Student extenuating circumstances requests due to mental health issues

The request was refused by University of Leeds.

Dear University of Leeds,

I am writing to make an open government request for all the information to which I am entitled under the Freedom of Information Act. In order to assist you with this request, I am outlining my query as specifically as possible. If you need any clarification then please do not hesitate to contact me. Under Section 16 it is your duty to provide advice and assistance and so I would expect you to contact me if you find this request unmanageable in any way.

I am looking for information regarding mental health issues among students, specifically:
a) Since the beginning of the 2009-10 academic year, how many of the students (both undergraduate and postgraduate) who formally requested concessions from the university (i.e. submitted an Extenuating Circumstances form), cited mental health issues as their reason for the request?
b) How many of these mental health-related appeals have been deemed legitimate enough by the university/department for the concessions to be granted?
c) Which mental health issues in particular have been those most cited (e.g. anxiety, depression etc.) in the forms.

To be clear, I recognise that the sensitivity of mental health issues involves a level of confidentiality, but given that I am asking for the data and not the identities of students, I see no reason why this information can not be shared.

I request access to the information in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet format, where each of the 10 full academic years show all of the Extenuating Circumstances forms submitted with those relating to mental health clearly flagged and detailed with the specific issues/illness cited.
I understand that you are required to respond to my request within the 20 working days after you receive this letter. I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing that you have received this request.

I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
Max Copeman

Freedom of Information, University of Leeds

The University will be closed from Tuesday 24 December to Thursday 2
January.  During that time this inbox will not be monitored but you will
receive a response as soon as possible after 2 January.

Freedom of Information, University of Leeds

Dear Mr Copeman

I can confirm receipt of the request below, dated 30 December 2019. 

Your request is being dealt with under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and will be answered within twenty working days.  As such, you should expect to hear from the University in response by 28 January 2020, if, in the meantime, you have any queries about the request, please don’t hesitate to contact me.   

Kind regards

Tracey Crombie
PA to the Legal Adviser
University of Leeds
LS2 9JT
Tel:  0113 343 4078 (NB 8am-4pm)
Fax:  0113 343 3925

This communication is intended solely for the addressee, is strictly confidential and may also be legally privileged.  If you are not the addressee please do not read, print, re-transmit, store or act in reliance on it or any attachments.  Instead, please contact Tracey Crombie on the above telephone number.

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Freedom of Information, University of Leeds

Dear Max Coperman,

 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information (FOI) request dated 30 December
2019, reference J/19/535.

 

Your request read:

 

“I am looking for information regarding mental health issues among
students, specifically:

 

a)    Since the beginning of the 2009-10 academic year, how many of the
students (both undergraduate and postgraduate) who formally requested
concessions from the university (i.e. submitted an Extenuating
Circumstances form), cited mental health issues as their reason for the
request?

b)    How many of these mental health-related appeals have been deemed
legitimate enough by the university/department for the concessions to be
granted?

c)    Which mental health issues in particular have been those most cited
(e.g. anxiety, depression etc.) in the forms.”

 

The University of Leeds holds this information. However, we are refusing
this request under section 12(1) of the Freedom of Information Act.

 

Section 12(1) sets out that a public authority is not obliged to comply
with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of
complying with the request would exceed the appropriate limit. For the
University of Leeds, the appropriate limit is 18 hours/£450. We have
outlined below why complying with the request will exceed the limit.

 

The University does not hold a central repository of all Extenuating
Circumstances forms submitted. These are held at an individual
school-level. As such, to locate the information you have requested, the
University would need to liaise with each individual school. There are 33
individual schools within the University, and your request covers 11
academic years. Even taking a very conservative estimate of five minutes
per school (which we do not anticipate would be sufficient), per academic
year, this would take over 30 hours to complete.

 

If you were to refine your request, limiting your enquiry to a specific
school and over a shorter timeframe, we may be able to provide some
information. Should you wish to submit a refined request, you can do so by
emailing [1][University of Leeds request email].

 

We hope this information is helpful. If you have any questions about this
email, however, please do not hesitate to contact us on [2][University of Leeds request email]

If you are unhappy with the service you have received in relation to your
request and wish to make a complaint or request a review of our decision,
you can request an Internal Review. Requests for Internal Review should be
made in writing using the following contact information:

 

Post:               Mr D Wardle

Deputy Secretary

The University of Leeds

Leeds

LS2 9JT

 

Email:             [3][University of Leeds request email] 

 

Requests for Internal Review should be submitted within 40 working days of
receiving the University’s response to your request. Further information
about how the University manages Freedom of Information requests and about
our complaints procedure is also available on our website
(www.leeds.ac.uk).

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision.  Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision unless you have
exhausted the review/complaints procedure provided by the University.  The
Information Commissioner can be contacted at:  Information Commissioner’s
Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

 

Sincerely

Chloe Wilkins

Freedom of Information Officer

 

University of Leeds

 

  

References

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