an reduction in non-
operational staff in public sector prisons and NOMS HQ of 970 to 10,440 FTE 
 
Over the 12 months to 31 December 2015, NPS staff FTE increased by 460 to 
8,900 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
3 Totals are formed from unrounded parts prior to rounding. For this reason, rounded totals may not 
equal the sum of their rounded parts from table 3. 

 
11
Joiners and Leavers 
This section analyses the number of staff joining or leaving, from outside of NOMS – 
including those who have transferred from other Government Departments including from 
other parts of the Ministry of Justice. However, staff who join or leave the organisation as 
the result of an organisational change, such as the transfer of a prison into or out of the 
private sector are not included. This section also makes reference to existing NOMS staff 
who have re-graded to become prison officers. 
 
Since June 2014 recruitment into NOMS increased substantially after a period of very low 
activity.  
 
Recruitment in the 12-months to the end of December 2015 was 5,210 compared 
to 2,290 in the previous 12 months. 
 
2,250 new Band 3-4 prison officers were appointed in the 12 months to 31 
December 2015, 2,070 of these were new recruits and 180 were existing NOMS 
staff who re-graded into the prison officer role. In the previous 12 months there 
were 920 new officers appointed. 
 
Across all grades in the public sector Prison Service there were 4,040 staff 
recruited and into NOMS HQ and regional services there were 260 recruits. 
 
The total recruited into the NPS in the 12 months to 31 December 2015 was 910, 
while 560 left NOMS from the NPS over the same period. 
 
There were 3,730 leavers across NOMS in the 12-months to 31 December 2015 
compared to 3,850 in the previous 12 months. Of the leavers, 1,610 resigned, 850 
retired, and 620 were dismissed. 
 
The distribution of joiners and leavers within establishments is illustrated in figure 5. The 
information relates to staff leaving or joining NOMS from outside the organisation and 
hence excludes internal transfers. 
 
 
In all Prison Service regions of England and Wales, with the exception of North 
East, joiners over the past year were more numerous than leavers. 
 
The largest number of joiners was in East Midlands with 560 recruits. 
 
The largest number of leavers were from High Security prisons where 400 left. 
 
Across the NPS there were more joiners than leavers in every division.  

 
12
Figure 5: Regional distribution of Joiners and Leavers, in the 12 months ending 31 
December 2015  
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
North East
North West
Yorkshire and Humberside
East Midlands
West Midlands
East of England
Greater London
Kent & Sussex
South Central
South West
Wales
High Security Prisons
Young People's Estate
London Probation Service
Midlands Probation Service
North East Probation Service
North West Probation Service
South East and Eastern Probation Service
South West and South Central Probation Service
Wales Probation Service
HMPS
NPS
Joiners or leavers
JOINERS
LEAVERS
 
 
The largest numbers of recruits over the past year have been to Band 3-4 prison officer, 
where 2,070 have been recruited from outside of NOMS in addition to 180 existing NOMS 
staff re-grading to officer. There have also been 970 FTE recruits at Band 2 / operational 
support. 740 staff have been recruited into the National Probation Service at Bands 1-3, 
the majority of which have begun their training towards becoming Probation Officers. 
Other notable recruitment has been into Band 3 / Administrative Officer in public sector 
prisons and NOMS HQ, where 410 FTE joined. 
 
The largest number of leavers was also amongst Band 3-4 prison officers, with 1,300 
leaving in the past 12-months. This was an increase of 50 on the 1,250 who left in the 
previous year. The number of operational support staff (Band 2) leaving in the last 12-
months was 510, a reduction from the 610 leavers during the previous year. 
 
 

 
13
Equality and Diversity 
 
When the NPS staff records were transferred into NOMS on 1 June 2014, they did not 
have information on protected characteristics other than gender, age and full-time / part-
time status. Although information on protected characteristics had been held by the 
Probation Trusts, upon joining NOMS and becoming civil servants, only data which would 
be brought in for all new joiners was migrated. As with all new entrants to NOMS, self-
declared fields (ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and religion/belief) require NPS staff 
to make declarations into NOMS administrative systems. Consequently, the declaration 
rates of several protected characteristics fell substantially after the inclusion of NPS staff 
in figures as at 30 June 2014. Since then the declaration rates amongst NPS have begun 
to increase, following targeted action to increase declaration rates, but remain too low to 
allow for meaningful representation rates to be calculated. 
 
 
Figure 6: Protected Characteristics of NOMS staff, as at 31 December 2015 
Female
Part Time
BME
Male
Full Time
White
Declared
(no representation 
rate calculated)
Declared 
(no representation
rate calculated)
Declared 
(no representation
rate calculated)
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Gender
FT/PT
Ethnicity
Disability
Sexual
Orientation
Religion
Percent of Headcount
 
Gender: 
Female representation in the NPS is higher than in the rest of NOMS and consequently 
the transfer of NPS staff into NOMS resulted in an increased female representation.  
 
Within the NPS women predominate with 75.4% of staff in post.  
 
Within the public sector Prison Service and NOMS HQ female representation at 31 
December 2015 was 39.0%.  
 
49.8% of the recruits into NOMS over the 12 months to 31 December 2015 were 
female. This breaks down as 78.1% in the NPS, 42.1% into public sector prisons 
and 70.7% into NOMS HQ. 
 
Age: 
Since 2010 there had been a shift towards older age-groups in the make-up of NOMS 
staff. This shift has been partially reversed over the latest year due to increased 
recruitment. 

 
14
 
The largest individual age-group across all of NOMS at 31 December 2015 was 
the 50-59 group with 13,550 staff.  
 
The number of staff aged under 30 increased by 1,530 between 31 December 
2014 and 31 December 2015 mainly due to the large number of new recruits. 
 
The proportion of joiners aged 50 and over has dropped to 11.3% in the twelve 
months to 31 December 2015, from 16.1% in the twelve months previously. 
 
A greater proportion of NPS staff are under 40 than staff in the public sector Prison 
Service and NOMS HQ. 
 
The most common age group for NPS staff is 30-39 with 28.7% of staff within that 
range. For other NOMS staff the most common age range is 50-59 with 30.3% of 
the total.  
 
66.0% of public sector Prison Service and NOMS HQ staff are over 40 years old 
compared to 60.4% among NPS staff. 
 
Figure 7: Age distribution of NOMS Staff, 31 March 2010 and 31 December 2015  
 
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
Under 20
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60+
Percentage of Headcount
Age band
31 March 2010
31 December 2015
 
Ethnicity: 
Ethnicity, being a self-declared and non-compulsory field, is not known for all staff. In 
addition, when the records of NPS staff were transferred into NOMS their ethnicity data 
was not migrated from their respective Probation Trusts, leading to a drop in the coverage 
of ethnicity information.  
 
The ethnicity declaration rate (the percentage of all staff who have declared their ethnicity) 
is indicative of the level of uncertainty in the calculated representation rate of Black and 
Minority Ethnic (BME) staff. The BME representation rate is the proportion of staff who 

 
15
have declared themselves as BME from all those making ethnicity declarations, i.e. 
excluding those who have not responded and those who chose not to declare. Assuming 
there is no inherent bias in the actual ethnicity of those who have not made an ethnicity 
declaration, the BME representation rate is the best estimate of the actual percentage of 
BME civil servants employed by NOMS. However, as there is currently a low level of 
ethnicity declaration among NPS staff, caution should be used in generalising ethnicity 
representation figures across the whole of NOMS, with these figures deriving primarily 
from the public sector Prison Service and NOMS HQ and Area Services, and not NPS, 
where ethnicity distribution may differ. 
 
 
The ethnicity declaration rate is now 76.3%, having been 89.3% on 31 March 
2014, before NPS staff transferred into NOMS.  
 
The declaration rate amongst recruits to NOMS was 56.8% in the 12 months to 31 
December 2015. 
 
The declaration rate of NPS staff at 31 December 2015 was 45.0%. This was an 
increase compared to the declaration rate of 35.4% at 30 September but still 
reflects the lack of records when the staff transferred from Probation trusts. The 
completed records relate to staff who have provided ethnicity information 
voluntarily since the transfer into NOMS occurred or new recruits since the 
transfer. 
 
The representation rate across all of NOMS is distorted by the different declaration 
rates in the NPS and the rest of NOMS.  
 
Caution should be exercised in attempting to make comparisons between the composition 
of the NOMS workforce and the wider population of England and Wales on the basis of 
ethnicity. There is substantial regional variation of ethnicity distribution in the general 
population, and NOMS staff are not distributed across England and Wales in the same 
proportions as the general population, rendering such comparisons invalid. The current 
ethnicity breakdown of staff in post is shown in Table 4 in the accompanying tables.  
 
Ethnicity declaration among new joiners is low, as mentioned above. It is therefore not 
possible to consider the BME representation of joiners. 
 
Leavers data for ethnicity do not face the same problems seen in joiners, as declaration 
rates for leavers (72.6%) are similar to those seen for staff in post (excluding NPS). In the 
12 months ending 31 December 2015, 6.6% of those staff who left NOMS and who had 
declared their ethnicity were BME.  
 
Disability: 
Disability is also a self-declared, non-compulsory field. The declaration rate was typically 
around 56-58% from 2010 to 31 March 2014. The influx of NPS staff who did not have 
their data migrated caused the declaration rate to fall. At 31 December 2015 it stood at 
55.3%. The declaration rate amongst NPS staff is 41.5% as at 31 December 2015. With 
lower declaration rates, the risk of bias increases greatly, and the accuracy of a 
representation rate based on known declarations falls rapidly. Consequently, when a 
declaration rate falls below 60%, no representation rate is provided. As this is the case for 
the NOMS workforce, only the headcount figures of those declaring themselves to be 
disabled or non-disabled are provided in Table 4 but no meaningful representation rate 
can be calculated. 
 
Similarly, disability declaration rates among leavers in the 12 months to 31 December 
2015 (51.9%) were below the level where any meaningful interpretation can be made of 
the representation of disabled staff. 

 
16
 
The declaration rate of joiners in the 12 months to 30 September was 70.0%. Amongst the 
recruits who declared their disability status 3.2% had declared a disability.  
Full Time / Part Time: 
Data are not routinely available on working patterns other than full time/part time status 
since decisions on flexible working, working from home, and other aspects of working 
patterns are often handled at a local level. Full time/part time is also a status which may 
fluctuate across an individual’s career. Part time as a grouping covers a wide range of 
working patterns and working hours. 
 
As at 31 December 2015 there were 13.9% of NOMS staff working part time. Working 
part-time is much more common among NPS staff than other parts of NOMS. The 
proportion of NPS staff working part time at 31 December was 25.3% compared to 10.8% 
within public sector prisons and NOMS HQ. 
 
In the 12 months ending 31 December 2015, 3.2% of joiners were part time. The lower 
than average proportion amongst joiners is related to the large proportion of joiners being 
prison officers, who rarely work part-time. Caution is strongly advised when considering 
the full time/part time status of joiners, as the full time/part time status at joining is 
sometimes not reflective of the working pattern the individual adopts once in post. 
 
The proportion of leavers in the 12 months ending 31 December 2015 who were working 
part time was 22.8%. Although higher than the proportion of part time staff in post, this is 
consistent with previous time points for leavers. Caution is advised in consideration of the 
full time/part time status of leavers, as it is known that certain types of leavers (in particular 
those retiring) tend to change their full time/part time status in the final phase of their 
careers before leaving. Therefore the figures presented for joiners and leavers may not be 
indicative of the status individuals during the majority of their career.  
Sexual Orientation: 
Data on Sexual Orientation were only readily available from 31 March 2013. As a result 
staff in post breakdowns have been shown only from this time onward.  
 
The declaration rate of sexual orientation at 31 December 2015 was 27.3%. Although this 
is too low to allow for meaningful representation rates for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual 
(LGB) groups to be derived it is an increase on the declaration rate of 24.3% at 30 
September 2015.  
 
The declaration rate of joiners in the 12 months to 31 December was 67.6%. Amongst the 
recruits who declared their sexual orientation, 7.6% had declared they were LGB.  
 
Declaration rates for leavers was only 22.7%, which was again was too low for a 
representation rate to be calculated.  
Religion/Belief 
Data on Religion/Belief were only readily available from 31 March 2013. As a result staff in 
post breakdowns have been shown only from this time onward.  
 
The declaration rate of religion / belief at 31 December 2015 was 27.6%. Although this is 
too low to allow for meaningful representation rates for Christian, No Religion or Other 
Non-Christian Religion groups to be derived it is an increase on the declaration rate of 
24.6% at 30 September 2015. 
 

 
17
The declaration rate of joiners in the 12 months to 31 December was 68.4%. Amongst the 
recruits who declared their religion or beliefs, 40.6% had declared themselves as 
Christian, 7.7% had declared they were of a religion other than Christian and 51.7% 
declared they had no religion.  
 
Declaration rates for leavers was only 23.1% so again was too low for a representation to 
be calculated.  
Other Protected Characteristics: 
No data are currently available for the other protected characteristics of Marriage and Civil 
Partnership, Pregnancy and Maternity.  
 
Data are not collected for Gender Reassignment as those in receipt of gender recognition 
certificates are recorded as their legal gender, and are not identified as being transgender 
in accordance with the Gender Recognition Act 2004 and the Equality Act 2010. 

 
18
Methodology 
 
Statistics presenting the changes to numbers of staff in post over time are of key 
importance to monitoring the effects of policy changes, financial accounting, and 
transparency.  
 
The financial year 2010/11 saw the introduction of recruitment controls and departures 
under Voluntary Early Departure Schemes (VEDS), with the intention of reducing staff 
numbers within NOMS. To allow monitoring of changes to staff numbers as a result of the 
implementation of these policies the time series within this publication begin at 31 March 
2010. The time series show the last five quarter points with annual figures taken at the end 
of each financial year back to 2010. This presents both the longer view and also recent 
trends. 
 
Staff in post figures derive from snapshots taken on a monthly basis from the Oracle 
Human Resources Management System (HRMS) database, recording all civil servants 
employed by NOMS on the final working day of each month. The snapshots are taken two 
working days into the following month, allowing for some late updating to occur and thus 
improving the quality of the data, while remaining as timely as possible.  
 
The scope of the staff reported are those with a contract of employment with NOMS. Staff 
are included irrespective of whether they are absent from work, whether paid or not, on the 
day of the snapshot. The only staff excluded are those on career breaks and those on 
secondment or loan outside of NOMS.  
 
The constituent parts of NOMS; HM Prison Service, NOMS HQ and NPS are defined in 
terms of organisational hierarchies and not grading structures. While staff in NPS grades 
make up the great majority of the NPS there are a few staff working elsewhere in NOMS 
who have NPS grades. Where staff are presented by grade in the bulletin this information 
should not be used to identify the number of staff in that particular part of NOMS. 
 
Where definitions have changed over the time series (for example changes to grade 
names), it is possible to retain comparability across the time series through presenting 
both the old and new names. In other cases, such as the change to the definition of HQ, 
current definitions are used and carried back, as consistency across the period is enabled 
through the HQ and Area Services total, which aligns to the former HQ definition. Should 
definitions not be appropriate to be carried back due to non-alignment with previous 
definitions, a break in the time series would be presented with explanatory footnotes. In 
the case of the creation in June 2014 of the Young People’s Estate as a functional region, 
the establishments currently within the group have been reclassified across all periods and 
presented together as a region. Where an establishment has changed region or category 
they are presented throughout the time series in their most recent category. This can 
result in revisions to previously published time periods, which are indicated in the tables. 
 
When breaking down these figures by region, category of establishment, and grade, staff 
in post figures are presented as full-time equivalent (FTE). This is the most appropriate 
measure for considering the resource available and for reconciliation with financial figures 
and is a measure of the staffing resource available based on contracted hours. Whereas 
the headcount of staff is a simple measure of the number of individual members of staff, in 
order to consider both available resource and the cost of that resource, FTE is a more 
useful measure. Where a member of staff works the standard hours for their grade they 
are counted as full time (1 FTE). Staff who work less than standard hours are allocated an 
FTE in proportion to their contracted hours and the standard hours for the grade. Work 

 
19
undertaken in addition to standard hours, such as overtime is not taken into account in 
calculating FTE. 
 
Staff in post figures are also presented by Protected Characteristics under the Equality Act 
2010 for which data are readily available (with the intention that coverage will increase 
over time). When considering equality concerns, it is the actual number of individuals 
which is important, and not the resource which those individuals contribute. For this 
reason the only appropriate measure is the headcount, and not FTE. The Equality Act 
2010 was established to protect all individual employees of the organisation as equal, and 
is in place to ensure fair and equal treatment for all individuals, and not as having 
differential worth dependent on their hours worked.  
 
The publication also presents the number of joiners (newly recruited) into and leavers from 
NOMS during the preceding 12 month period for each date point. Figures are taken over a 
12 month period for a number of reasons, primarily as the numbers involved would not be 
sufficient to permit breakdowns over a shorter period of time, and seasonal influences may 
impair fair comparison of trends over time should less than 12 months be presented. Staff 
moving into and out of NOMS as a result of organisational changes such as a prison 
transferring to the private sector are not included in the joiner or leaver numbers 
presented. 
 
Joiners and leavers figures record the inflow and outflow staffing transactions taking place 
between the first and last working day of the month. With the exception of existing NOMS 
staff who have re-graded to prison officer the other staff movements relate to movements 
into or out of NOMS rather than internal movements between sites and grades. The 
information is taken from the Oracle HRMS database seven working days into the next 
month, to accommodate as many late entries as possible while minimising the impact on 
timeliness. 
 
One point of note is that staff leaving on the final working day of a given month will appear 
both in the staff in post record for that month (having been employed by NOMS on the last 
day of the month) and in the leavers record for that month (having left employment on the 
last day of the month). For this reason, staff in post, joiners and leavers figures are not 
fully reconcilable. 
 
Joiners and leavers are presented on a headcount basis for a number of reasons – those 
joining the department who work part-time often arrange to do so after starting, and not at 
the moment of joining. Similarly the FTE recorded on leaving is often not representative of 
working pattern throughout the period of employment. For these reasons FTE on joining or 
leaving is a poor measure of the actual FTE resource the individual will represent or will 
have represented during their career in NOMS. FTE figures for joiners and leavers will not 
audit to changes to FTE in staff in post for the additional reason that continuing staff may 
change their FTE at any time. These are not data quality issues, but are inherent in the 
nature of staff data. Headcount figures are therefore used for all joiners and leavers tables. 
For joiners and leavers, the same breakdowns of region, function of establishment 
(category) and grade and, additionally for leavers, their reasons for leaving are presented. 
 
To observe changes to the available resource, however, (which would be measured by 
FTE) it would be the net change of staff in post FTE which would be the relevant figure. 
These are presented in the staff in post FTE tables.  
 
Rates of joiners and leavers have not been calculated and do not appear in this 
publication. Figures for staff in post, joiners and leavers presented within this publication 
all include staff on fixed term contracts. Rates of joiners and leavers are used internally to 
monitor turnover, recruitment and retention patterns, but are only meaningful when those 

 
20
on fixed term contracts are excluded. As this does not correspond with the definitions used 
within this publication it would not be appropriate or meaningful to calculate rates which do 
not correspond with the rates used for turnover, recruitment and retention purposes.  
 
Two further tables showing the snapshot of the staff in post FTE by grade and then 
individual establishment for HM Prison Service and by LDU Cluster for NPS are included 
to give the current structural picture. These tables do not include time series, due in part to 
the size of the tables, but more importantly as a result of the dynamic nature of 
establishments and LDU clusters, which change frequently, rendering a time series of less 
value. 
 

 
21
Users and uses of these Statistics 
 
These statistics have many intended uses by a diverse range of users, and are designed 
to meet as many of the needs of these users as possible in the most useful and 
meaningful format. 
 
Intended use of statistics:  Summary of main statistical needs: 
Ministry of Justice ministers  Use the statistics to monitor changes to NOMS staff 
numbers, and to the structure of the organisation over 
time. 
MPs and House of Lords  
These statistics are used to answer parliamentary 
questions. This publication aims to address the large 
majority of parliamentary questions asked. 
Policy teams  
These statistics are used to inform policy development, to 
monitor impact of changes over time and to model future 
changes and their impact on the system. This publication 
addresses the primary questions internal users ask on a 
regular basis, and forms the basis for workforce monitoring 
and decision making. 
Academia, students and 
businesses  
Used as a source of statistics for research purposes and 
to support lectures, presentations and conferences  
Journalists  
As a compendium of quality assured data on NOMS staff, 
to enable an accurate and coherent story to be told. 
Voluntary sector  
Data are used to monitor how trends within the staff 
population relate to trends observed in offenders, to reuse 
the data in their own briefing and research papers and to 
inform policy work and responses to consultations.  
General public  
Data are used to respond to ad-hoc requests and requests 
made under the Freedom of Information Act, to provide 
greater transparency of staffing and equalities related 
issues in NOMS. 
 
 
The main areas covered in this publication are: 
 
 
Staff in post FTE by public sector Prison Service Region and NPS Division of 
England, and Wales; by function (category of prison for the Prison Service or 
work area for NPS staff); by grade, and by establishment or LDU cluster. 
 
 
Staff in post headcount by protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. 
 
 
Joiners and leavers headcount by public sector Prison Service Region and 
NPS Division of England, and Wales; by function (category of prison); by grade 
and by protected characteristic. 
 
 
Headcount of existing NOMS staff who have re-graded to prison officer. 
 
 
Leavers headcount by reason for leaving. 
 
 

 
22
Data Sources and Data Quality  
 
The statistics in this bulletin relate to civil servants employed by the National Offender 
Management Service (NOMS). The data presented in this publication are drawn from the 
Oracle Human Resources Management System used by NOMS, which is a live dynamic 
system, not designed for use in presenting consistent statistical figures. Although Oracle 
HRMS can generate what appear to be historical figures, subsequent updates to details of 
records on the system will only show the latest position, and not the position as it stood at 
the time in question. 
 
Information relating to staff in post, joiners and leavers is closely scrutinised, and the data 
presented in this bulletin are considered to be of high quality. Extensive validation of data 
is undertaken, and care is taken when processing and analysing the data. While the 
figures shown have been validated and independently checked, the information collected 
is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  
 
For statistical and archive purposes, monthly extracts are taken from the Oracle HRMS 
system, which allow consistent figures to be obtained for historical time points. As it is not 
uncommon for a small number of updates to the Oracle system to be implemented slightly 
in arrears, the data extracts used for statistical purposes are taken at a pre-determined 
point in time shortly after the situation date to accommodate the majority of such late 
updates whilst maintaining the timeliness of the data. While this is a standard, and indeed 
the best approach to obtain accurate and timely data from HR systems, there is the 
inevitable potential for a small number of late updates to be missed, occurring after the 
monthly extracts are captured. 
 
Certain aspects of the data held on Oracle HRMS relating to the National Probation 
Service (NPS) is not yet of the quality necessary to be included in a publication of official 
statistics. For example, the recording of NPS grades and jobs is not accurate as yet. For 
this reason only a limited breakdown of NPS grades is provided. The only role specifically 
identified in the bulletin is probation officer. 
 
Rounding Policy 
All figures in this publication are rounded to the nearest 10 to prevent disclosure issues, 
and to better represent the true accuracy of figures extracted from the Oracle database. 
Presentation of unrounded figures may overstate their true accuracy. This approach is 
consistent with the level to which the Office of National Statistics (ONS) generally present 
staffing figures. 
 
The system of Treasury Rounding has been applied whereby figures have been rounded 
to the nearest 10, with integer values ending in 5 rounded to the nearest 20 to avoid 
systematic bias. Values of 5 or fewer are suppressed and are indicated with a tilde ‘~’. 
Totals are rounded separately, and as such may not equal the sum of the rounded parts. 
Percentages and rates have been calculated from unrounded figures. This rounding policy 
has been implemented to prevent disclosure issues under the Data Protection Act 1998, 
and to better represent the true level of accuracy within HR data extracts. 
 
Under the Data Protection Act 1998, disclosure of information pertaining to specific 
individuals must not be released or have any possibility of deduction from the published 
figures or in conjunction with other data. When certain breakdowns of staffing data are 
presented, the issue of potential disclosure may appear as a result of the small numbers in 
some categories. Rounding figures eliminates this risk and ensures complete compliance 
with the Data Protection Act. 

 
23
 
Revisions Policy 
In accordance with Principle 2 of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, the Ministry of 
Justice is required to publish transparent guidance on its policy for revisions. A copy of this 
statement can be found at:  
www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/statistics/mojstats/statistics-revisions-policy.pdf 
 
The three reasons specified for statistics needing to be revised are changes in sources of 
administrative systems or methodology changes, receipt of subsequent information, and 
errors in statistical systems and processes. Each of these points, and its specific 
relevance to the NOMS Workforce Statistics Bulletin, are addressed below:  
 
1. Changes in source of administrative systems/methodology changes: 
The data within this publication come from Oracle HRMS. This document will clearly 
present where there have been revisions to data accountable to switches in methodology 
or administrative systems. In addition, statistics affected within the publication will be 
appropriately footnoted.  
 
2. Receipt of subsequent information:  
The nature of any administrative system is that data may be received late, after publication 
of a prior issue which would have been represented in that publication. For the purpose of 
this publication, this most frequently relates to the routine re-extraction of joiners and 
leavers data at the end of each quarter within the year. On each occasion that data is 
extracted this means that joiners and leavers information relating to the current financial 
year will be revised. Information prior to the final re-extraction of the joiners and leavers 
data at the end of each financial year will be denoted as provisional within the tables. 
Unless it is deemed that these processes make significant changes to the statistics 
released, revisions will only be made as part of the subsequent publication within the time 
series.  
 
3. Errors in statistical systems and processes:  
Occasionally errors can occur in statistical processes; procedures are constantly reviewed 
to minimise this risk. Should a significant error be found, the publication on the website will 
be updated and an errata slip published documenting the revision.  
 
Revised figures will be indicated with an ‘(r)’ superscript beside each figure affected. 
Explanatory notes - Symbols and conventions  
 
The following symbols are used within the tables in this bulletin: 
 
.. 
not available  
~ 
values of five or fewer  
-  
not applicable  
(p) 
Provisional data  
(r) 
Revised data  
(e) 
Estimated data 

 
24
 

 
25
Glossary of Terms 
 
NOMS - National Offender Management Service 
 
The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is an executive agency of the 
Ministry of Justice responsible for the correctional services in England and Wales 
(separate arrangements exist in Scotland and Northern Ireland). It was created by 
combining parts of both of the headquarters of the National Probation Service and Her 
Majesty's Prison Service with some existing Home Office functions. 
 
Grades: 
Fair and Sustainable 
From April 2012 new recruits to NOMS, and staff moving into new 
roles, were employed under a new grading structure known as 'Fair 
and Sustainable'. The new structures covered all roles except for 
nurses and other healthcare staff employed on NHS terms and 
conditions and senior civil servants. The NPS is also not subject to 
Fair and Sustainable structures. In 2013/14 all existing NOMS staff 
were given the opportunity to opt in to the new structure, although 
opting in was not mandatory. There are 11 pay-bands under Fair 
and Sustainable with Band 1 being the least senior and Band 11 the 
most senior. Further detail on the roles being undertaken is given 
by a Job Description. Within this report the staff already within the 
new Bands are reported alongside the equivalent in the old grading 
structure. 
Prison Service 
Operational 
Includes Prison Officers, Supervising Officers, Custodial Managers, 
Operational Managers and Operational Support Grades. Staff within 
these grades are included as Operational even if they are currently 
fulfilling a non-operational or Headquarters role. Operational roles in 
the old grading structure also include Senior Officers and Principal 
Officers. In Fair and Sustainable structures operational staff fill roles 
at Band 2 to Band 11 and are identified as operational by Job 
Description. This group relates to staff outside of the NPS only. 
HM Prison Service 
and NOMS HQ Non 
Operational 
Refers to staff in all grades outside of the NPS and who are not 
included within the Operational group. Non-operational roles within 
the new Fair and Sustainable structures include roles at Band 1 to 
Band 11 and also include staff on NHS terms and conditions and 
senior civil servants 
National Probation 
Service Grades 
These are grades filled by staff who have transferred into NOMS 
from former Probation Trusts or who have joined the NPS since 
June 2014. They cover a range of roles within the NPS. Grades are 
organised into 10 Bands, these are Bands 1 to 6 and then Bands A 
to D. 
Senior Civil Servant 
Members of the Senior Civil Service in NOMS include the Chief 
Executive Officer, Directors and some leaders reporting directly to 
Directors, at senior civil service pay bands 1, 2 and 3. 
Bands 9-11 / Senior 
Managers 
Treasury equivalent grades 6 and 7. Typically unit and team 
leaders. These staff within the new Fair and Sustainable structures 
include roles at Band 9 to Band 11 
Bands 5-8 / 
Managers 
Treasury Equivalent grades of Higher Executive Officer (HEO) and 
Senior Executive Officer (SEO), which in general have line 
management responsibility. They cover a range of work within 
NOMS, including administration, operational management and 
professional and technical roles. Manager grade psychologists are 

 
26
reported under Psychology rather than as managers. Managers 
within the new Fair and Sustainable structures include roles at Band 
5 to Band 8. Amongst operational staff only these roles begin at 
Fair and Sustainable Band 6. Operational staff at Band 5 are 
reported separately as Band 5 / Custodial Managers. 
Band 4 / Executive 
Officer 
Administrative staff based either in establishments or Headquarters, 
sometimes with line-management responsibilities. These staff within 
the new Fair and Sustainable structures are at Band 4. 
Band 3 / 
Administrative Officer 
Business 
Administrator 
roles 
either 
in 
establishments 
or 
Headquarters. The role has no line management responsibilities. 
These staff within the new Fair and Sustainable structures are at 
Band 3. 
Band 2 / 
Administrative 
Assistant 
Provide administrative support in both establishments and 
Headquarters. They have no line management responsibility. These 
staff within the new Fair and Sustainable structures are at Band 2. 
Other Admin 
Administrative staff within other roles not described above such as 
secretaries and typists. These staff within the new Fair and 
Sustainable structures can fill roles at Band 2 to Band 4. 
Psychology 
Includes psychologists of all grades, Trainee Psychologists, and 
Psychological Assistants (who do not undertake psychological 
work, but offer administrative support to psychologists). Within the 
new Fair and Sustainable structures psychology roles include Band 
4 to Band 10. 
Chaplaincy 
Chaplaincy is committed to serving the needs of prisoners, staff and 
faith communities. Chaplains from a wide range of faith traditions 
work within the public sector Prison Service, including Buddhist, 
Church of England, Free Church, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Roman 
Catholic, and Sikh. A substantial amount of these services are 
provided by non-employed staff on a sessional basis, which are not 
included in the figures presented in this report. Chaplains will fill 
roles in Bands 5 and 7 under the new Fair and Sustainable 
structures. 
Healthcare - Nursing 
Grades 
NHS Nursing Grades working within NOMS. The majority of the 
work is primary care but because of the sometimes complex nature 
of the prisoners' problems work ranges from substance misuse, 
management of communicable diseases, mental health etc. The 
majority of nurses working within prisons are employed through 
Clinical Commissioning Groups and therefore will not appear in the 
figures contained in this report. 
Healthcare - Other 
healthcare 
Other staff working in healthcare within NOMS such as 
pharmacists, medical technical offices and medical officers. The 
majority of these staff working in prisons are employed through 
Clinical Commissioning Groups and therefore will not appear in the 
figures contained in this report. 
Industrial / Facilities 
Employed in areas such as works departments, kitchens, waste 
management and land-based activities. Industrials fill roles in Band 
2 to Band 4 under the Fair and Sustainable structures. 
Other Grades 
These staff cover a range of other roles within NOMS, including 
instructional officers, work in stores, land-based activities and 
catering. The roles are typically below manager level and cover 
Band 1 to Band 4 under the new Fair and Sustainable structures. 

 
27
Band 5 / Custodial 
Managers 
This category represents the continuation of the principal officer 
grade as custodial managers under the 'Fair and Sustainable' 
structures. The principal officer grade was closed to new entrants, 
as of 2010. In 2010 Principal Officers were offered employment as 
Developing Prison Service Managers (non-uniformed). Those that 
declined this offer remained as Principal Officers, however 
recruitment to this rank has closed. Under the 'Fair and Sustainable' 
structures there is a new role at Band 5 of Custodial Manager, 
which encompasses much of the work previously carried out by 
Principal Officers. 
Band 4 / Supervising 
Officer 
This category represents the continuation from the senior officer 
grade to the new grades under the 'Fair and Sustainable' structures 
of supervising officer and also prison officer specialist roles. The 
closed grade of senior officer had line management for prison 
officers, operational support grades and other staff within their area 
of responsibility. They manage delivery of the regime, work routines 
and activities appropriate to their area of responsibility and the 
wider establishment when acting as the orderly officer. Under Fair 
and Sustainable there is a new role at Band 4 of Supervising Officer 
which encompasses some of the work previously carried out by 
senior officers although they no longer line-manage prison officers 
directly.  
Band 3-4 / Prison 
Officer (incl 
specialists) 
Prison Officers work directly with prisoners, supervising and 
managing activities, promoting pro social behaviour, encouraging 
prisoners to address their offending behaviour and ensure that all 
Prison Service rules, orders and instructions are followed. Under 
Fair and Sustainable prison officers fill Band 3 operational roles. 
Some prison officers have a specialism such as physical education, 
instruction or catering. Prior to 'Fair and Sustainable' specialist 
officers received an allowance for their specialism while they now 
receive no allowance but are banded as Band 4s. 
Band 2 / Operational 
Support 
Operational Support Grades are employed on a wide variety of 
duties. These include: checking in visitors , supervision of visitors, 
patrolling perimeter and grounds, supervising small selected 
prisoner work parties, escorting contractors & vehicles, searching 
buildings, searching prisoners property, stores duties, routine 
administrative work, night patrol duties, drivers and navigators, 
switchboard duties, canteen and kit exchange duties, Emergency 
Control Room (ECR) and Communications Room, personal safety, 
rub down searching of prisoners. Under Fair and Sustainable 
Operational Support Roles are at Band 2. 
Bands A to D 
These are Assistant Chief Officers, the most senior staff within the 
NPS, who cover a range of managerial functions such as high level 
ICT roles and heads of Local Delivery Units (NPS and CRCs). 
Specific roles within the NPS include Heads of Public Protection, 
Divisional Training managers and Heads of ICT Support. 
Probation Officer 
Professionally qualified staff. They carry out the following tasks; 
assessment of offenders of any category (including high risk), 
preparation of court reports and sentence plans, implementation of 
interventions, supervision of offenders and enforcement action as 
necessary. They also have a stakeholder liaison role. 
Other Band 4-6 
Probation Band 6 roles include Local Delivery Unit Managers, 
Approved Premises Managers and Area Managers. 
 

 
28
Probation Band 5 roles include Senior Probation Officers (courts, 
LDUs and Offender Managers) plus managers in HR, IT and 
Finance. 
 
Probation Band 4 roles outside of probation Officers themselves 
can be in HR, IT, Finance and Assistant managers in the Approved 
Premises. 
Bands 1 to 3 
Probation Band 3 staff work in roles including administration, HR, 
finance, Approved Premises, IT and Unpaid Work. The largest 
group is the Probation Services Officers (PSOs) who are Offender 
Managers for medium and low risk offenders. Staff studying under 
the probation qualifications framework (PQF) towards becoming 
fully qualified probation officers are also categorised as PSOs. 
There are also administration and secretarial staff, court staff, 
trainers and those who deal with case administration, ViSOR (sex 
offender’s register) and victims. 
 
Probation Band 2 roles are mostly case administrators, drivers, 
approved premises night staff, receptionists and clerical staff.  
 
Probation 
Band 
1 
roles 
include 
administration, 
catering, 
telephonists and IT positions. 
   
Category: 
HQ (Headquarters) 
The Headquarters function of NOMS. Staff are based in London 
and at various offices across England and Wales but work on the 
central administration of NOMS. Central administration includes 
management of establishments through Deputy Directors of 
Custody offices. 
Area Services 
These are units that operate on a regional or sometimes national 
basis but provide services directly to establishments and where 
staff are often based within establishments. 
HQ and Area 
Services 
The combination of current definitions of HQ and Area Services, as 
it corresponds with definition of HQ prior to March 2013 within 
statistical reporting, thus enabling continuity of figures. 
Establishments 
Public Sector Prison Service Establishments. These include 
prisons, 
young 
offender 
institutions, 
remand 
centres 
and 
immigration removal centres operated on behalf on the UK Borders 
Agency. 
Male category B 
Male category C 
Female closed 
Closed training prisons provide a range of facilities for category B 
and category C adult male prisoners and closed condition adult 
females who are serving medium to long-term sentences. Prisoners 
tend to be employed in a variety of activities such as prison 
workshops, gardens and education and in offending behaviour 
programmes. 
Male dispersal 
These prisons hold the most difficult and dangerous prisoners in 
England and Wales including those assessed as category A. They 
serve to spread the category A population, ensuring that the most 
dangerous prisoners are not concentrated in a single establishment, 
thereby reducing the risks involved in holding them. 
Female local 
Male local 
Local prisons serve the courts and receive remand and post 
conviction 
prisoners, 
prior 
to 
their 
allocation 
to 
other 
establishments. 

 
29
Female open 
Male open 
Open prisons house category D adult male prisoners and open 
condition adult females whose risk of absconding is considered to 
be low, or who are of little risk to the public because of the nature of 
their offence. Open prisons also house long-term prisoners who are 
coming towards the end of their sentence and who have gradually 
worked their way down the categories. Open prisons are part of the 
resettlement programme to reintegrate prisoners back into society. 
Whilst open prisons may have some workshop facilities, some of 
the prisoners will work in the community, returning to the prison in 
the evening. 
Male closed YOI 
(ages 15-21) 
Young offender institutions (YOIs) holding young adults (18 to 21 
years old). May also include young people (aged 15 to 17) who are 
held separately from adults within the establishment. 
Male YOI young 
people (ages 15-17) 
Young offender institutions (YOIs) holding young people (15 to 17 
years old). 
Male open YOI 
Open YOI prisons house young adult prisoners whose risk of 
absconding is considered to be low, or who are of little risk to the 
public because of the nature of their offence. 
Semi open 
Semi open prisons (also known as resettlement prisons) serve a 
similar function to open prisons, though they are aimed at resettling 
long-term prisoners rather than those who may have been classified 
as category D from the outset. Prisoners may, subject to an 
assessment of risk, undertake community or paid work. 
Cluster 
Cluster prisons may contain a number of prisons with different 
functions. 
   
Work Area: 
Work area describes, broadly, the work that the target role 
encompasses and then the fact the staff member is, broadly, doing 
that type of role. For workforce planning purposes it represents the 
amount of work that is required and what work staff are doing in any 
reference period. If a staff member was to move roles then their 
'work area' would change also. 
Offender 
Management 
NPS staff primarily delivering probation activities to manage and 
supervise high risk offenders in the community and in preparation 
for release into the community. 
Courts 
NPS staff primarily delivering probation activities to Courts, 
including Pre Sentence Reports, Initial offender assessment, 
Breach reports, and case allocation. 
Approved Premises 
NPS staff delivering services to offenders housed in the community, 
as a transition environment from custody to the community. 
Victims 
NPS staff primarily delivering post sentence liaison services to 
victims of violent and sexual offences. 
Programmes 
NPS staff primarily delivering sex offender accredited programmes. 
Other Interventions 
NPS staff primarily delivering probation interventions to change and 
control offenders. 
Other or Blank 
There are a range of other work areas NPS staff can be allocated to 
relating to staff working in Prison Service establishments, NOMS 
HQ or local authority Youth Offending Teams. 
  
  
DDC – Deputy 
Director of Custody 
Senior 
managers 
responsible 
for 
the 
line-management 
of 
establishments organised either regionally or for Wales or for all 
High Security Prisons or for the Young People’s Estate. 
Prison Service 
Region 
The regional management structure used within NOMS. Wales is 
managed as a region as are the High Security prisons and the 

 
30
Young People’s Estate.  
NPS Division 
The regional management structure used within the NPS and which 
consists of a number of local delivery units. Wales appears 
alongside the divisions of England although it is managed through 
the NOMS in Wales directorate. 
LDU Cluster 
A grouping of NPS local delivery units organised together for 
management purposes. 
High Security Prisons 
Prisons holding Category A prisoners, managed as a separate 
region although geographically spread across England and Wales. 
Young People’s 
Estate 
Establishments holding young people, managed as a separate 
region although geographically spread across England and Wales. 
Staff In Post 
The number of staff with a contract of employment with NOMS, 
excludes those on career breaks and those on secondment or loan 
outside of NOMS but includes staff on secondment or loan into 
NOMS. Staff in post can be measured on either a headcount or full-
time equivalent basis. 
 
Only staff in the public sector Prison Service NOMS HQ and NPS 
are directly employed by NOMS and therefore staffing in private 
sector establishments, community rehabilitation companies and 
other contractors are excluded. The public sector Prison Service 
includes a number of Immigration Removal Centres that are 
operated by NOMS on behalf of the Home Office and staffing within 
these establishments is included. 
Joiners 
All those individuals newly externally recruited into a post. This 
includes those newly recruited from outside the Civil Service, those 
returning to the department who had previously left the department, 
those transferring to a post from another Government Department 
(including the central Ministry of Justice) on a permanent basis, but 
not those on secondment or transfers/promotions from within the 
department itself. 
Internal Conversions 
of Existing NOMS 
Staff to Prison Officer 
These figures relate to existing NOMS staff who have become 
prison officers. These figures are provided in addition to new officer 
recruits to provide a complete picture of the recruitment of officers. 
The staff involved are not however, counted amongst either joiners 
or leavers into or out of NOMS. 
Leavers 
All those individuals leaving a post and ceasing to work for NOMS 
for any reason. This does not include those taking up external posts 
on secondment, who would be expected to return or those taking a 
career break. Staff who transfer out of NOMS as a result of 
machinery of Government changes are generally not included 
within leaver numbers. Staff moving to the private sector as part of 
a transfer of control of an entire establishment are also generally 
not included as leavers. 
FTE – Full Time 
Equivalent 
This is a measure of the staffing resource available based on 
contracted hours. Where a member of staff works the standard 
hours for their grade they are counted as full-time (1 FTE). Staff 
who work less than standard hours are allocated an FTE in 
proportion to their contracted hours and the standard hours for the 
grade. Additional work undertaken in addition to standard hours, 
such as overtime is not taken into account in calculating FTE. 

 
31
Headcount 
Headcount means the actual number of individuals within the 
workforce. Both part-time and full-time individuals are counted 
equally, irrespective of the number of hours worked. Headcount is 
the preferred measure in counting the population for a basic 
demographics profile and analysis of equality and diversity data. 
Headcount is preferred also when looking at the number of 
individuals joining or leaving the department, as the FTE of an 
individual at the point of joining or leaving often is not reflective of 
the FTE the same individual had or will have during the period for 
which they are in post. 
Protected 
Characteristic 
The 
Equality 
Act 
2010 
introduced 
the 
term 
"protected 
characteristics" to refer to groups that are protected under the Act. 
These are: Age, Disability, Ethnicity/Race, Gender, Gender 
Reassignment, Marriage and Civil Partnership, Pregnancy and 
Maternity, Religion or Belief, Sexual Orientation 
BME 
Black and Minority Ethnic. This is a standard term used across 
Government and in wider society to describe collectively all those 
declaring themselves to be of a non-white background. Any 
individuals describing themselves as 'White British', 'White English', 
'White Welsh', White Scottish, 'White Irish', 'White Irish Traveller', or 
'White Other' will not be classified as BME, on the basis that each of 
these elements constitutes the majority ethnic grouping of the UK. 
The 
nationality 
of 
these 
individuals 
is 
irrelevant. 
All other declarations will be recorded as of a Black or Minority 
Ethnic (BME) origin, on the basic principle that they will all be part 
of a grouping which is not of the UK ethnic majority as defined 
above. 
Unknown 
The unknown category against protected characteristics includes 
those who have actively stated that they prefer not to disclose 
information on the protected characteristic, those who have not 
provided any response and those who have not been asked to 
declare. 
LGB 
Lesbian, gay and bisexual. 
Declaration Rate 
The percentage of staff in post headcount who have actively made 
a declaration within a protected characteristic (excluding those who 
specified that they chose not to declare). 
Representation Rate 
The percentage of staff that are, or have made a declaration that 
they are in a particular category or group of categories (usually a 
minority group) within a protected characteristic. Where the 
declaration rate is less than 100%, the percentage is of all those 
with a known declaration, excluding all unknown, not declared, not 
surveyed and those who have chosen not to declare. This is the 
best estimate of the actual representation of the group in question 
within the population. However, as the proportion of staff making 
declarations decreases, the accuracy of the representation rate is 
likely to decrease, as members of some groups may be less likely 
to choose to declare than others. Therefore where the declaration 
rate is less than a minimum threshold of 60%, a representation rate 
is not given as it is not likely to have any meaningful indication of 
the actual representation within the population in question. 
Resignation 
Staff who have tendered their resignation from NOMS. 
Retirement 
Staff who retire from NOMS and take part or all of their pension. 
This will normally be at or beyond minimum retirement age but 
could be earlier. Staff taking medical retirement are not included as 

 
32
retirements. This will not include staff who immediately return as re-
employed pensioners.  
Medical retirement 
Staff who retire for medical reasons after occupational physician ill-
health retirement consideration and where ill-health retirement has 
been granted after a Capita report. 
Voluntary exit 
This can be offered where the organisation wishes to reduce staff 
numbers by offering an early exit scheme or an early exit package 
to an individual. There is no compulsion on individuals to accept the 
offer. There is a standard tariff of 1 month’s pay per year of service 
up to a maximum of 21 months for those under scheme pension 
age. Employers may offer more or less than the standard tariff 
subject to limits. Tapering of compensation will apply where the 
member is close to scheme pension age. For those over scheme 
pension age there is a maximum of 6 months pay.  
Voluntary 
redundancy 
When a redundancy scheme is offered, the employer will decide 
who they want to let go and what selection criteria is used. It is not 
necessary to apply for voluntary redundancy. Those who do apply 
do not have to accept the offer to go. However, the employer could 
make those individuals compulsorily redundant at a later stage. 
Those who apply for voluntary redundancy but the employer does 
not select, cannot be made to leave under compulsory terms for 
that exercise. Those who accept voluntary redundancy will receive 
a cash payment as compensation. 
Compulsory 
redundancy 
Before the employer can serve a redundancy notice, they will have 
followed the protocols for handling surplus staff situations or a 
similar process. A voluntary redundancy scheme must have already 
been offered and must be linked to the compulsory redundancy 
scheme, covering the same staff. Those made compulsorily 
redundant will receive a cash payment as compensation.  
Dismissal 
Staff can be dismissed for reasons of conduct, poor performance, 
medical inefficiency and unsatisfactory attendance. Medical 
inefficiency occurs in situations when it becomes clear that a 
member of staff is absent and will not return to work in an 
acceptable timescale or is unable to give regular and effective 
service in the duties of their grade under Civil Service guidelines. 
Dismissal as a result of unsatisfactory attendance relates to staff 
who have been through the unsatisfactory attendance procedures. 
Transfer to other 
Government 
department 
Transfer to another Government Department as a civil servant, 
including other parts of the Ministry of Justice outside of NOMS as a 
result of individual arrangements. Does not cover machinery of 
Government movements. 
Public Sector transfer 
These represent movements of staff to other employers within the 
public sector other than transfers to another Government 
Department as a civil servant.  
Other Leavers 
Other leavers mainly consist of transfers to Other Government 
Departments and end of temporary contracts. Where movements 
are the result of structural changes involving parts of the 
organisational moving out from NOMS they are not counted as 
leavers. 
 
 
 
 
 

 
33
Contact points  
 
Press enquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Justice press office:  
Tel: xx-xxxx-xxxx  
 
Other enquiries about these statistics should be directed to:  
 
Paul Le Faye 
Planning and Analysis Group  
NOMS Agency  
Clive House  
70 Petty France  
London  
SW1H 9EX  
 
 
General enquiries about the statistical work of the Ministry of Justice can be emailed to: 
mailto:xxx@xxx.xx  
 
General information about the official statistics system of the UK is available from 
statisticsauthority.gov.uk/about-the-authority/uk-statistical-system 
  
 
Ministry of Justice publishes data relating to offender management in England and Wales. 
Equivalent statistics for Scotland and Northern Ireland can be found at:  
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice  
www.dojni.gov.uk/index/statistics-research/stats-research-publications.htm  
 
 
 
Alternative formats are available on request from xxx@xxx.xx  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© Crown copyright.  
Produced by the National Offender Management Service, Ministry of Justice. 

 
34
List of Tables 
 
 
Table 1: NOMS Staff in Post, by Prison Service Region and Wales and NPS Division (Full Time Equivalent) 
 
 
Table 2: NOMS staff in post, by Function (Full Time Equivalent) 
 
 
Table 3: NOMS staff in post, by Grade (Full Time Equivalent) 
 
 
Table 4: NOMS staff in post, by Protected Characteristic (Headcount) 
 
 
Table 5a: NOMS joiners, by Prison Service Region and Wales and NPS Division (Headcount) 
 
 
Table 5b: NOMS leavers, by Prison Service Region and Wales and NPS Division (Headcount) 
 
 
Table 6a: NOMS joiners, by Function of Establishment (Headcount) 
 
 
Table 6b: NOMS leavers, by Function of Establishment (Headcount) 
 
 
Table 7a: NOMS joiners, by Grade (Headcount) 
 
 
Table 7b: Internal Conversions of Existing NOMS Staff to Prison Officer 
 
 
Table 7c: NOMS leavers, by Grade (Headcount) 
 
 
Table 8a: NOMS joiners, by Protected Characteristic (Headcount) 
 
 
Table 8b: NOMS leavers, by Protected Characteristic (Headcount) 
 
 
Table 9a: NOMS leavers, by Reason for Leaving (Headcount) 
 
 
Table 9b: Prison Officer and Probation Officer leavers, by Reason for Leaving and Grade (Headcount) 
 
 
Table 9c: NOMS leavers, by Reason for Leaving and Region (Headcount) 
 
 
Table 10: Snapshot of NOMS staff in post, by Establishment (Full Time Equivalent) 
 
 
Table 11: Snapshot of NPS Staff in Post, by LDU Cluster (Full Time Equivalent)