Response to Request for Information
School software support
I can confirm that the information requested is held by City of Wolverhampton Council. I
list below the information that is being released to you.
In your request you asked the following:
Can you please provide for me the answers to the following questions:
1.
Do you provide traded services to schools in your area, or do you contract this out
to another party that is outside the local authority? If so, to which? Yes
2.
Which school MIS (management information systems) providers do you hold
support contracts or accreditations with, and for each MIS provider: SIMS,
Bromcom
a)
What is the nature of the current arrangement (a paid contract, an unpaid
accreditation)? Both
b)
When did the current arrangement begin and when it will finish (including
any extensions)?
SIMS – 01/09/2019 to 31/08/22
Bromcom – Sept 2020 1 year
c)
If a paid contract, under what basis did you procure it (e.g. directly, through a
framework, via OJEU procurement, other)?
Directly via Procurement
3.
How many schools do you provide MIS support services to, and:
a)
How does this break down by Primary Academies, Primary Maintained,
Secondary Academies, Secondary Maintained, Other (incl. PRUs, SENs)?
b)
How does this break down by MIS provider?
c)
How has this total changed between 2018/19, 2019/20 and this year (say as
at June 1st 2018 vs. June 1st 2019 vs. June 1st 2020, or any similar
convenient dates)?
SIMS
Bromcom
2020 2019
2018
2020
2019
2018
Primary Academy
30
<
<
10
<
<
Primary Maintained
41
>
>
0
-
-
Secondary Academy
6
>
>
2
<
<
Secondary Maintained
3
-
>
0
-
-
Other Academy
3
-
-
0
-
-
wolverhampton.gov.uk
City of Wolverhampton Council
Civic Centre, St. Peter's Square,
Wolverhampton,
@WolvesCouncil
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WolverhamptonToday
Other Maintained
7
-
-
0
-
-
4.
As part of your support to schools for each of these MIS providers, which of the
following activities do you carry out (I am interested in whether the activities differ
between MIS providers): No
a)
1st line support Yes
b)
2nd line support Yes
c)
3rd line support Yes
d)
Implementations No
e)
Data audits / cleansing Yes
f)
Regulatory / census submissions yes
g)
Server management No
h)
Main data hosting No
i)
Data backup No
j)
User training Yes
k)
Provide templates / configuration Yes
l)
Analysis of data / insight services Yes
m) Resale of the software to schools (on a commission basis) No
n)
Hosting or arranging local user group meetings / events No
5.
What was your total traded services income from schools (for all servies) in
2018/19 and 2019/20?
Your request for information has now been considered and the City of
Wolverhampton Council is not obliged to supply the information you requested for
the reasons set out below.
Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires City of
Wolverhampton Council, when refusing to provide such information (because the
information is exempt) to provide you, the applicant with a notice which:
(a) states the fact,
(b) specifies the exemption in question and
(c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies:
In relation to your particular request, the following exemption applies:
Section 12 - Exemption where cost of compliance exceeds appropriate limit
We can confirm that the Council holds information falling within the description
specified in your request. However, Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act
2000 allows a public authority to refuse a request if the cost of providing the
information to the applicant would exceed the ‘appropriate limit’ as defined by the
Freedom of Information.
wolverhampton.gov.uk
City of Wolverhampton Council
Civic Centre, St. Peter's Square,
Wolverhampton,
@WolvesCouncil
WV1 1SH
WolverhamptonToday
The Regulations provide that the appropriate limit to be applied to requests
received by local authorities is £450 (equivalent to 18 hours of work). In
estimating the cost of complying with a request for information, an authority can
only take into account any reasonable costs incurred in:
(a) Determining whether it holds the information,
(b) Locating the information, or a document which may contain the information,
(c) Retrieving the information, or a document which may contain the information,
and
(d) Extracting the information from a document containing it.
For the purposes of the estimate the costs of performing these activities should be
estimated at a rate of £25 per hour.
The information appertaining to your request is not easily accessible and as such
this information is not held as a distinct set able to be retrieved or reported on. To
get the information would require a full scale look into all individual records. This
would be a manual exercise and as such we believe that the aggregated time it
would take to collate the information would be in excess of 18 hours (equivalent to
a notional cost of £450).
6.
What was your total traded service income for providing schools with MIS support
for 2018/19 and 2019/20?
2018/19 - £291,505.00
2019/20 - £253,574.17
7.
What is the current amount of de-delegated funding that you levy on LA-
maintained schools (either in total, on a per school level, or a per learner level -
whichever is easiest)? This is already in public domain.
8.
What software or digital tools (learning, safeguarding or admin) do you provide to
schools under the de-delegated funding allocation? None
Please quote the reference number 1939134 in any future communications.
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an
internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the
date of receipt of the response to your original letter and should be addressed to:
Information Governance Team
Governance
City of Wolverhampton Council
wolverhampton.gov.uk
City of Wolverhampton Council
Civic Centre, St. Peter's Square,
Wolverhampton,
@WolvesCouncil
WV1 1SH
WolverhamptonToday
Civic Centre
St. Peter's Square
Wolverhampton WV1 1SH
Email: xxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
If you are still dissatisfied with the Council’s response after the internal review you have
a right of appeal to the Information Commissioner, contact details can be found on their
website:
www.ico.org.uk
wolverhampton.gov.uk
City of Wolverhampton Council
Civic Centre, St. Peter's Square,
Wolverhampton,
@WolvesCouncil
WV1 1SH
WolverhamptonToday