Freedom of Information

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 came fully into force on January 1 2005.  Under the Act, any person has a legal right to ask for access to information held by public bodies, including schools.

The information a school makes routinely available should be included in their publication scheme. Other requests for information should be dealt with in accordance with the legislation and the school's policy.

The DfES have published guidance for schools, which is available on Teachernet.  By following this link, you will be able to see a checklist of actions to take on receiving a request for information, a Powerpoint presentation to help raise awareness, and the DfES Guide for Maintained Schools on full implementation of the Act.  Please note that the information on charging in the Guide for Maintained Schools has been superseded.  For more advice on charging for handling requests, see the Ministry of Justice website.

On the same Teachernet page, you will see "Retention Guidance for Schools".  This has now been updated, and the 2007 version is available from this site for you to download and use.

By clicking on the link on the left, you can find a model school policy that you can adapt and adopt for your school.

If you have a query, have a look at the Frequently Asked Questions, or contact us