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The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000 provides public access to information held by public authorities. It does this in two ways: public authorities are obliged to publish certain information about their activities; and. members of the public are entitled to request information from public authorities. The Act was introduced to promote greater openness and accountability across the public sector, including schools, and requires all schools to be clear and proactive about the information they will make public. Schools must publish a ‘publication scheme’ which sets out:
Our publication scheme conforms to the model scheme for schools approved by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Categories of Information The publication scheme guides you to information which we make available to the general public. This information is divided into categories or ‘classes’. The classes of information under which we make information available are:
Please note that the school’s obligations to provide information to and about individuals (subjects) as part of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) are covered under a separate policy. Information about Data Protection and GDPR can be found here. Please note that information about individuals, including pupils, staff, governors or parents, is exempt from release under both the FOIA and GDPR. School Prospectus From September 2012, schools are no longer required to publish a separate or printed prospectus given that most of the information of interest to new parents will be available on the school’s website. Information which may be of interest to new parents or the general public, can be found here. Governors’ Documents Information about the governance of the school, including the Instrument of Government, governing body structure, and membership of the Governing Body can be found here. On request, the school will provide:
Curriculum and Pupils A range of information related to the school’s curriculum and pupils can be found via the following pages:
School Policies A number of statutory school policies are available here. Other policies are available on request. Requesting Information Most of the information published on our website is in downloadable and printable form. Some of the website pages can be printed via the printer option at the foot of a page (this will generate a PDF document). The school will provide single printed copies of any of the information published on the website on request. If you cannot find the information you are looking for, please contact the school directly to see if it is available or to request it. Freedom of Information Requests If the information you are seeking is not evident via the scheme or on our website, then your can submit a Freedom of Information (FOI) Request to the school. This must be in writing (including a return postal address) or by email (it will be assumed that the school can return information by e-mail.) The school has to respond to a Freedom of Information request within 20 working days (not including public or school holidays). In responding to a FOI request, the school will provide information unless:
Exemptions The FOI Act contains a number of exemptions whereby information can be withheld. We will withhold information if it falls within one or more of these exemptions. A full list of exemptions is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-freedom-of-information/refusing-a-request/ Charges The school will provide a single copy of any page of its website or other documentation which can be released free of charge. Should the request require photocopying is excess of 30 pages, the school may apply a charge.
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