Aylsham Staff Wellbeing and Mental Health

The request was successful.

Dear Aylsham Learning Federation,

1) Please provide your policy that deals with employee stress, mental health, wellbeing or similar including its date of adoption.
If it was adopted in the last year please provide any preceding versions of the policy adopted in the last 5 years including dates of adoption.

2) Norfolk County Council promotes the use of Stress Action Plans (SAP) and Wellness Recovery Action Plans (WRAP) in their schools including Aylsham Learning Federation.

https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/business/busi...

Please provide the number of each plan completed at your federation per academic year since September 2015.
If you do not use such plans please provide the same data for the nearest equivalent and a copy of the proforma used.

3) Please provide the number of occupational health assessments (or similar) commissioned primarily as the result of employee stress or mental health for each academic year since September 2015

Yours faithfully,

Michael Larter

Dear Aylsham Learning Federation,

I'd be grateful for confirmation of receipt.

Yours faithfully,

Michael Larter

Dear Aylsham Learning Federation,

I write to remind you that while 20 working days (4th May) is the absolute legal limit, you are still required to respond as promptly as possible. It reflects poorly on your organisation to wait until the last possible day to acknowledge and respond. Readers of this exchange might be forgiven if they thought you were trying to hide something.

Yours faithfully,

Michael Larter

Michael Larter left an annotation ()

Aylsham learning federation has refused this request via an alternative email address.
They feel their reasons for refusal are themselves too sensitive for publication. I have asked them to restate their reasons in such a way as to be acceptable to them.

Michael Larter

Dear Aylsham Learning Federation,

Thank you for your reply of 27th April. Please direct all correspondence to this address in future.
I am requesting internal review on the basis of your response below.
It should be noted that I contacted you twice to give you the opportunity to redraft your communication to make it acceptable to you, and that you did not respond.

Yours faithfully,

Michael Larter

Your correspondence of 27th April 2021

Dear Mr Larter
PLEASE DO NOT PLACE THIS RESPONSE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN
We, as Aylsham Learning Federation have taken legal advice on your recent freedom of information requests, in context with previous requests and the advice we have been given is as follows;
Aylsham Learning Federation refuses to provide the information that you requested on 2 April
2021, under 2 separate requests on the basis that your requests constitute vexatious requests
within the meaning of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”.
Aylsham Learning Federation has considered your right to access to public information under the Act, subject to stipulated exemptions. The Federation has also considered that the information requested, each taken in isolation, may constitute a legitimate and proper request on the face of it. However, the Federation has considered the history of your requests in this matter. It has come to the conclusion that your current requests are distinctly linked to your historic or previous requests and are in pursuit of the motive.
Aylsham Learning Federation has considered, in particular, the following factors in arriving at the conclusion that your requests constitute vexatious requests, namely;
a. the burden of providing the information requested on the public authority and its
staff;
Aylsham Learning Federation has already provided you with a huge amount of information with documents that include but are not limited to reports and minutes of meetings and agendas. Your continuing requests are placing a huge strain and unsustainable demands on the Federation’s resources, including on time, finance and human resources. This is particularly burdensome at a time when the Federation, like all learning providers, is battling with health and safety demands that are currently being imposed by the unprecedented phenomenon of Covid-19. The Federation community is already straining public resources to ensure a Covid-19 safe environment for its staff and pupils and visitors. That apart, the Federation still must accomplish its usual objectives as well. Therefore it can no longer sustain the unprecedented and endless burden imposed by your continuing requests.
b. your motive in requesting
You have previously indicated that your requests are in pursuit of an investigation on the unfortunate occurrence. Aylsham Learning Federation does not intend to anyway assist in an investigation of this nature, and it will not do anything that bears even an appearance of fueling such an investigation and the manner that you are conducting it. ( PLEASE NOTE THAT FOT PURPOSES OF THE DATA PROTECTION ACT AND FOR
REASONS OF SENSITIVITY AND DIGNITY, THE FEDERATION HAS DELIBERATELY NOT STATED THE PARTICULAR “OCCURENCE” that you mentioned in your previous requests).
the value or serious purpose of the request;
Aylsham Learning Federation does not see any value or purpose of an investigation such as you are embarking on and therefore does not see the value and purpose of your requests. By your admission, you have had discussions with certain people on the ‘Zoom’ platform. On that platform concerns about the Federation’s perceived lack of transparency were allegedly expressed. The Federation will not continue
responding to requests for information that are motivated by undefined and vague suspicions emanating from social media rumours or from any source for that matter.
It has also been factored in that, Aylsham Learning Federation has extended to you and you have refused an invitation to meet and discuss any of your concerns.
c. any harassment or distress to staff and governors.
Aylsham Learning Federation’s staff and governors feel being harassed and distressed by your continuing requests. This is particularly so because;
i. you are making these requests in pursuit of what is clearly a baseless investigation against the Federation, touching on a sad occurrence that had nothing to do with the Federation. Our staff were profoundly touched by the unfortunate occurrence. While the Federation would normally support a proper official investigation, it will not aid, by providing information, to an investigation that reasonable members of the public will find (to use a mild expression) plainly objectionable.
ii. you have already been provided with a lot of information. Your continuing requests are not only burdensome but are really causing anxiety to staff at a time when staff are already working under what would be extremely challenging health conditions in any generation. The Federation appreciates their personal sacrifices and will ensure that no unnecessary stressful demands and distress is placed on them.
Having considered all the circumstances in this case, including your right to access to information under the Act, Aylsham Learning Federation has, for reasons outlined above, concluded that it will not supply you with the information that you requested. Your requests are vexatious.
Although you have made your latest requests via your website, Aylsham Learning Federation is not responding to these requests via the public website. To do so would be to place information that would be potentially protected from disclosure under the Data Protection Act 2018. Reference to an unfortunate occurrence, in this email, if placed in the pubic domain, may lead to speculation on information that may be exempt under the Data Protection Act 2018. Further, for the sake of sensitivity, honour and dignity of those involved, Aylsham Learning Federation will not respond via a public website. In this regard, the Federation is strongly appealing to you to exercise restraint and in no circumstances place this response in the public domain or share it with third parties. To do so may potentially breach the provisions of the data Protection Act 2018”

Michael Larter

Dear Aylsham Learning Federation,

I'd be grateful if you'd acknowledge receipt

Yours faithfully,

Michael Larter

Michael Larter left an annotation ()

This request has been referred to the ICO

Tuttle, Jo, Aylsham Learning Federation

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Larter,

 

Please find attached on behalf of Mr M Downes, Vice Chair of Governors of
Aylsham Learning Federation the outcome of the requested internal review.

 

Full details regarding your right to complain are included in this
outcome.

 

Best Wishes

Jo

 

Joanna Tuttle

Director of Business and Community Strategy

Aylsham Learning Federation

01263 733270

show quoted sections

Michael Larter left an annotation ()

Now with ICO - case IC-108459-P0T0

Michael Larter left an annotation ()

The ICO has found against Aylsham Learning Federation and they must now provide the information requested.

Dear Tuttle, Jo,

I just want to check if you have tried to send correspondence related to this request. WhatDoTheyKnow may have shut this discussion due to the unusual period of inactivity. If you have sent something please drop me an email on my personal email address which you have and I will sort out the problem with the website.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Larter

Michael Larter left an annotation ()

This is the decision by the information commissioner requiring ALF to provide the information
https://ico.org.uk/media/action-weve-tak...

Jo Tuttle, Aylsham Learning Federation

Dear Mr Larter,

Apologies for the delay I have had difficulty uploading this to the website. You asked for the following;

Dear Aylsham Learning Federation,

1) Please provide your policy that deals with employee stress, mental health, wellbeing or similar including its date of adoption.
No formal policy available.

2) Norfolk County Council promotes the use of Stress Action Plans (SAP) and Wellness Recovery Action Plans (WRAP) in their schools including Aylsham Learning Federation.

https://www.norfolk.gov.uk/business/busi...

Please provide the number of each plan completed at your federation per academic year since September 2015.
If you do not use such plans please provide the same data for the nearest equivalent and a copy of the proforma used.
The Federation uses both of the plans mentioned,
Please note that plans are part of a wide range of support offered and in some instances plans are offered and staff wish to and have chosen to use a more informal approach with the federation. Or they have used the WRAP as a self-reflection tool. These plans have been used by the federation since September 2017
Numbers completed are as follows;
September 2017 to August 2018
SRA 0
WRAP 2
September 2018 to August 2019
SRA 1
WRAP 3
September 2019 to August 2020
SRA 1
WRAP 3
September 2020 to August 2021
SRA 1
WRAP 2

3) Please provide the number of occupational health assessments (or similar) commissioned primarily as the result of employee stress or mental health for each academic year since September 2015

September 2015 to August 2016
2
September 2016 to August 2017
0
September 2017 to August 2018
1
September 2018 to August 2019
2
September 2019 to August 2020
1
September 2020 to August 2021
4
Over the last 5 five years two relate to work related stress.

If you are dissatisfied with this outcome you have the right to appeal through our internal review procedure by setting out the grounds to your appeal and emailing this to [Aylsham Learning Federation request email]

You have a right to complain to the ICO and to do this you should contact them at https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/
Best Wishes
Joanna Tuttle
Director of Business and Community Strategy
Aylsham Learning Federation
01263 733270

Dear Jo Tuttle,

Thank you for the information provided.
Please could you confirm if "SRA" in your reply is the same as "Stress Action Plans (SAP)" as provided by norfolk county council? If not please could you send information held on what it is. Specifically the proforma used.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Larter

Jo Tuttle, Aylsham Learning Federation

Dear Mr Larter,

Apologies it should have read SAP rather than SRA.

Regards
Joanna Tuttle