Freedom of Information

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) gives you the right to access information held by public sector organisations including The Potteries Educational Trust and our members.

The Freedom of Information Act is regulated by the Information Commissioner who also has responsibility for The Data Protection Act 1998, and The Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

• The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) enables individuals to access information about themselves;
• The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIRs) enable people to access environmental information; and
• The Freedom of Information Act enables people to access a board range of other information and the reasoning behind our decisions and policies, which do not fall under DPA or EIR.

The Trust’s obligations under the Freedom of Information Act

We have a duty to provide advice and assistance to anyone requesting information, and will take all reasonable steps to assist with any enquiries you may have. We will always ensure that you are told whether the trust or any of our members hold the information you have requested (the duty to confirm or deny) except where certain exemptions apply.  We will reply to your request as soon as possible, and within 20 days.  If your request is complex or involves a large amount of information, we may ask for additional time to complete our response.  We will always keep you up to date with progress if this is the case.  Although the Freedom of Information Act presumes openness, it recognises the need to protect sensitive information in certain circumstances and provides for exemptions.  We will always explain to you the reasons for withholding any information that we are unable to share with you.

For a copy of our Guide to Information which gives details of the information we routinely publish, and where this can be found, please contact us below.

Making a Request

If possible, your request should be made in writing (letter or email) and should include your name and correspondence address, and a detailed description of the information you are requesting (including dates if relevant).  This will help to ensure that we provide the correct information to meet your needs.

Requests can be sent to:
The Information Office
The Potteries Educational Trust
The City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College
Leek Road
Stoke -on-Trent
Staffordshire
ST4 2RU
E: dataprotection@potteries.ac.uk