INTRODUCTION
1. Legal
requirement
1.1 Adopting
a publication scheme is a requirement of the Freedom of Information Act
2000. This Act promotes greater
openness and accountability across the public sector by requiring all ‘public
authorities’ to make information available proactively, through a publication
scheme.
1.2 ‘Public
authorities’ are defined in the Act and include universities, further education
colleges and sixth form colleges.
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’.
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.
3.1 Tameside
College has adopted the model publication scheme developed for the Further Education sector and is
therefore 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.
3.3 To
assist with the development of the model, a number of institutions across the
sector volunteered as pilots.
Information about the pilot exercise is available from the JISC (Joint
Information Systems Committee) website at: www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=mps_overview
4.
Who we are
Tameside College was formed in February 1998 from the merger of Tameside College of Technology and Hyde-Clarendon College. It operates on 3 main sites and is located 8 miles to the east of Manchester. It is the major provider of education and training opportunities in Tameside with a comprehensive portfolio of provision to meet the needs of local people from Pre-entry up to HND/Foundation Degree and provides extensive work-based learning opportunities.
5. Accessing
information covered by the publication scheme
5.1 The
classes of information we publish are described in the second part of the scheme.
5.2 Next
to each class we have indicated the manner in which the information described
will be available. We have also
indicated whether charges apply to material in each class.
5.3 To
request information available through our publication scheme, please contact
Russell Pearson, Tameside College, Beaufort Road, Ashton Under Lyne, OL6 6NX.
5.4
Please note that a publication
scheme relates to ‘published’ information. Therefore, material covered has already been
prepared in a format ready for distribution.
5.5
To obtain information from
the Tameside College websites contact:
6. What
about information not covered by the publication scheme?
6.1 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.
6.2
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.
7. Feedback
7.1
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 - Russell Pearson, Tameside College,
Beaufort Road, Ashton Under Lyne, Tameside, OL6 6NX.
7.2 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
8.
Further information
More information about the Freedom of Information Act is
available on the Information Commissioner’s website at:
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
Please note that Scotland has its own Freedom of Information
Act and Information Commissioner. For
more information, please see the Scottish Executive’s website at:
www.scotland.gov.uk/government/foi
Freedom of Information Act 2000
Tameside College Publication Scheme based on the Model Publication Scheme
(MPS) for Further Education (FE) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Main categories
Eight main groups (and the classes
within them) form the MPS. They are in a logical order and no one single
section has a higher status than another.
The MPS has been drawn in such as
way as to exclude classes of information that are exempt under the Freedom of
Information Act or for which exemptions could be claimed. However, it is
recognised that individual items of information or documents or parts thereof
in a class may be exempt and these can be omitted if they are exempt, provided in all cases the
institution makes clear what has been omitted and why. Personal data and
information, which affect the commercial operations of an institution, are two
examples.
The main groups of classes of
information in the model publication scheme are:
1. Governance
2. Financial
Resources
3. Human
Resources
4. Physical
Resources
5. Student
Administration and Support
6. Information
Services
7. Teaching
and Learning
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 institution or that may threaten
the health and safety of specific individuals.
|
|
Class
|
Description |
Publication |
Manner |
Fee |
1.1
|
Legal
framework
|
How the institution was established and
its standing from the point of view of the law. |
Instruments and Articles of Government Annual Report |
Paper
Paper/Webpage |
£10
£10/£0 |
|
1.2 |
How the
institution is organised |
How the
individual units of the institution are organised and where each unit fits in
the overall structure of the institution:
·
Organisational structure
charts
|
Organisational
structure charts |
Paper/Webpage |
£10/£0 |
|
1.3 |
Information
on the institutional context |
·
College Mission Statement ·
Strategic Plans ·
Quality assurance policies
and procedures ·
Learning and teaching strategy and periodic reviews
of progress |
Annual
report Annual
report Quality
Assurance manual |
Paper/Webpage Paper/Webpage Paper/email |
£10/£0 £10/£0 £10/£0 |
|
1.4 |
Management
structure |
Information
relating to how the institution’s management structure is organised and the
function and purpose of each part of the management structure:
·
Description of Statutory Bodies (e.g. Governing Body, Corporation) ·
Members of Governing Body ·
Codes of Conduct for members of governing bodies ·
Description of the Governing Body sub-structures and committees
supporting them. Objectives on which the structure is based ·
Terms of reference, membership and
mode of operation of all boards and committees in the formal
structure ·
Code of practice for college elections and committee procedures ·
Minutes of Governing Body, Corporation meetings and Steering
Groups etc |
Financial
Regulations Corporation
Standing Orders Website Code of
Conduct for members of the Corporation
Financial
Regulations
Terms of
Reference of Corporation Committees
Election
Procedure
Minutes
|
Paper Paper
Paper/Webpage Paper/email
Paper
Paper/email
Paper/email
Paper/Webpage |
£10 £10
£10/£0 £10/£0
£10
£10/£0
£10/£0
£10/£0 |
This section
covers information on the institution’s strategy and management of financial
resources. The Finance Division provides accounting, procurement and contracting
services, helping to make best use of resources and fulfilling statutory responsibilities.
Information that may damage the institution’s commercial interests will be
excluded from publication.
|
|
Class
|
Description
|
Publication |
Manner |
Fee |
2.1
|
Finance |
Policies
and procedures relating to:
·
Financial Statements ·
Contracting ·
Goods and services ·
Insurance ·
Pensions
·
Remuneration of senior
staff
·
Travel and subsistence |
Annual
Report Financial
Regulations Financial Regulations Financial Regulations Pension Scheme
Booklets Annual
Report Annual
Report Financial
Regulations Employment
Handbook Financial
Regulations |
Paper Paper Paper Paper Paper Paper
Paper Paper Paper/email Paper |
£10 £10 £10 £10 £10 £10 £10 £10 £10/£0 £10 |
2.2
|
Resource
planning |
How the
college undertakes its planning and resource allocation, how it regulates the
deployment of resources and how it publishes the outcomes. ·
Financial regulations,
including procurement policy ·
Annual accounts ·
Annual budget ·
Planning and budgeting
procedures ·
Objectives and Strategy ·
Annual report |
Financial
Regulations
Annual
Report Corporation
Minutes Financial
Regulations Annual
Report Annual
Report |
Paper
Paper Paper Paper Paper Paper |
£10
£10 £10 £10 £10 £10 |
This section covers information on the institution’s
strategy and management of human resources, rather than information relating to
individual members of staff which is exempt from disclosure as personal
information. The information available covers personnel policies and procedures
(including terms and conditions of service including all current versions of
the information specified in each class).
|
|
Class
|
Description
|
Publication |
Manner |
Fee |
3.1
|
Employment
and employee relations |
Examples
of the type of information in this class include: · Personnel Recruitment Procedure · Generic terms and conditions of employment · Salary grades · Collective bargaining procedures and consultation with recognised trade unions and professional organisations, and agreements reached · Grievance procedures and policies · Disciplinary procedures and policies · Harassment and bullying policy ·
Health and safety policy and procedures ·
Public
interest disclosure policy ·
Job vacancies |
Quality
Manual Employment
Handbook
Employment
Handbook Salary
Scales Procedures
Employment
Handbook Employment
Handbook Employment
Handbook
Quality
Manual Quality
Manual College
Website |
Paper/email Paper/email
Paper/email Paper/email Paper/email
Paper/email Paper/email Paper/email
Paper/email Paper/email Paper/Webpage |
£10/£0 £10/£0
£10/£0 £10/£0 £10/£0
£10/£0 £10/£0 £10/£0
£10/£0 £10/£0 Free |
3.2
|
Equal opportunities /Diversity |
· Equality and Diversity Policy · Disability Statement · Racial Equality Statement |
Quality
Manual Quality
Manual Quality
Manual |
Paper/email Paper/email Paper/email |
£10/£0 £10/£0 £10/£0 |
3.3
|
Staff
development |
Information
on staff development and training, including induction programmes, probation
and appraisal: · Induction – details of areas covered and procedures
·
Probation Procedure
·
Performance Management
Appraisal Scheme
·
Policies and procedures
relating to the on-going development of staff, including schemes such
as Investors in People
·
Policies on upgrades
and promotions |
Induction
Checklist
Employment
Handbook Employment
Handbook
Quality
Manual Information
for Staff
Recruitment
Procedure Employment
Handbook
|
Paper/email
Paper/email Paper/email
Paper/email Paper/email
Paper/email Paper/email
|
£10/£0
£10/£0 £10/£0
£10/£0 £10/£0
£10/£0 £10/£0 |
Institutions
are often substantial land and property owners in their own right. Classes in
this section cover information at a strategic level relating to the
institution’s management of its physical resources. Information that provides
specific details of the institution’s future plans to alter its estate (e.g.
proposals to purchase additional property) may be exempt from disclosure where
such disclosure would damage the institution’s commercial interests.
|
|
Class |
Description |
Publication |
Manner |
Fee |
|
4.1 |
Estates |
·
Tendering policies ·
Disposal policies ·
Map of main site ·
Address of main site and any other locations |
Financial
Regulations Financial
Regulations Student
Handbook Web Site Student
Handbook Web Site |
Paper/email Paper/email Paper Webpage |
£10/£0 £10/£0 £10 £0 £10 Free |
5.
Student Administration and Support
This section contains information on how the institution manages the administration
and progression of their students from admission to course completion,
including student support services. Information available within this section
does not include specific student personal details, by virtue of being personal
information.
|
|
Class |
Description |
Publication |
Manner |
Fee |
|
5.1 |
Information
on student admission, progression and completion |
·
The range of student
entrants classified by age, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic background,
disability and geographical origin as returned to LSC ·
Student progression,
retention and completion data ·
Data on qualifications
awarded to students ·
Data on employment/training
outcomes for graduates/students
If
some or all of the information listed above appears in another class(es) then
cross-reference(s) to where it appears in the PS should be included here. |
ILR
Return
ILR
Return
ILR
Return
Destination
Analysis |
Paper/Email
Paper/Email
Paper/Email
Paper/Email |
£10/£0
£10/£0
£10/£0
£10/£0 |
|
5.2
|
Student
accommodation |
·
Accommodation services |
List of
potential accommodation addresses |
Paper/email |
Free |
|
5.3 |
Student
administration |
This
class should include information relating to all areas of the maintenance of
individual student records, including policies and procedures covering the management
of the student records system itself, and the division of responsibilities
between central registry staff, school/faculty/college staff and the students
themselves. Examples of the type of information in this class include:
·
Registry student records
policies and procedures documents ·
Registry security and
data protection policy and procedure documents |
Quality
Manual
Quality
Manual |
Paper/email
Paper/email |
£10/£0 |
|
5.4 |
Student
admission and enrolment |
Information
relating to the admission/enrolment of new students, including policies and
procedures covering the assessment of external qualifications, the creation
of student records, the coordination of student funding arrangements and the
division of responsibilities between central admissions or equivalent and
college/school staff:
·
Admissions and enrolment
policies and procedures documents |
Quality
Manual |
Paper/email |
£10/£0 |
|
5.6 |
Student
learning support services |
Information
on student support services from an academic and learning perspective: ·
Tutorial Support ·
Services for students
with special needs
|
Tutorial
Policy Leaflets |
Paper/email Paper/email |
£10/£0 Free |
|
5.7 |
Student
liaison |
The
structure and functioning of staff/student consultative committees or other
liaison groups:
·
Minutes of previous staff/student forum meetings |
Examples
of minutes of student forums |
Paper/email |
£10/£0 |
|
5.8 |
Student
policies |
This class should include a guide to all student
policies issued by the institution: ·
Reference to student
policies included elsewhere in the PS. See sections ·
5.4 for Student Admissions ·
5.5 for Student Discipline ·
5.6
for Tutorial Policy |
See
sections 5.4,5.5,and 5.6 |
|
|
|
5.9 |
Student
welfare |
·
Welfare/advice services
·
Health services
·
Careers services
·
Sports and recreational
facilities
·
Housing ·
Finance |
Student
Handbook Summary
details on website |
Paper Website |
£10 Free |
Introduction
This section covers those functions within the institution
that provide access to information to the student body and both academic and
administrative staff. These include libraries, computing services and
information support services.
Such functions may be managed separately from each other, or
in various combinations. These services routinely explain their facilities (and
the conditions of their use) to students, staff and the general public, and it
is information of this nature that is included within this section.
Information services inevitably hold large quantities of personal data that are
exempt from general disclosure.
|
|
Class |
Description |
Publication |
Manner |
Fee |
|
6.1 |
Availability
and conditions of use of facilities |
Who can
access systems and services and the facilities that they can access. They
also provide assurance for external bodies/individuals that rules exist to
ensure that breaches of conditions of use (eg breach of copyright, email
spamming of an external site) are appropriately dealt with.
·
Opening hours of libraries,
helpdesks, etc, scheduled maintenance times of systems ·
The general rules and
conditions of use (eg no smoking/drinking/eating, the existence of policies
with regard to law such as copyright, computing code of practice, data
protection). For other student policies, see reference
to other relevant student policies in PS ·
Access to/use of Archives,
including how far back in time information exists and if so to what
extent it is available
|
Student
Handbook Information
for Staff
Student
Handbook Data
Protection Policy Data Protection
Procedure IT
Acceptable Use Policy Internet
and Email Use Policy Data
Protection Audit |
Paper Paper/email
Paper Paper/email Paper/email Paper/email Paper/email Paper/email |
£10 £10/£0
£10 £10/£0 £10/£0 £10/£0 £10/£0 £10/£0 |
|
6.2 |
Mission
statements and related documents |
This
class should include information regarding the aims of the department in
context of its place in the organisation, a definition of the service
provided. |
Key
functions of Service Units – Extract of service Area Business Plan |
Paper/email |
£10/£0 |
|
6.3 |
Policies
with regard to data and information |
Information in this class offers assurances to data subjects, whether they are individuals or companies that deal with the institution, that data relating to them is being handled well, minimising the risk of unauthorised access or disclosure: ·
Data
Protection Audits ·
Data protection policy/procedure ·
Policies on CCTV monitoring,
RIPA etc |
Data Protection Audits Data
Protection Policy Data
Protection Procedure Internet
and Email Use Policy Estates
Data Protection Audit |
Paper/email Paper/email Paper/email Paper/email Paper/email |
£10/£0 £10/£0 £10/£0 £10/£0 £10/£0 |
|
6.4 |
Procurement
and disposal policies |
Information
in this class offers assurances that
monies are being appropriately spent and assurances that procurement is fair
and open. The disposal policies also assure that the institution is making
correct and appropriate use of funds: ·
Policies relating to
the procurement and disposal of equipment ·
Collection management/preservation
strategy (including policy on disposal of stock) |
Financial
Regulations |
Paper |
£10 |
|
6.5 |
Scope of
collections held |
Examples
of the type of information in this class include:
·
Heritage, computerised
library system ·
DEWEY system which
catalogues the resources ·
Subject index ·
Access to Athens, encyclopaedic
library |
Information
Leaflet on Library and Learning Resource System |
Paper/email |
£10/£0 |
This
section contains information regarding the management of teaching and learning
within the institution including mechanisms for reviewing and ensuring the
quality of teaching provided.
|
|
Class |
Description |
Publication |
Manner |
Fee |
|
7.1 |
Academic
year dates |
Dates for the current academic year as well as
future academic years (as far as is known). |
Student
Handbooks Course
Handbooks |
Paper Paper |
£10 £10 |
|
7.2 |
Further
course information |
This
class should include information relating to particular schools and
departments, also information relating to programmes and qualifications: ·
Term dates ·
Structure of courses ·
Qualification gained ·
Changing courses ·
Work experience |
Course
Handbooks College
Websites |
Paper website |
£10 Free |
|
7.3 |
Information
on internal procedures for assuring academic quality and standards |
Information
about the institution’s internal quality audit programmes and annual review.
It should also include information on the FE college’s internal procedures
for assuring academic quality and standards:
a)
Information on programme approval, monitoring and review: ·
Programme specifications ·
Annual
monitoring and review processes ·
Accreditation
and monitoring reports by professional, statutory or regulatory bodies b) Information on assessment procedures and outcomes: ·
Assessment strategies, processes and procedures ·
The
range and nature of student work c)
Information on student satisfaction with their college experience, covering
the views of students on:
·
Arrangements for academic and tutorial guidance, support
and supervision ·
Library
services and IT support ·
Suitability
of accommodation, equipment and facilities for teaching and learning ·
Perceptions of the
quality of teaching and the range of teaching and learning methods ·
Assessment arrangements ·
Quality of pastoral
support d) Information and evidence available to teams undertaking
internal reviews of quality and standards in relation to: ·
The effectiveness of
teaching and learning, in relation to programme aims and curriculum
content as they evolve over time ·
The range of teaching
methods used ·
The availability and
use of specialist equipment and other resources and materials to support
teaching and learning ·
Staff access to professional development
to improve teaching performance, including peer observation and mentoring
programmes ·
The use of external
benchmarking and other comparators |
Quality
Assurance Manual
Quality
Assurance Manual
Minutes
of Governing Body Corporation and Sub Committee Meetings
Inspection
Reports
|
Paper/email
Paper/email
Paper
Paper
|
£10/£0
£10
£10
£10 |
|
7.4 |
Staffing
structure of schools/ departments |
This
class should include information about staff roles within schools and
departments, together with organisational charts:
·
School and Service
Area Organisation Charts ·
Contact details for
each school/department |
School/Service
Area Organisation Charts |
Paper/email |
£10/£0 |
|
7.5 |
Student
assessment strategy |
This
class should include information on the regulations and/or policy governing
student assessment. Examples of the type of information in this class
include: ·
Appeal procedures ·
Academic Misconduct ·
External examination
bodies |
Q A
Manual Course
Handbooks Student
Handbook |
Paper/email |
£10/£0 |
|
7.6 |
Tuition
fees |
This
class should include iExamples
of the type of information in this class include:
|
Promotional
Material |
Paper |
Free |
This section
covers information relating to the institution’s relationship with its external
environment. These include the formal reports the institution is required
to provide to its funding bodies, arrangements with other institutions, how
it manages its relationship with the local community and how it retains contact
with its former staff and students.
By virtue
of its nature most institutions will probably find that the majority of these
classes are already made available to the public in some means. Members of the
public are also likely to find the same or related information is available
from the external partners with which the institution has links.
|
|
Class |
Description |
Publication |
Manner |
Fee |
|
|
8.3 |
Government
and Regulator relations |
This
class relates to the information that the institution is legally obliged to
make available to its funding and/or monitoring bodies. Such material may
provide information as to how well the institution is performing. Examples of
the type of information in this class include: ·
Reports/returns to
funding councils, inspectorates, standards bodies, research councils,
professional bodies, government departments etc ·
OFSTED Inspections
(for FE), Teaching Quality Assessment and Research Assessment Exercise
Policies (see also Teaching and Learning)
|
See Learning and Skills Council
website for more information |
|
|
|
|
8.4 |
Marketing
and recruitment |
Publications
relating to student recruitment (UK and International), including the college
prospectus. It will also include information related to the learning
experience. There will be some overlap with Student Administration and
Support. Examples of the type of information in this class include: ·
Prospectus ·
Open days ·
Entry requirements ·
Widening participation |
Prospectus Course
Sheets Publicity
Materials |
Paper/email |
Free |
|
|
8.5 |
Public
relations |
·
Press
releases · Prospectus ·
Course brochures
·
Newsletters and magazines ·
Current information
provided to an enrolled student (i.e. contents of the ‘welcome pack’) |
Press
releases Prospectus Course
Brochures Newsletters Information |
Paper/email Paper Paper/email Paper Paper |
£10/£0 £10 £10/£0 £10 £10 |
|