The ICO has useful guidance and resources to help schools find out about your obligations under the Freedom of Information Act and how to respond to requests. The full suite of tools, guidance and training to improve request handling can be found here:
Suggested resources for schools
The ICO has pulled together the following list of some of their resources and guidance they think will be most useful for schools:
Guidance on what constitutes a valid request.
This 90 second guide will help staff who have limited experience of freedom of information to understand what they need to do.
Detailed guidance for those who have day-to-day responsibility for responding to freedom of information requests.
It explains how to apply the Act by giving practical examples and answering frequently asked questions.
A template to help record and track FOI and EIR requests. This could help ensure you respond within statutory deadlines.
A table to help you consider your school’s current position and report relevant matters to senior staff/ board of governors in a simple way.
FOIA and EIR training videos
The ICO have made the videos they have created for their internal FOI and EIR training publicly available in order to help public authorities. The modules include an overview of the FOI Act as well as helpful information on processing FOI requests, the responsibilities of the ICO, applying exemptions under FOI and the personal data provisions.