The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FoI)
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FoI) promotes a culture of openness throughout the public sector. It gives the public a right of access to information held by public authorities such as Partnerships for Schools (PfS). This legislation came into force in January 2005.
The Act gives a general right of access to all types of recorded information held by public authorities, e.g. E-mail, written records, etc. It sets out exemptions from that right and places an obligation on public authorities to provide this information when asked.
PfS is a public body and must respond to any person who makes a request for information, making it available, subject to exemptions and sometimes at a cost, if that information is held.
The rights of individuals to see information held about themselves is not affected by FoI legislation; it remains accessible under the Data Protection Act 1998.
What will not be published
It will not always be appropriate to publish information and it is our policy not to disclose information where to do so would compromise legitimate interests, such as:
- the confidentiality and protection of sensitive and confidential information in certain circumstances as set out in the Code of Practice and the FoI Act;
- the formulation of government policy – PfS works closely with the Department for Education, local authorities and other government agencies; again, some of this information must remain confidential;
- an individual’s right to privacy; we will not disclose anything if to do so would infringe the Data Protection Act;
- the security of a building or its occupants;
- continuing contract or tender negotiations;
- information intended for future publication – we recognise that most information we hold can be released at some stage; however, we will not publish or disclose items prematurely.
Some publications will have been edited or redacted for publication; we have made this clear in cases where information has been removed and have explained the decision.
Requesting Information
You can submit a FoI request by contacting our Corporate Affairs Team [email protected]. You should provide a name and address for correspondence and a description of the information you would like to see. You can also write to the Parliamentary Affairs Manager at our London office:
Parliamentary Affairs Manager
Partnerships for Schools
33 Greycoat Street
London, SW1P 2QF
Disclosure Log
The FoI disclosure log is a selective log of information provided by PfS in response to requests for information since the FoI Act came into full force on 1 January 2005. The log is divided into topics. Each response consists of a summary of the request, the information provided in response and the date on which the information was disclosed.
Click here to access disclosure LogComplaints and the Information Commissioner
Complaints about whether PfS is making enough information public should be addressed to the Corporate Affairs Team (link to [email protected]) in the first instance.
Responsibility for enforcing the Freedom of Information Act across public authorities rests with the Information Commissioner.
The Information Commissioner's role is to:
- promote good practice;
- approve and assist in the preparation of publication schemes;
- provide information about the public’s rights under the Act; and,
- enforce compliance with the Act.
The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
WILMSLOW
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Information Line: 01625 545745
Switchboard: 01625 545700
Fax: 01625 524510
Fax: 01625 524510
e-mail:
[email protected]