National Training Programme for Clerks to Governing Bodies: Training Materials

The authority would like to / has responded by postal mail to this request.

Dear Sir or Madam,

Please could you supply copies of the Training Materials detailed in the Clerks Trainers Toolkit (DFES-0433-2003) including but not limited too
* Training Presentations (powerpoint slides or equivalent)
* OHT Slides
* Interactive CD-Rom files
* Assessment Books
* Videos
* Diskettes

Yours faithfully,

Feargal Hogan

Department for Children, Schools and Families

Dear Mr Hogan
Thank you for your email dated 4 December about Governor Training
Publications.

You may wish to browse for a publication, and order online at
[1]http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/

Alternatively, hard copies may be available to order from:

Department for Children, Schools and Families Publications Centre

PO Box 5050
Sherwood Park

Annesley
Nottingham

NG15 0DJ

Telephone: 0845 60 222 60

Fax: 0845 60 333 60

Minicom: 0845 60 555 60

I hope this information proves helpful.
Yours sincerely

Paul Quinn
Public Communications Unit
[2]www.dcsf.gov.uk

Your correspondence has been allocated the reference number 2009/0102834.
To correspond by email with the Department for Children, Schools and
Families please contact [3][DCSF request email].

If you have any further queries why not browse our Popular Questions
website. This site has been built to allow you to quickly find the answer
to your question [4]http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/popularquestions

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References

Visible links
1. http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/
http://publications.teachernet.gov.uk/
2. http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/
3. mailto:[DCSF request email]
4. http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/popularquestions

Dear Department for Children, Schools and Families,

Unfortunately the material I requested is not available online, which is why I was asking you for it.

And if I try to order a hard copy, on the off chance that the materials I'm interested in «might» be included despite the fact that the pack is described as 's booklet', the ordering system tells me my account type is not allowed to order this material.

So can you please provide the material via this FoI Request instead?

Many thanks

Yours faithfully,

Feargal Hogan

Department for Children, Schools and Families

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Hogan,

I am writing to you regarding your email request of 4 December 2009 for
copies of the Clerks Training Toolkit.

If you can let me know your postal address I will arrange to have a copy
sent to you. Please could you tell me why you are requesting them (i.e.
are you a clerk to the governing body)?

Kind regards

Kaye Callaghan
School Governance Unit
Independent Schools & School Organisation
LGF Rm 11, Mowden Hall, Darlington, DL3 9BG

Tel: 01325 391279 (internal ext: 61279)

[1]www.dcsf.gov.uk

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Dear Kaye

Can you explain what you wish to send by post?

I would really like electronic copies.
Are these not available?

The reason I am requesting them is that I believe they should be freely available to anyone interested in them.

Yours faithfully,

Feargal Hogan

Department for Children, Schools and Families

Dear Mr Hogan

I would need to send you the complete Clerks Training Tookit by post as
there would be no way of sending the inclusions that come with the pack
(such as CD ROMs, diskette's etc) electronically.

However, I have attached a link to the toolkit which is available online.
[1]http://www.governornet.co.uk/linkAttachm...

The reason we ask why items are being requested is that due to resources
we are unable to send out hard copies of packs to anyone who requests
them. Normally we would only send packs to designated persons, such as
governors who would need to specifically use the materials.

I hope this answers your query. If you could forward me your address I
will arrange to have a pack posted to you.

Kind regards

Kaye Callaghan

School Governance Team

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Hi Kaye

Thanks for getting back. It was reading the "Training Materials 2005" document that prompted me to initiate the request. According to that document the following are available:
* Training Materials (http://is.gd/5O4Pg)
* Course Reader (http://is.gd/5O4NZ)
* Distance Learning Guide (http://is.gd/5O4Kd)
* Video
* Interactive CD Rom
* Diskette
* Assessment Book

The first 3 in that list are available from the links above (to Teachernet pages). There is also some mention of OHPs. I am unsure if they are a separate part of the pack or not.

The assessment book should be available as a PDF file. If so, then that could be uploaded here. If not then surely it could be scanned and uploaded? Same goes for the OHPs.

Videos can today be very simply converted to MPEG. If you haven't got facilities in house someone like these people (http://is.gd/5O5W9) will do it for £20 per tape. MPEG files can be uploaded here, or even to YouTube.

CDRoms are best uploaded in either of 2 formats - as an ISO file, or as a ZIP file of the entire CD.

The diskette contents could also be very simply ZIPped
and uploaded.

If the files get very big then there is some information here (http://is.gd/5O6S7) which may help

I hope this helps and look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Feargal Hogan

Department for Children, Schools and Families

Dear Mr Hogan

I refer to your request for information, which was received on 4 December
2009. You requested copies of the training materials detailed in the Clerks
Training Toolkit in electronic format. I have dealt with your request under
the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Section 21 of the Act exempts information from the right of access under the
Freedom of Information Act if that information is reasonably accessible to the
applicant by other means.

The toolkit is available online at the following address

[1]http://www.governornet.co.uk/linkAttachm...
and we would be happy to send you the full information pack by post which would
include the additional items such as CD ROMs, diskettes and a video.

Having considered your request carefully, it is our view that converting the
enclosures in the training pack into an electronic format would be likely to be
caught by the provisions at s11(3) of the Freedom of Information Act because it
would not be reasonably practicable due to the amount of work involved.

If you would like us to send you the full information pack by post you may
inform us of your address privately if you wish, by sending it to my email
account. If you would prefer not to provide your home address we can send the
pack `poste restante' whereby we would send the package to a named Post Office
who would then hold it for up to a fortnight for you to collect. If you would
like to use this method you would need to provide us with your full name as it
appears on the ID you would be using to collect the package i.e. a passport.
More information on how to use this system is detailed here:

[2]http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/jump2...

If you have any queries about this letter, 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

Kaye Callaghan
School Governance
[email address]
[3]www.dcsf.gov.uk

Your correspondence has been allocated the reference number 2010/0001399.

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Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

References

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1. http://www.governornet.co.uk/linkAttachm...
2. http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/jump2...
http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/jump2...
3. http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/

Dear Department for Children, Schools and Families,

I have to say I am very disappointed with your response. I really don't want a hard copy of the training materials. I want digital copies that anyone can use.

Personally i can't see the point in asking for an internal review.

Yours faithfully,

Feargal Hogan