Freedom of Information request - 2015/16 GCSE Citizenship numbers by local authority.

The request was refused by Department for Education.

Dear Department for Education,

May I request the number of schools and individuals in each school who have taken this year's GCSE in Citizenship and by local authority county and/or postcode.
Yours faithfully,

Shaun Townsend

Yours faithfully,

Shaun Townsend

Department for Education

Dear Mr Townsend,

Thank you for your request for information, reference number: 2016-0030290. Your request is as follows:

May I request the number of schools and individuals in each school who have taken this year's GCSE in Citizenship and by local authority county and/or postcode.

I have dealt with your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”).

The Department holds the information you have requested for summer 2016, but it is being withheld because an exemption under Section 22 of the Act applies. Section 22 provides for information to be exempt from disclosure where the information is held by the Department with a view to its publication by the Department or any other person at some future date. It was so held at the time your request was made, and it is reasonable in all the circumstances that the information should be withheld until that date.

The Department intends to publish the requested information as part of the “Secondary school performance tables in England: 2015 to 2016” publication in January 2017.

Section 22 of the Act is a qualified exemption which means that a public interest test needs to be carried out, and in doing so the following factors have been considered:
• It is acknowledged that there is a general public interest in disclosure because of the need for there to be open and transparent government and that the sharing of information with the public should be free and open.
• However, the public interest in permitting the Government to publish information in a manner and at a time of its own choosing is also important. It is part of the effective conduct of public affairs that the general publication of information is a conveniently planned and managed activity within the reasonable control of the public authority.
• The Government has already determined that it will publish such information on the www.gov.uk<http://www.gov.uk/> website in due course. The “Secondary school performance tables in England: 2015 to 2016” publication, currently intended to be published in January 2017. The latest list of forthcoming publications is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati...

• It is not reasonable for the Government to be expected to release piecemeal information in advance of its planned timetable and there is a strong argument in favour of allowing everyone to view this information at the same time.
The arguments for and against release have been considered and it is our view that the balance of public interest falls in favour of the maintenance of this exemption in relation to the information relating to this request.

If you have any queries about this email, please contact me. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you are unhappy with the way your request has been handled, you should make a complaint to the Department by writing to me within two calendar months of the date of this letter. Your complaint will be considered by an independent review panel, who were not involved in the original consideration of your request.

If you are not content with the outcome of your complaint to the Department, you may then contact the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Yours sincerely,

Arun Mistry
School absence and exclusions team (including mapping and attainment correspondence for DESAG)
Department for Education
Sanctuary Buildings
Great Smith Street
London
SW1P 3BT

Email: [email address]<mailto:[email address]>
Tel: 0207 340 7986