Attainment data for the 3 strands making up overall English results

Summary

The requester sought detailed Year 6 English attainment percentages for Speaking and Listening, Reading, and Writing for 2013-2016, but the Department of Education refused to provide retrospective data for 2013-2015 as it would require creating new analysis, while providing links to available 2016 and 2017 reports.

Key Facts

• The Department does not hold or cannot find the requested individual level percentages for years prior to 2016 without undertaking new analysis.
• Providing the data would violate Section 11 of the Freedom of Information Act as it requires creating or deriving information.
• The Department provided links to existing KS2 data reports for the academic years 2015-16 and 2017.
• The authority maintains a policy against adopting league tables as a single formal measure for school performance.
• The request was partially upheld with a practical refusal for the specific retrospective data requested.

Data Disclosed

• 2018-06-11
• 2018-07-23
• 2013
• 2014
• 2015
• 2016
• 2017
• Level 5
• Level 6
• Level 7
• Year 6
• 500233
• 2017/0003
• Section 8
• Section 11
• Part 2

Exemptions Cited

• Section 11 of the Freedom of Information Act (practical refusal reason for creating or deriving information)
• Section 8 of the Freedom of Information Act (reference to the obligation not to create information)

Original Request

Further to the publication, following the Information Commissioner's Decision Notice number 2017/0003, of the Level 5+ data for all pupils completing Year 6 for each on Island Primary School, I write to seek the percentages of pupils achieving Level 5, Level 6 and Level 7 for the following individually assessed areas (rather than the overall level for "English") for all pupils completing Year 6 at each on Island Primary School for the academic years ending July 2013, July 2014, July 2015 and July 2016: Speaking and Listening Reading Writing

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: 500233 9 July 2018

Dear ###

We write further to your request which was received on 11 June 2018 and which states:

"Further to the publication, following the Information Commissioner's Decision Notice number 2017/0003, of the Level 5+ data for all pupils completing Year 6 for each on Island Primary School, I write to seek the percentages of pupils achieving Level 5, Level 6 and Level 7 for the following individually assessed areas (rather than the overall level for "English") for all pupils completing Year 6 at each on Island Primary School for the academic years ending July 2013, July 2014, July 2015 and July 2016: Speaking and Listening, Reading, Writing"

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Department does not hold or cannot currently, after taking reasonable steps to do so, find all of the information that you have requested. This is because there is no requirement for the Department to analyse individual level percentages above level 5 and for retrospective years as sought in your request, apart from exercises completed in 2016 and 2017, details of which can be found in the following links:- https://www.gov.im/media/1353859/iom-dec-ks2-levels-english-maths-science-2015- 16.pdf https://www.gov.im/media/1361976/iom-ks2-data-2017.pdf To provide all of the information you have requested would require the Department to do something it is not required to do under section 8 of the Freedom of Information Act (the Act), namely to:- • specifically create or derive information from information that it holds, • undertake research into, or analysis of, information that it holds, • undertake substantial compilation of information or collation of information that it holds.

Your request is therefore subject to a practical refusal reason under section 11 of the Act. For information some further KS2 data is also available via the following link to the Department’s website:- https://www.gov.im/media/1354772/ks2-attainment-figures_data.pdf Whilst the Department is happy to provide the information in the links above we would draw your attention to the Department’s policy not to adopt league tables as a single formal measure to assess the performance of local schools. In this regard you may find the information paper available via the following link of interest:- https://www.gov.im/media/1359585/arguments-against-league-tables-december- 2017.pdf Please quote the reference number 500233 in any future communications.

Your right to request a review If you are unhappy with this response to your freedom of information request, you may ask us to carry out an internal review of the response, by completing a complaint form and submitting it electronically or by delivery/post.

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. Further information about freedom of information requests can be found at www.gov.im/foi. Should you have any queries concerning this letter, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will now close your request as of this date.

Yours sincerely

Head of Corporate Services