KWC & Buchan Assessments
| Authority | Department of Education, Sport and Culture |
|---|---|
| Date received | 2020-02-20 |
| Outcome | Information not held |
| Outcome date | 2020-03-18 |
| Case ID | 1190549 |
Summary
The requester asked if the Department of Education, Sport and Culture conducts annual assessments on children at King Williams College and Buchan School, and where such data is held. The authority responded that no such assessments are conducted, meaning no data exists, though they provided advice that King Williams College must submit annual examination returns.
Key Facts
- The Department does not complete annual assessments of children at King Williams College.
- The Department does not complete annual assessments of children at the Buchan School.
- Consequently, no assessment data is held by the Department for these institutions.
- King Williams College is required to submit an annual return including examination information under the Independent Schools Regulations 2004.
- Schools may be inspected by the Department of Health and Social Care under section 48 of the Education Act 2001 regarding child welfare.
Data Disclosed
- 2020-02-20
- 2020-03-18
- 1190549
- 2004
- 2001
- section 48
Exemptions Cited
- Information not held (information not recorded in any form)
Original Request
Are King Williams College' children subject to annual assessments by the DESC? Are the Buchan schools children subject to annual assessments by the DESC? Were is the data from the Buchan and King Williams held? What is the purpose for keeping the data?
Data Tables (1)
Full Response Text
Corporate Services Division Department of Education, Sport and Culture Hamilton House Peel Road, Douglas IM1 5EZ Telephone: (01624) 685808 Website: www.gov.im/dec Email: dec@foi.gov.im Our ref: 1190549
18 March 2020
Dear ###,
We write further to your request which was received on 20 February 2020 and which
states:
"Are King Williams College' children subject to annual assessments by the DESC?
Are the Buchan schools children subject to annual assessments by the DESC?
Where is the data from the Buchan and King Williams held?
What is the purpose for keeping the data?
Our response to your request is as follows:
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the public
authority does not hold or cannot, after taking reasonable steps to do so, find the
information that you have requested. This is because the answers to the above
questions are not classified as information, which is defined in the Freedom of
Information Act 2015 as:
“information” includes information recorded in any form.
In this case the information is not recorded however on this occasion, by way of advice
and assistance, the Department will provide answers to your questions which we hope
will be of interest to you:
Are King Williams College' children subject to annual assessments by the DESC?
The Department does not complete annual assessments of children at King Williams
College.
Are the Buchan schools children subject to annual assessments by the DESC?
The Department does not complete annual assessments of children at the Buchan
School.
Where is the data from the Buchan and King Williams held? As indicated in the answers to questions 1 and 2 assessments are not completed by the Department therefore no assessments data is held. What is the purpose for keeping the data? As indicated in the answers to questions 1 and 2 assessments are not completed by the Department therefore no assessments data is held. By way of advice and assistance as part of the Independent Schools Regulations 2004 King Williams College are required to submit an annual return to the Department, which includes examination information such as subjects and results. In addition to this section 48 of the Education Act 2001 relates to the welfare of children accommodated in schools or colleges and the school or college may be inspected by the Department of Health and Social Care at any time under the care Act. Guidance for any future FoI requests For any future Freedom of Information requests the Department advise you to request information held as a record/recorded in any form and to follow the guidance issued by the Information Commissioner: Keep it simple, specific and focused Specifying the types of information that you're interested in (e.g. information contained in reports, minutes, or email correspondence relating to the issue)
Please quote the reference number 1190549 in any future communications.
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An electronic version of our complaint form can be found by going to our website at https://services.gov.im/freedom-of-information/Review . If you would like a paper version of our complaint form to be sent to you by post, please contact me and I will be happy to arrange for this. Your review request should explain why you are dissatisfied with this response, and should be made as soon as practicable. We will respond as soon as the review has been concluded.
If you are not satisfied with the result of the review, you then have the right to appeal to the Information Commissioner for a decision on; 1. Whether we have responded to your request for information in accordance with Part 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2015; or 2. Whether we are justified in refusing to give you the information requested.
In response to an application for review, the Information Commissioner may, at any time, attempt to resolve a matter by negotiation, conciliation, mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution and will have regard to any outcome of this in making any subsequent decision. More detailed information on your right to a review can be found on the Information Commissioner’s website at www.inforights.im. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi.
I will now close your request as of this date.
Yours sincerely
Freedom of Information Coordinator