Freedom of Information Policy

Changing Lives Independent School is committed to the Freedom of Information Act 2000, which came into force on 1st January 2005. Our school is committed to the principles of accountability and the general right of access to information, subject to legal exemptions.

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, any person has a legal right to ask for access to information held by the school. They are entitled to be told whether the school holds the information, and to receive a copy, subject to certain exemptions.

In order to comply with the requirements of the Act, the school has adopted the Model Publication Scheme as approved by the Information Commissioner’s Office (Appendix 1):
Model Publication Scheme PDF

The publication scheme covers the school’s commitment on the following points:

• To proactively publish, or otherwise make available as a matter of routine, information which is held by the school and falls within the classifications below
• To specify the information that is held by the school and falls within the classifications below
• To proactively publish or otherwise make available as a matter of routine, information in line with the statements contained within this scheme
• To produce and publish the methods by which the specific information is made routinely available so that it can be easily identified and accessed by members of the public
• To review and update on a regular basis the information the school makes available under this scheme
• To produce a schedule of any fees charged for access to information which is made proactively available
• To make this publication scheme available to the public

All information in the Publication Scheme is available in paper form.

The Publication Scheme is a guide to the information which is currently published (or has recently been published) or which we will publish in the future. This information is available on the website:
https://carrington-rc.com/independent-school/

The classes of information will not generally include:

• Information the disclosure of which is prevented by law, or exempt under the Freedom of Information Act, or is otherwise properly considered to be protected from disclosure (including information protected by the Data Protection Act).
• Information that is no longer readily available as it is contained in files that have been placed in archive storage, or is difficult to access for similar reasons.

Information that is not published under the scheme can be requested by e-mail or letter. All requests will be considered in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

Data Protection Officer
Address: Nursery Farm, Isherwood Rd, Carrington, Manchester M31 4BH
Email: carringtonridingcentre@live.co.uk
Telephone: 0161 969 5853

Please make the subject of your request “Publication Scheme Request”.

Information published on the school’s website is free. Single copies of information covered by this publication are provided free unless stated otherwise. However, there may be a charge if the request:

• Requires a lot of printing or photocopying
• Incurs a large postage charge
• Requires a priced item (e.g., some printed publication or video)

In such instances, you will be notified in advance.

We welcome any comments or suggestions you may have about the scheme. If you want to make any comments about this publication scheme or if you require further assistance or wish to make a complaint then initially this should be addressed to the head teacher.

If you are not satisfied with the assistance that you receive and want to make a formal complaint, this should be addressed to the Information Commissioner’s Office at:

Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
Enquiry Information Line: 01625 545700
Email: publications@ic-foi.demon.co.uk
Website: www.ico.gov.uk

This model publication scheme has been prepared and approved by the Information Commissioner. It may be adopted without modification by any public authority without further approval and will be valid until further notice.

The scheme commits an authority:

• To proactively publish or otherwise make available as a matter of routine, information, including environmental information, which is held by the authority and falls within the classifications below.
• To specify the information which is held by the authority and falls within the classifications below.
• To produce and publish the methods by which the specific information is made routinely available so that it can be easily identified and accessed by members of the public.
• To review and update on a regular basis the information the authority makes available under this scheme.
• To produce a schedule of any fees charged for access to information which is made proactively available.
• To make this publication scheme available to the public.
• To publish any dataset held by the authority that has been requested, and any updated versions it holds, unless the authority is satisfied that it is not appropriate to do so; to publish the dataset, where reasonably practicable, in an electronic form that is capable of re-use; and, if any information in the dataset is a relevant copyright work and the public authority is the only owner, to make the information available for re-use under the terms of the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015, if they apply, and otherwise under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act section 19.

• Who we are and what we do: Organisational information, locations and contacts, constitutional and legal governance.
• What we spend and how we spend it: Financial information relating to projected and actual income and expenditure, tendering, procurement and contracts.
• What our priorities are and how we are doing: Strategy and performance information, plans, assessments, inspections and reviews.
• How we make decisions: Policy proposals and decisions. Decision making processes, internal criteria and procedures, consultations.
• Our policies and procedures: Current written protocols for delivering our functions and responsibilities.
• Lists and registers: Information held in registers required by law and other lists and registers relating to the functions of the authority.
• The services we offer: Advice and guidance, booklets and leaflets, transactions and media releases. A description of the services offered.

The classes of information will not generally include:

• Information the disclosure of which is prevented by law, or exempt under the Freedom of Information Act, or is otherwise properly considered to be protected from disclosure.
• Information in draft form.
• Information that is no longer readily available as it is contained in files that have been placed in archive storage, or is difficult to access for similar reasons.

The authority will indicate clearly to the public what information is covered by this scheme and how it can be obtained.

Where it is within the capability of a public authority, information will be provided on a website. Where it is impracticable to make information available on a website or when an individual does not wish to access the information by the website, a public authority will indicate how information can be obtained by other means and provide it by those means.

In exceptional circumstances some information may be available only by viewing in person. Where this manner is specified, contact details will be provided. An appointment to view the information will be arranged within a reasonable timescale.

Information will be provided in the language in which it is held or in such other language that is legally required. Obligations under disability and discrimination legislation and any other legislation to provide information in other forms and formats will be adhered to when providing information in accordance with this scheme.

Information held by a public authority that is not published under this scheme can be requested in writing, when its provision will be considered in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.