| |
|
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
PUBLICATION SCHEME
Reviewed and updated May 2010
If you have an enquiry for information that that you believe is covered by the Freedom of Information Act please submit it in the first instance to:
David Smith
Vice-Principal (Corporate Services)
Chichester College
Chichester Campus
Westgate Fields
Chichester
West Sussex
PO19 1SB
E-mail david.smith@chichester.ac.uk
INTRODUCTION
1. Legal requirement
1.1 Under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the College, as a public authority, is required to adopt a publication scheme which sets out its response to the requirements of the Act. The Act promotes greater openness and accountability across the public sector by requiring all "public authorities" to make information available proactively, through a publication scheme.
2. What is a publication scheme?
2.1 A publication scheme is a document which describes the information a public authority publishes, or intends to publish. In this context, "publish" means to make information available, routinely. These descriptions are called "classes of information". The scheme is not a list of publications, because these will change as new material is published or existing material revised. It is, however, the public authorities commitment to make available the information described.
2.2 A publication scheme must set out the classes, or categories, of information published. It must also make clear how the information described can be accessed and whether or not charges will be made.
3. The ‘model’ publication scheme for further education
3.1 Chichester College has developed the model publication scheme prepared for the Further Education sector and is committed to publishing the information it describes.
3.2 This model is designed for further education colleges and sixth form colleges across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The purpose of the model is to save institutions duplicating effort in producing individual schemes and to assist the public in accessing information from across the sector. However, to reflect the diversity in size and function of institution, a number of optional classes of information are included. As a result, models within the sector will vary slightly. Any optional classes relevant to us have been included in our scheme.
4. Who we are
4.1 Chichester College is a large general further education college. Its main campus is located near to the centre of the City of Chichester. It also has a campus to the north of Pulborough with a particular focus on land-based education and training plus outreach centres in Bognor Regis and Littlehampton. The College was established by the local education authority, West Sussex County Council, in 1964 and has expanded progressively over the years. In 1993 it became an incorporated body under the provisions of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 with the status of an exempt charity. The College which is the largest provider of further education and training in West Sussex, has as its mission the objective of being World Class. It offers education and training across the full range of provision funded by the Learning and Skills Council. In addition it also contracts with the Higher Education Funding Council for England for the delivery of a range of HND and HNC courses and offers other higher education provision through franchise arrangements with a the�universities of Chichester, Portsmouth and Sussex. The College works closely with over 2,000 local employers. In 2005 the College received the Queen�s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education.
5. Accessing information covered by the publication scheme
5.1 TThe classes of information we publish are described in the second part of the scheme. Increasingly information is available to the public to download through the College website (www.chichester.ac.uk). If it is not or if you do not have access to the internet please address any requests for information to David Smith, the Publication Scheme Co-ordinator (see paragraph 5.3 below).
5.2 Next to each class we have indicated the manner in which the information described will be available. Charges will not be made for single copies of material supplied in standard formats in each class where information is available to download from the College�s website the College will not normally send out that information as paper copy.
5.3 To request information available through our publication scheme, please contact the Publication Scheme Co-ordinator, David Smith, Vice-Principal (Corporate Services) at Chichester College, Westgate Fields, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1SB (e-mail david.smith@chichester.ac.uk).
5.4 To ensure compliance with response times it is important that requests are submitted through the Publication Scheme Co-ordinator rather than to the area of the College where the information is held. Staff receiving requests under the Scheme will automatically refer them to the Co-ordinator.
5.5 Please note that a publication scheme relates to ‘published’ information. Therefore, material covered has already been prepared in a format ready for distribution.
5.6 If you are not able to obtain what your require, or if you have any questions, comments or complaints about this Scheme, please contact the Public Scheme Co-ordinator in the first instance (see 5.3 above).
6. How much do printed publications cost?
6.1Printed information on courses and services offered by the College is available free of charge, as are packs issued to people responding to notices of job vacancies. If requested we will produce publications in other formats; in these cases we will usually make a charge amounting to the cost of producing the items in the format requested and sending it, with a minimum charge of �5. In certain circumstances the College may waive the charge.
7. What about information not covered by the publication scheme?
7.1 From 1 January 2005 you will have the right, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, to request any information held by a public authority which it has not already made available through its publication scheme.
7.2 Requests will have to be made in writing and in general, public authorities will have 20 working days to respond. They may charge a fee, which will have to be calculated according to Fees Regulations. They will not be required to release information to which an exemption in the Act legitimately applies. However, public authorities may be required to explain to the applicant why they are not releasing information and they may also have to justify this to the Information Commissioner.
8. Copyright
8.1 Reproducing material supplied under this Publication Scheme without the express permission of Chichester College may be an infringement of copyright. Requests for permission to reproduce material should be made to the Publication Scheme Co-ordinator (see paragraph 5.3 above).
9. Feedback
9.1 It is important that this publication scheme meets your needs. If you find the scheme difficult to understand, please let us know. We also welcome suggestions as to how our scheme might be improved. Any questions, comments or complaints about this scheme should be sent in writing to the Publication Scheme Co-ordinator indicated in paragraph 5.3 above.
9.2 If we are unable to resolve any complaint, you can complain to the Information Commissioner, the independent body who oversees the Freedom of Information Act:
Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
MAIN GROUPS OF CLASSES OF INFORMATION
This publication scheme lists information which is available from the College. The Scheme is divided into eight main sections, each with a number of classes. The main sections are:
5. Student Administration and Support
Introduction
This section covers information relating to the way the institution is governed and how decisions are made. It includes information on the legal status of the institution, which individual member of staff or group within the organisation is responsible for specific functions and where they fit in the overall structure of the organisation. In some instances information from committee minutes will be exempt from disclosure where it contains personal information, information that may damage the commercial interests of the college or may threaten the health and safety specific individuals.
1.1 Legal Framework
This class covers information relating to how the College was established and its standing from the point of view of the law.
Class: Legal status of the College
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Corporation Status. Legal status was conferred by the Further and
Higher Education Act of 1992 available on the HMSO
Website
1.2 How the College is Organised
This class contains information relating to how the individual units of the college are organised and where each unit fits in the overall structure of the college.
Class: Organisation of the College
Availability: Website
Charge: Nil
Description: Organisational structure charts
1.3 Information on the Institutional Context
This class contains information on the college’s mission and strategy.
Class: Mission and Strategy
Availability: paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Mission statement and
Strategic plan 2009-2012 Updated May 2010
Quality assurance
plan and processes
Teaching
and Learning Strategy revised '07
Annual self-assessment reports: Cross
College, Curriculum
Areas
Development Plans: Cross
College, Curriculum
Areas
1.4 Management Structure
This class contains information classes relating to how the institution's management structure is organised and the function and purpose of each part of the management structure.
Class: Description of Statutory Bodies
Availability: paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Membership and organisation of the Governing Body
Class: Code of conduct
Availability: paper
Charge: Nil
Description: The Governing Body Code of Conduct
Class: Sub structures and committees
Availability: paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Includes - Instrument and Articles of Government
Governing Body structure and organisation
Management structure
Management meeting structures
Class: Terms of reference and mode of operation of the Governing Body and committees
Availability: Governors'
pages, website
Charge: Nil
Description Includes constitution and terms of reference of:
Audit Committee
Buildings & Estates Committee
Finance & General Purposes Committee
Governance & Search Committee
Human Resources Committee
Quality & Curriculum Committee
Remuneration Committee
Staff Committee
Student Committee
Class: Code of Practice for Elections and Committee Procedures
Availability: Website, paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Procedure for the Election of Governors
Standing orders
Class: Minutes and Papers
Availability: Governors'
pages, website
Charge: Nil
Description Includes Agenda and Minutes of the following meetings:
Governing Body
Audit Committee
Buildings & Estates Committee
Finance & General Purposes Committee
Governance & Search Committee
Human Resources Committee
Quality & Curriculum Committee
Remuneration Committee
Student Committee
Staff Committee
These will be available following approval at the next meeting.
Class: Appointment Committees and Procedures
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Governance & Search Committee
Includes constitution and terms of reference
Appointment processes
This section covers information on the College’s strategy and management of financial resources. Information that could damage the College’s commercial interests will be excluded from publication.
2.1 Finance
Class: Budgets and accounts
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Annual budget
Management accounts
Annual accounts
Class: Contracting
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Financial regulations
Class: Procurement arrangements
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Financial regulations
Class: Insurance
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Statement of cover
Annual claims report
Class: Pensions
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Information on pension schemes offered to staff
Class: Remuneration of Senior Staff
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Annual accounts
Class: Travel and Subsistence
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Travel and subsistence expenses scheme
2.2 Resource Planning
Class: Financial planning
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Annual budget process
Programme planning process
Financial forecast
Class: Strategic plan
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Mission statement
Strategic plan
Development plan
Class: Annual reports
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Annual Report of the Governing Body
Self-assessment report
College annual report
Introduction
This section contains information on the College’s strategy and management of human resources. It does not contain information about individual members of staff which is exempt from disclosure as personal information. The information available covers personnel policies and procedures.
3.1 Employment and Employee Relations
Class: Recruitment and selection
Availability: paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Recruitment and selection policy and procedure
Probationary policy and procedures
Class: Terms and conditions
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Generic terms and conditions of employment for staff by type
Salary scales
Class: Induction
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Availability: Induction policy and procedure
Class: Human Resources policies and procedures
Availability: paper
Charge: Nil
Description: All employment related policies and procedures
Includes appraisal, discipline, equality and diversity, grievance, harassment and victimisation
Class: Public interest disclosure (whistleblowing)
Availability: paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Public interest disclosure policy and procedure
Class: Job vacancies
Availability: College
Website, paper and press
Charge: Nil
Description: Advertisements for job vacancies
Class: Other policies
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Benefits available to employees
3.2 Equal Opportunities/Diversity
Class: Equal Opportunities/Diversity
Availability: paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Equality and Diversity Policy
Includes:
Equality and Diversity Policy and action plan
Equality and Diversity Committee minutes
Discrimination, Harassment and Victimisation Policy and Code of Practice
3.3 Human Resources Strategy
Class: Human Resources Strategy
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Human resources Strategy
Monitoring reports
3.4 Staff Development
Class: Staff development
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Staff development policy and procedures
Induction procedure
Staff appraisal policy and process
This section covers information at a strategic level relating to the College’s ownership and management of its physical resources.
4.1 Estates and Property
Class: Accommodation strategy
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: College accommodation strategy
Maintenance strategy
4.2 Procurement
Class: Procurement and disposal
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Financial regulations and standing orders relating to contracts
4.3 Environmental Policy
Class: Environmental policy
Availability: Website
Charge: Nil
Description: Environmental policy
4.4 Maps of Main Campuses
Class: Maps
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Maps of the two main campuses
4.5 Sites
Class: Operational centres, Outreach Centres
Availability: Operational
Centers' addresses, Training
Centres' addresses, Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Addresses of operational centres
5. Student Administration and Support
Introduction
This section covers information on how the College manages the administration and progression of students form admission to progression, including student support systems within the College. It does not contain any personal data as this would breach the Data Protection Act 1998 and may breach s.40 of the FOI Act.
5.1 Student Admission and Registration
Information relating to the admission/registration of new students, including policies and procedures covering the assessment of external qualifications and the creation of student records.
Class: Admissions Policies and Procedures
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Admissions and Registration arrangements.
Includes:
College prospectuses
Course leaflets
Admissions and guidance policy
5.2 Student Retention and Completion
Class: Data on student retention and completion
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Annual targets for retention and achievement
Annual reports on retention and achievement
Balanced scorecard
DfES annual results tables
5.3 Student Progression
Class: Student progression data
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: New system of recording progression currently under development.
Result for 2003/03 will be produced later in 2004
5.4 Student Administration
Information relating to the maintenance of individual student records.
Class: Student records policies and procedures
Availability: paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Student records
includes:
Data Protection Policy
College enrolment form
Learning Agreement
5.5 Student Discipline
Information relating to the conduct of disciplinary proceedings against students.
Class: Code and policies
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Student Discipline Procedures
Student Complaints Procedures
5.6 Student Support
This class will include information on student support services from an academic and learning perspective, particularly those not covered under Information Services. This will also likely appear in the Student Handbook and Prospectus in some form.
Class: Learning Development and Support
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Careers services
Disability statement
Equality and diversity policy
Discrimination, harassment and victimisation policy
Learning Agreement
Class: Student Liaison
Availability: paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Student liaison processes
Includes:
Agenda and minutes of student Committee
5.7 Student Welfare and Accommodation Services
Class: Student Welfare and Accommodation Services
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description Includes:
Student diary/handbook
Student charter
Financial and travel assistance
Counselling service
Childcare services
Accommodation services
5.8 Student Union and Activities
This section contains information about the Students’ Union and its facilities and activities.
Class: Students’ Union
Availability: Website,
paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Students’ union constitution
Student council minutes
Student executive minutes
Students’ Union officers
Student committee minutes
Students’ union website
Introduction
This section covers the College Information Systems. Information services invariably hold large quantities of personal data, which cannot be divulged, as this would breach the Data Protection Act 1998.
6.1 Library and Resource Centres
Class: Use of facilities
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Includes:
Library leaflet detailing services and opening hours
Network User Agreement
Student and Staff Discipline Policies
Class: Collections
Availability: Personal visit only
Charge: Nil
Description: Details of the library collections available in the College libraries
6.2 Mission Statements and Related Documents
Class: ILT Strategy
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: ILT Strategy
6.3 Policies with regard to data and information
Class: Security
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Includes:
Data Protection Policy
Data Protection Act staff guidelines
Data Security Policy
6.5 Procurement and disposal
Class: Procurement and disposal of equipment
Availability: Paper, website
Charge: Nil
Description: Procurement policy
Contained in financial regulations
7.1 Academic Year
Class: Term Dates
Availability: Website
Charge: Nil
Description: Current and next academic year term dates available at
www.chichester.ac.uk
7.2 Further Course Information
Information relating to particular curriculum areas, also information relating to module codes, content and validation procedures.
Class: Course information
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Course leaflets
Work Experience
7.3 Subject Review and Institutional Review
This section contains information about the College's internal quality audit programmes and annual review.
Class: Internal quality programmes and reviews mechanisms
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Includes:
Quality Procedures
Equality and diversity policy
Self-assessment report
Class: Exam Timetable
Availability: Paper - by inspection only
Charge: Nil
Description: The Exam timetable posted in the College Campuses
Class: Exam Appeal Procedures
Availability: paper
Charge: Nil
Description: The Exam Appeal procedures
Class: Policies
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Plagiarism Policy
Examinations Policy
Class: Staffing
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Staff structure
Availability: Website
Charge: Nil
Description: Includes:
Inspections and review details available from
FEFC - www.lsc.gov.uk
OFSTED - www.ofsted.gov.uk
ALI - www.ali.gov.uk
QAA (higher education reviews) - www.qaa.ac.uk
Investors in People - College
website
Class: Tuition Fees
Availability: College
website
Charge: Nil
Description: Details of tuition fees and other charges for all courses can also
be found in the College prospectus
7.4 Marketing and Recruitment
This class will include publications relating to student recruitment including the College prospectus. it will also include information related to the learning experience.
Class: Marketing and Recruitment
Availability: College
website
Charge: Nil
Description: Full-time Student Prospectus
Part-time Student Prospectus
Leaflet on Open Days for the current academic year
Course fees and related costs
Introduction
This section covers information relating to the College’s relationship
with its external
environment. These include the formal reports the College is required to provide
to its funding bodies and how it manages its relationship with the local community.
8.1 Community Liaison
The information included within this class represents the College's approach to maintaining and fostering community relations.
Class: Community Liaison
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Annual Report
8.2 Government and Regulator Relations
Class: Reports and returns to the Learning and Skills council, inspectorates,
standards bodies, professional bodies and Government departments
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: Includes self-assessment and statistical returns to LSC and HEFCE
Class: OFSTED, Inspections, Teaching Quality Assessment Policies
Availability Paper, website
Charge: Nil
Description OFSTED/ALI reports (www.ofsted.gov.uk)
Teaching excellence policy
8.3 Public Relations
Information included in this class is created to help publicise our facilities and activities. The majority of such information will have been created for prospective and current students but may still be of considerable interest to those wishing to know more about what the institution has to offer and the activities of its students and staff. Information in this class includes:
Class: Press Releases
Availability: Paper
Charge: Nil
Description: The College Website address is www.chichester.ac.uk
News
items on the website
Student prospectus, Full-time and Part-time
Exam Results for last year's full-time courses (paper)