Costs of Hackney Learning Trust ‘study trips’

The request was successful.

Greg Wallace
c/o [email address]

25 September 2013

To whom it may concern,
Re: Costs of Hackney Learning Trust ‘study trips’

Thank you for providing information relating to the costs of HLT ‘study trips’.
You informed me that the total costs incurred by The Learning Trust in funding study trips to other countries was equal to £43,050.

You cited two trips in your response.
[1] Ontario, Canada (11 – 19 October 2006)
You told me that 19 delegates from Hackney attended. 16 headteachers and 3 accompanying TLT officers. The TLT officers attendance was funded by Leannta Education Associates to facilitate the continued development of the attendees after the study trip.
[2] Tucson, Arizona (11 – 19 October 2008)
You told me that 19 delegates from Hackney attended. 16 headteachers and 3 accompanying TLT officers. The TLT officers attendance was funded by Leannta Education Associates to facilitate the continued development of the attendees after the study trip.
So the average spend per person was £1,345.
You told me that these trips were approved by the Senior Leadership Team as part of the ‘Leadership and Retention Strategy’.
Please can you provide a copy of this strategy.
Also, please tell me how many of the headteachers that went on these trips remain in post today in Hackney schools.

I believe I asked you to provide details of ALL the ‘study trips’.

I do not believe you have done this. For example, there have been trips to New York (2012) and Australia.
Please provide full details of ALL study trips including:

Number of funded participants
Total cost
The specific aims of each trip
A specific evaluation of impact for each trip

I am interested in any information held by you regarding my request. I understand that under the Act, I do not have to specify particular files or documents and that it is your department's responsibility to provide the information I require. If you need further clarification, please contact me by email.

I would like to receive the information in electronic format.

If my request is denied in whole or part, I ask that you cite one of the Freedom of Information Act exemptions for each piece of information you refuse to release. I would also expect you to release all non-exempt material. I reserve the right to appeal your decision to withhold any information or to charge excessive fees.

I should be entitled to a response within 20 working days. I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,
Greg Wallace

Administrator, Hackney Borough Council

Dear Greg Wallace,

Thank you for logging your Information Request.

show quoted sections

Sean O'Regan,

2 Attachments

From: Sean O'Regan
Sent: 25 October 2013 12:46
To: '[email address]'
Subject: Cost of Hackney Learning Trust 'study trips'

 

Dear Mr Wallace,

 

 

Re: Your Freedom of Information Request.

 

Thank you for your email of 25 September, in which you requested the
following information:

 

‘Thank you for providing information relating to the costs of HLT ‘study
trips’.You informed me that the total costs incurred by The Learning Trust
in funding study trips to other countries was equal to £43,050.

You cited two trips in your response.

 

[1] Ontario, Canada (11 – 19 October 2006) You told me that 19 delegates
from Hackney attended. 16 headteachers and 3 accompanying TLT officers.
The TLT officers attendance was funded by Leannta Education Associates to
facilitate the continued development of the attendees after the study
trip.

[2] Tucson, Arizona (11 – 19 October 2008)
You told me that 19 delegates from Hackney attended. 16 headteachers and 3
accompanying TLT officers. The TLT officers attendance was funded by
Leannta Education Associates to facilitate
the continued development of the attendees after the study trip. So the
average spend per person was £1,345.

 

You told me that these trips were approved by the Senior Leadership Team
as part of the ‘Leadership and Retention Strategy’. Please can you provide
a copy of this strategy.

 

Also, please tell me how many of the headteachers that went on these trips
remain in post today in Hackney schools.

I believe I asked you to provide details of ALL the ‘study trips’.

I do not believe you have done this. For example, there have been trips to
New York (2012) and Australia. Please provide full details of ALL study
trips including:

Number of funded participants
Total cost
The specific aims of each trip
A specific evaluation of impact for each trip’

 

You request has been considered and the answer to your questions are
listed below.

 

1.    Please see the attached documents. Following a thorough search of
our paper and electronic records we are unable to locate the specific
document you have requested. However, please find attached a more recent
review of the strategy. Please also find attached a copy of the Improving
Standards Strategy for Education in Hackney 2008-2012, which was the
over-arching strategy of which the Leadership and Retention Strategy
formed a part.

 

2.    19 head teachers who attended these two trips remain in post today
in Hackney schools.

 

3.    Your previous request was for ‘the costs incurred by The Learning
Trust in funding ‘study trips’ to other countries’, therefore, the
response to that request provided full details of any study trips for
which The Learning Trust incurred costs. There were other study trips
which were attended by staff from various schools and The Learning Trust,
however, these were entirely funded by other organisations and The
Learning Trust incurred no costs.

 

In November 2012 two HLT staff members were invited to deliver a Keynote
speech in Canada, which was fully funded by the conference organisers and
Hackney Learning Trust incurred no costs or expenses. This was not a study
trip. Some of the delegates who attended the conference in Canada elected
to use some of their annual leave entitlement to spend some time in New
York before the conference took place, however, this was not a study trip
and Hackney Learning Trust incurred no costs or expense.

 

Indeed, how any member of staff chooses to use their personal annual leave
entitlement is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act, however,
this information has been included to confirm that a study trip to New
York did not occur in November 2012 as you have stated.

 

In response to your follow-up request dated 25 September for details of
unfunded study trips please see the list below:-

 

2008 – DCSF Teachers International Professional Development Programme trip
to New Zealand. 0 funded participants; this trip was entirely funded by
the DCSF.

 

2009 -  DCSF Teachers International Professional Development Programme
trip to Cape Town. 0 funded participants; this trip was entirely funded by
the DCSF.

 

2010 - DfE Teachers International Professional Development Programme trip
to New Jersey. 0 funded participants; this trip was entirely funded by the
DfE.

 

The Learning Trust did fund a study trip for Woodberry Down School to
Turkey and the subsequent writing of a unit of work for use by schools in
the borough in 2008/2009. The total funding provided by The Learning Trust
for Woodberry Down School was £5,000.

 

 

If you are dissatisfied with this response and wish to appeal, please
write to the Information Governance Team, Appeals, 3^rd Floor Maurice
Bishop House Reading Lane London E8 1HH and your complaint will be dealt
with through our Internal Review procedure.

If you are still not satisfied following the Internal Review, you have a
right to appeal to the Information Commissioner. He can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF 
Telephone: 01625 545 700

[1]www.ico.gov.uk

Yours sincerely,

.......................................................

Sean O’Regan

Paralegal,

Information (FOI & DPA) Officer

Hackney Learning Trust

1 Reading Lane, London, E8 1GQ

(020 8820 7382

* [2]sean.o'[email address]

.......................................................

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hackney Learning Trust (HLT) is the name used by Hackney Council for the
part of the Council that provides education services. HLT is not a
separate legal entity and is part of the Children and Young People’s
Directorate of Hackney Council. All references to HLT means Hackney
Council.

References

Visible links
1. http://www.ico.cgov.uk/
2. mailto:[email address]
mailto:[email address]