Interim Principal

The request was partially successful.

Dear Edinburgh College,

In 2014 whilst the interim Principal was in role at Edinburgh College, can you confirm that she undertook a recovery plan with the SFC in-relation to the key areas of curriculum, finance and leadership?

Thank you for your help and assistance.

Yours faithfully,

Lorna Hudson

Edinburgh College Freedom of Information, Edinburgh College

Dear Lorna Hudson

Our Ref: 053/16/17

We are in receipt of your request for information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and will respond by 22 August 2017.

Kind regards
FOI Team

show quoted sections

Edinburgh College Freedom of Information, Edinburgh College

Dear Ms Hudson

Our Ref: 053/16/17

As of 1 October 2012, Edinburgh’s Telford College, Jewel & Esk College and
Stevenson College merged to create a single college called Edinburgh
College.

We refer to your request for information dated 25 July 2017. The College
has considered your request as a request for information under section 1
of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (“FOISA”):

053/16/17 (1) In 2014 whilst the interim Principal was in role at
Edinburgh College, can you confirm that she undertook a recovery plan with
the SFC in-relation to the key areas of curriculum, finance and
leadership?

Please refer to Audit Scotland’s 2015/16 Section 22 Report of Edinburgh
College, in which they confirm: "In December 2015, the college Board of
Management approved a 16-point action plan to form the basis of a new
transformation plan (referred to in my 2016 report as a "recovery plan").
The final version of the transformation plan was agreed by the SFC in
March 2016, and it was published in April 2016.”

The report also confirms: “The transformation plan is formed of four
overarching programmes of work:

 -          Financial sustainability: priority based budgeting, resource
management and estates strategy

-          Curriculum relevance, regional and coherence with community
planning partnerships

-          Workforce development and structure

-          Recruitment, retention and productivity”

A full timeline of the transformation plan is also provided in this
report, in which it confirms that the initial development plan was put in
place between November 2014-April 2015.

Audit Scotland’s 2015/16 Section 22 Report of Edinburgh College is
publically available:
[1]http://audit-scotland.gov.uk/uploads/doc...

Edinburgh College is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of
Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA) 2002. If you are dissatisfied with this
response, you may ask the college to review this decision. To do this,
please contact the Head of Corporate Development at the postal address
below or e-mail the Head of Corporate Development at
[2][email address] describing your original request and
explaining your grounds for dissatisfaction. (Please include in your
review request, your name and home address for correspondence).

You have 40 working days from receipt of this letter to submit a review
request to:

Head of Corporate Development

4th Floor

Edinburgh College (Milton Road Campus)

24 Milton Road East

Edinburgh

EH15 2PP

When the review process has been completed and if you are still
dissatisfied, you may ask the Scottish Information Commissioner to
intervene.

The Commissioner’s online appeal service is available from their website:
[3]www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal

The  online appeal service is available 24/7 and offers you real time help
and advice about your appeal.

You must appeal to the Commissioner within six months of receiving the
review decision.

You also have the right to appeal to the Court of Session on a point of
law following a decision of the Commissioner.

Regards

FOI Team

 

www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk

References

Visible links
1. http://audit-scotland.gov.uk/uploads/doc...
2. mailto:[email address]
3. http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal

Dear Edinburgh College,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Edinburgh College's handling of my FOI request 'Interim Principal'.

This information supplied does not specifically answer my question regarding the interim principal. The Business Transformation Plan was formulated after the new principal had ordered a review into the misuse of additionality according to the mew Principal which was requested im September 2015.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/i...

Yours faithfully,

Lorna Hudson

Edinburgh College Freedom of Information, Edinburgh College

Dear Ms Hudson

We can confirm receipt of your email (received 25 August) and will be in contact with the outcome of the formal review by 22 September 2017.

Regards
FOI Team

Dear Edinburgh College Freedom of Information,

Additionally, To be clear the 2015/16 Audit of Edinburgh College, states November 2014 - April 2015: Interim Principal in post - puts initial development plan in place.

I asked for specifically if you can you confirm that the Interim Principle undertook a recovery plan with the SFC in-relation to the key areas of curriculum, finance and leadership?

Yours sincerely,

Lorna Hudson

Edinburgh College Freedom of Information, Edinburgh College

Dear Ms Hudson

 

In your original request (Our Ref: 053/16/17) you ask "In 2014 whilst the
interim Principal was in role at Edinburgh College, can you confirm that
she undertook a recovery plan with the SFC in relation to the key areas of
curriculum, finance and leadership".

 

Under our duty to provide advice and assistance, our response to you on 22
August 2017 explained the following:

 

·         the recovery plan refers to the transformation plan (as
confirmed by Audit Scotland in their 2015/16 Section 22 Report of
Edinburgh College).

·         the transformation plan is formed of four overarching programmes
of work.

·         the initial development plan was put in place between November
2014-April 2015.

 

As you have stated in your second email to us on 25 August 2017, the
2015/16 Section 22 Report of Edinburgh College confirms that between
November 2014 - April 2015 "Interim Principal in post - puts initial
development plan in place".  

 

We have attempted to provide as much information as possible against your
original question and it is unclear what further information you are
seeking from the review.

 

Can you please confirm why you believe the college has not answered your
original question relating to the recovery plan and we will undertake a
review accordingly.

 

Regards

FOI Team

 

 

 

Dear Edinburgh College Freedom of Information,

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify, I believe the confusion is in the semantics.

Are you confirming that the recovery/development/Transformation plan is just one particular excercise? It was my understanding that there was different/separate reviews, which is what I am trying to differentiate between.

Therefore when the interim principal took up post, was it this point that 'a' plan was put in place with SFC that covered curriculum, finance and leadership?

The Business Transformation Plan as you have stated has four overarching programmes
of work, which has led me to believe that this is a separate review/development plan put into place.

To summarise, from the outset in November 2014 any all development programmes/reviews/plans have all included more than one strand which includes in the least Finance and curriculum?

Additionally, confirmation that each review whether with or without SFC involvement this was one single exercise?

I hope this helpful for you to be able to answer my request.

Yours sincerely,

Lorna Hudson

Edinburgh College Freedom of Information, Edinburgh College

Dear Ms Hudson

 

Thank you for your clarification email (received 10 September 2017). Your
email contains 4 new requests for information and will be treated as new
FOI requests under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002:

 

Our Ref: 059/16/17

 

059/16/17 (1) Are you confirming that the
recovery/development/Transformation plan is just one particular
excercise?  It was my understanding that there was different/separate
reviews, which is what I am trying to differentiate between.

 

059/16/17 (2) Therefore when the  interim principal took up post, was it
this point that 'a' plan was put in place with SFC that covered 
curriculum, finance and leadership?

 

059/16/17 (3) To summarise, from the outset in November 2014 any all
development programmes/reviews/plans have all included more than one
strand which includes in the least Finance and curriculum?

 

059/16/17 (4) Additionally, confirmation that each review whether with or
without SFC involvement this was one single exercise?

 

We will respond by 06 October 2017.

 

Kind regards

FOI Team

 

 

Edinburgh College Freedom of Information, Edinburgh College

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    Freedom of Information request Interim Principal.html

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    RE Internal review of Freedom of Information request Interim Principal.html

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Dear Ms Hudson

 

Our Ref: 059/16/17

 

As of 1 October 2012, Edinburgh’s Telford College, Jewel & Esk College and
Stevenson College merged to create a single college called Edinburgh
College.

 

We refer to your request for information dated 10 September 2017. The
College has considered your request as a request for information under
section 1 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (“FOISA”):

 

059/16/17 (1) Are you confirming that the
recovery/development/Transformation plan is just one particular
excercise?  It was my understanding that there was different/separate
reviews, which is what I am trying to differentiate between.

 

At the P&R Committee on 26 November 2015 it was agreed that the
Development Plan would be integrated into, and progressed through, a new
plan for the College: the Transformation Plan was then agreed at the Board
Meeting on 08 December 2015.

 

As advised in our two previous responses on 22 August 2017 and 4 September
2017 (attached), Audit Scotland confirmed in their 2015/16 Section 22
Report of Edinburgh College, the phrase “recovery plan” refers to the
college’s Transformation Plan.

 

059/16/17 (2) Therefore when the  interim principal took up post, was it
this point that 'a' plan was put in place with SFC that covered 
curriculum, finance and leadership?

 

As advised in our previous response on 4 September 2017, the 2015/16
Section 22 Report of Edinburgh College confirms that between  November
2014 - April 2015 "Interim Principal in post - puts initial  development
plan in place".  

 

The key elements of the Development Plan included: reconfiguring the
College’s leadership; strategically repositioning the college for growth;
improving quality and curriculum; reshaping and financially rebasing the
College to improve efficiency and effectiveness; and culture change
development. 

 

059/16/17 (3) To summarise, from the outset in November 2014 any all
development programmes/reviews/plans have all included more than one
strand which includes in the least Finance and curriculum?

 

Please refer to our two previous responses on 22 August 2017 and 4
September. Please also see response to 059/16/17 (1) and 059/16/17 (2)

 

059/16/17 (4) Additionally, confirmation that each review whether with or
without SFC involvement this was one single exercise?

 

Please see response to 059/16/17 (1) and 059/16/17 (2).

 

 

Edinburgh College is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of
Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA) 2002. If you are dissatisfied with this
response, you may ask the college to review this decision. To do this,
please contact the Head of Corporate Development at the postal address
below or e-mail the Head of Corporate Development at
[1][email address] describing your original request and
explaining your grounds for dissatisfaction. (Please include in your
review request, your name and home address for correspondence).

 

You have 40 working days from receipt of this letter to submit a review
request to:

 

Head of Corporate Development

4th Floor

Edinburgh College (Milton Road Campus)

24 Milton Road East

Edinburgh

EH15 2PP

 

When the review process has been completed and if you are still
dissatisfied, you may ask the Scottish Information Commissioner to
intervene.

 

The Commissioner’s online appeal service is available from their website:
[2]www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal

 

The  online appeal service is available 24/7 and offers you real time help
and advice about your appeal.

 

You must appeal to the Commissioner within six months of receiving the
review decision.

 

You also have the right to appeal to the Court of Session on a point of
law following a decision of the Commissioner.

 

Regards

FOI Team

 

 

Dear Edinburgh College,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Edinburgh College's handling of my FOI request 'Interim Principal'.

You asked to whether I was happy with the response (to which I responded that I would like to take this opportunity to clarify), you have responded with a (final) response which goes to similar lengths as your initial response: you are keeping your focus on BTP and not on the interim principal's recovery plan. These are two separate strategic plans. The Interim Principal had a 'Recovery Plan' not a BTP,

I simply want to know what work the Interim Principal undertook in relation to what the SFC told her to change in Edinburgh College curriculum/finance wise under the Recovery Plan.

Therefore I please supply evidence in relation to the FULL initial work/remit of the Interim Principal with the SFC .

In your last response you say that the Interim Principal put 'initial' work in place, which is vague therefore please clarify 'initial' work and provide recorded information to evidence this. By referring to previous FOI responses you are over complicating, the matter at hand and this I believe is not helpful to assisting the requester.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/i...

Yours faithfully,

Lorna Hudson

Edinburgh College Freedom of Information, Edinburgh College

Dear Ms Hudson

 

We can confirm receipt of your email (received 16 October) and will be in
contact with the outcome of the formal review (Our Ref: 059/16/17) by 13
November 2017.

 

Your two new requests for information under the Freedom of Information
(Scotland) Act 2002 will be responded to in a separate email  by 13
November 2017 (Our Ref: 063/16/17):

 

063/16/17 (1) I simply want to know what work the Interim Principal
undertook in relation to what the SFC told her to change in Edinburgh
College curriculum/finance wise under the Recovery Plan.

 

063/16/17 (2) Therefore I please supply evidence in  relation to the FULL
initial work/remit of the Interim Principal with the SFC.

 

Regards

FOI Team  

 

 

Edinburgh College Freedom of Information, Edinburgh College

Dear Ms Hudson

Our Ref: 059/16/17

An internal review has been undertaken on the response provided to your
FOI request.

The review has found that the response provided on 06 October 2017 fully
answered all of the four questions you submitted on 10 September 2017.

In addition, the review was asked to consider our response to your request
submitted on 25 July (Our Ref: 053/16/17). The review found that the
response provided on 22 August 2017 fully answered your request for
information.

Your request for review (submitted 16 October 2017) specifically asks us
to review the following: ‘In your last response you say that the Interim
Principal put 'initial' work in place, which is vague therefore please
clarify 'initial' work and provide recorded information to evidence this.’
We have read this request as a specific review of the information provided
on 6 October in relation to ‘initial work’ put in place.

The review has found that our response on 06 October 2017 stated: ‘As
advised in our previous response on 4 September 2017, the 2015/16 Section
22 Report of Edinburgh College confirms that between  November 2014 -
April 2015 "Interim Principal in post - puts initial  development plan in
place.’  

The review confirmed that ‘initial work’ refers to the Development Plan
and the college evidenced this by providing the link to Audit Scotland’s
2015/16 Section 22 Report of Edinburgh College. We have included details
of the ‘initial work’ of the Development Plan in our separate response to
your new FOI requests (Our Ref: 063/16/17).

As confirmed in our email to you on 20 October 2017, we will respond to
your two further requests for information in a separate email (Our Ref
063/16/17) by 13 November 2017.

If you are still dissatisfied, you may ask the Scottish Information
Commissioner to intervene.

The Commissioner’s online appeal service is available from their website:
[1]www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal

The  online appeal service is available 24/7 and offers you real time help
and advice about your appeal.

You also have the right to appeal to the Court of Session on a point of
law following a decision of the Commissioner.

Kind regards

FOI Team

 

 

show quoted sections

Edinburgh College Freedom of Information, Edinburgh College

Dear Ms Hudson

Our Ref: 063/16/17

As of 1 October 2012, Edinburgh’s Telford College, Jewel & Esk College and
Stevenson College merged to create a single college called Edinburgh
College.

We refer to your request for information dated 16 October 2017. The
College has considered your request as a request for information under
section 1 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (“FOISA”):

063/16/17 (1) I simply want to know what work the Interim Principal
undertook in relation to what the SFC told her to change in Edinburgh
College curriculum/finance wise under the Recovery Plan.

We are unable to answer your question ‘work the Interim Principal
undertook in relation to what the SFC told her to change in Edinburgh
College curriculum/finance wise under the Recovery Plan’ as the SFC did
not instruct the Interim Principal to implement change through a recovery
plan.

Please note, the request for the Development Plan originally came from the
P&R Committee on 22 October 2014. The minutes from this meeting are
publically available:
[1]http://doc.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/welcom...

At the P&R Committee on 26 November 2015 it was agreed that the
Development Plan would be integrated into, and progressed through, a new
plan for the College: the Transformation Plan was then agreed at the Board
Meeting on 08 December 2015.

The origin of the phrase ‘recovery plan’ lies with Audit Scotland (who
subsequently acknowledged that they were in fact referring specifically to
the college’s formal Business Transformation Plan. See para. 11 in Audit
Scotland’s 2015/16 Audit of Edinburgh College:
 [2]http://audit-scotland.gov.uk/uploads/doc...

063/16/17 (2) Therefore I please supply evidence in  relation to the FULL
initial work/remit of the Interim Principal with the SFC.

Please note, we are unable to answer your question ‘initial work/remit of
the Interim Principal with the SFC’ as the Interim Principal was not
employed by the SFC and the SFC did not instruct the Interim Principal to
implement change through a recovery plan.

However, we can provide details of the ‘initial work/remit’ of the
Development Plan.

As evidenced in response to 063/16/17 (1) , the Development Plan was
originally requested at the P&R Committee on 22 October 2014.

The Development Plan was produced by the Executive team led by the Interim
Principal and in cooperation with officials from the SFC. The final
version of the Development Plan was agreed by the Board and submitted to
the SFC in February 2015.

Edinburgh College is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of
Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA) 2002. If you are dissatisfied with this
response, you may ask the college to review this decision. To do this,
please contact the Head of Corporate Development at the postal address
below or e-mail the Head of Corporate Development at
[3][email address] describing your original request and
explaining your grounds for dissatisfaction. (Please include in your
review request, your name and home address for correspondence).

You have 40 working days from receipt of this letter to submit a review
request to:

Head of Corporate Development

4th Floor

Edinburgh College (Milton Road Campus)

[4]24 Milton Road East

Edinburgh

EH15 2PP

When the review process has been completed and if you are still
dissatisfied, you may ask the Scottish Information Commissioner to
intervene.

The Commissioner’s online appeal service is available from their website:
[5]www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal

The  online appeal service is available 24/7 and offers you real time help
and advice about your appeal.

You must appeal to the Commissioner within six months of receiving the
review decision.

You also have the right to appeal to the Court of Session on a point of
law following a decision of the Commissioner.

Regards

FOI Team

 

 

show quoted sections

Dear Edinburgh College Freedom of Information,

I am still dissatisfied with this response.

The terms 'recovery plan', 'business transformation plan' and 'development plan' need to be differentiated from one another. Your initial response was that the former became the BTP (and that Audit Scotland recognises it as such) is, as I aptly pointed out, there may be a deliberate attempt to avoid bringing clarity to the work performed by the Interim Principal during her time fulfilling her role.

Additionally, you state you don't understand my statement 'initial recovery plan as instructed by SFC' because she was not employed by the SFC. However, she was recommended by Laurence Howells (SFC) to Ian McKay, which would give some indication that she did work under some degree of instructions. I believe you hold recorded information to prove the SFC had a greater role in steering her recovery plan work.

Could you also advise the date that the interim principal took up post?

I shall look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Lorna Hudson

Edinburgh College Freedom of Information, Edinburgh College

Dear Ms Hudson

 

We can confirm receipt of your email (received 24 November) in which you
express dissatisfaction with our response. We will therefore undertake a
review of our response sent to you on 13 Nov 2017 (Our Ref: 063/16/17) and
will be in contact with the outcome of the formal review by 22 December
2017.

 

Please note, we contacted you on 13 November 2017 with the outcome of the
formal review that looked at our responses to (Our Ref: 053/16/17 and
059/16/17). We advised you at that time that if you were still
dissatisfied with the outcome of this review that you may ask the Scottish
Information Commissioner to intervene.

 

Your new request for information under the Freedom of Information
(Scotland) Act 2002 will be responded to in a separate email  by 22
December 2017 (Our Ref: 074/16/17):

 

074/16/17 (1): Could you also advise the date that the interim principal
took up post?

 

Regards

FOI Team  

 

 

show quoted sections

Edinburgh College Freedom of Information, Edinburgh College

4 Attachments

Dear Ms Hudson

 

Our Ref: 063/16/17

An internal review has been undertaken on the response provided to your
FOI request.

The review has found that the response provided on 13 November 2017 did
answer your questions submitted on 16 October 2017. However, the review
has asked us to provide the attached paper presented at the P&R Committee
on 14 January 2015 as this provides a more detailed explanation of the
initial work of the Development Plan.

 

As confirmed in our email to you on 29 November 2017, we will respond to
your further request for information in a separate email (Our Ref
074/16/17) by 22 December 2017.

If you are still dissatisfied, you may ask the Scottish Information
Commissioner to intervene.

The Commissioner’s online appeal service is available from their website:
[1]www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal

The  online appeal service is available 24/7 and offers you real time help
and advice about your appeal.

You must appeal to the Commissioner within six months of receiving the
review decision.

You also have the right to appeal to the Court of Session on a point of
law following a decision of the Commissioner.

Please note, anyone using a false name/identity to submit an FOI request
will forfeit their right to future action being taken by the Scottish ICO.

Kind regards

FOI Team

 

 

show quoted sections

Edinburgh College Freedom of Information, Edinburgh College

Dear Ms Hudson

 

Our Ref: 074/16/17

 

As of 1 October 2012, Edinburgh’s Telford College, Jewel & Esk College and
Stevenson College merged to create a single college called Edinburgh
College.

 

We refer to your request for information dated 24 November 2017. The
College has considered your request as a request for information under
section 1 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (“FOISA”):

 

074/16/17 (1): Could you also advise the date that the interim principal
took up post?

 

The interim principal took up post on 12 November 2014.

 

Edinburgh College is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of
Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA) 2002. If you are dissatisfied with this
response, you may ask the college to review this decision. To do this,
please contact the Head of Corporate Development at the postal address
below or e-mail the Head of Corporate Development at
[1][email address] describing your original request and
explaining your grounds for dissatisfaction. (Please include in your
review request, your name and home address for correspondence).

 

You have 40 working days from receipt of this letter to submit a review
request to:

 

Head of Corporate Development

4th Floor

Edinburgh College (Milton Road Campus)

24 Milton Road East

Edinburgh

EH15 2PP

 

When the review process has been completed and if you are still
dissatisfied, you may ask the Scottish Information Commissioner to
intervene.

 

The Commissioner’s online appeal service is available from their website:
[2]www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal

 

The  online appeal service is available 24/7 and offers you real time help
and advice about your appeal.

 

You must appeal to the Commissioner within six months of receiving the
review decision.

 

You also have the right to appeal to the Court of Session on a point of
law following a decision of the Commissioner.

 

Regards

FOI Team

 

 

 

show quoted sections

www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk

References

Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal