Guide to Information
Aspire Education (Kilbirnie)
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 came into force on the 1 January 2005 and gives everyone a legal right to request information held by a Scottish Public Authority. The act aims to increase openness and accountability across the public sector by ensuring that individuals have the right to access information held by Scottish Public Authorities. People are able to see and question how public bodies function and how decisions are made.
Freedom of information (FOI) law requires Scottish public authorities to produce and maintain a publication scheme. Authorities are under a legal obligation to:
- publish the classes of information that they make routinely available
- tell the public how to access the information and what it might cost.
Aspire Education Kilbirnie is a Scottish public authority under FOI law and it has adopted the Model Publication Scheme produced by the Scottish Information Commissioner. View the Model Publication Scheme at www.itspublicknowledge.info/mps
The purpose of this Guide to Information is to:
- let you to see what information Aspire Education (Kilbirnie) publishes under each class of the Model Publication Scheme
- tell you how to find the information easily
- tell you about any charges for the information
- give contact details for enquiries and help with accessing the information
- explain how to request information we haven’t published
Availability and formats
The information we publish through the Model Publication Scheme is, wherever possible, available on our website. We offer alternative arrangements for people who do not want to, or cannot, access the information online or by inspection at our premises. For example, we can usually arrange to send information to you in paper copy (although there may be a charge for this).
Exempt information
We will publish the information we hold that falls within the classes of information below. If a document contains information that is exempt under Scotland’s freedom of information laws (for example sensitive personal information or a trade secret), we may remove or redact the information before publication but we will explain why.
Copyright
Aspire Education (Kilbirnie) has adopted the Open Government Licence (OGL) for the information it publishes through this Guide. You can view the OGL here:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/. This sets out what you can and cannot do with our published information where we are the copyright holder.
Where Aspire Education (Kilbirnie) does not hold the copyright in information we publish, we will make that clear in this guide.
Charges
There is no charge to view information on our website or at our premises.
We may charge for providing information to you e.g., photocopying and postage, but we will charge you no more than it actually costs us to do so. We will always tell you what the cost is before providing the information to you.
Our photocopying charge per sheet of paper is shown in the table below:
| Size of paper | Pence per single sided copy (black and white) | Pence per single sided copy (colour) |
| A1 | — | — |
| A2 | — | — |
| A3 | 16p | 32p |
| A4 | 8p | 16p |
| A5 | — | — |
Information provided on CD-Rom will be charged at £1.00 per computer disc.
We will recharge any postage costs at the rate we paid to send the information to you.
When providing copies of pre-printed publications, we will charge no more than the cost per copy of the total print run.
We do not pass on any other costs to you for our published information.
This charging schedule does not apply to our commercial publications (see Class 8 below). These items are offered for sale through retail outlets such as book shops, academic journal websites or museum shops and their price reflects a ‘market value’ which may include the cost of production.
Contact Us
You can contact us for assistance with any aspect of this publication scheme:
Aspire Education (Kilbirnie)
1a Bridgend, Kilbirnie, North Ayrshire KA25 7DJ
Telephone: 0141 580 0863
We will also be pleased to advise you how to ask for information that we do not publish or how to complain if you are dissatisfied with any aspect of this publication scheme.
The classes of information that we publish
We publish the information that we hold within the following classes. Once information is published under a class we will continue to make it available for the current and previous two financial years.
Where information has been updated or superseded, only the current version will be available. If you would like to see previous versions, you are welcome to make a request to us for that information.
| CLASS 1: ABOUT ASPIRE EDUCATION (KILBIRNIE) | |
| Class description: Information about Aspire Education (Kilbirnie), who we are, where to find us, how to contact us, how we are managed and our external relations |
|
| The information we publish under this class | How to access it |
| School name, address and contact details, including contact during holidays | Aspire Education (Kilbirnie) 1a Bridgend Kilbirnie North Ayrshire KA25 7DJ Telephone 0141 580 0863 |
| School structure, names, roles and responsibilities of senior staff and board members | The school has 1 Principal Teacher and a Teacher (one for primary education and one for senior classes). All teachers and educational staff report to the Principal Teachers who in turn report to the Education Services Manager and Deputy Education Services Manager. They are responsible to the Senior Management Team of Aspire (Scotland) Limited and their Managing Director Eddie McCaffrey. |
| School opening hours | 8:30am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday during term time. |
| School term times, holidays and INSET days | Our timetable mirrors North Ayrshires: http://www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk/resident/education-and-learning/information-for-parents-and-carers/school-term-dates.aspx |
| Contact details for customer care and complaints | Education Services Manager Aspire Education (Kilbirnie) 1a Bridgend Kilbirnie North Ayrshire KA25 7DJ |
| This Guide to Information | The link is within this internal document. |
| How to make an information request to the school | Please email: marion.menzies@aspirescotland.co.uk |
| Our charges for information that has not been published* | see “charges” above |
| Legal framework for the school e.g., s29 of the Education Act, constitution, company details, etc. | Aspire Education (Kibirnie) is a trading name of Aspire (Scotland) Limited a company registered under the Companies Acts (Registration Number SC381356) and having its registered office at 9 Royal Crescent, Glasgow G3 7SP and its place of business at 1a Bridgend, Kilbirnie, North Ayrshire KA25 7DJ. It is governed by the Companies Act 2005. Full details of the Company including its Articles of Association are available at:
Its’ Independent School Registration No is 8280347. |
| Governance structures: board, committees, other decision-making structures | Senior Management Team Organisational Structure Link |
| School strategies e.g., stakeholder engagement, equality | To be added. |
| School planning processes | School Plan Link. |
| How the school is held accountable, including reporting requirements of regulators | Latest Education Scotland Inspectorate Report dated 27 Aug 2013 available at:
www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/AspireIns270820131_tcm4-813673.pdf) |
| Internal and external audit arrangements | The Inspection Report referred to above. |
| Subsidiary companies or other significant financial interests | No information under this class. |
| Contractual agreements with local authorities | Every child and young person has an individualised contract with each Authority. |
| Membership of advisory bodies e.g., SCIS and ETCS and links to more information | ETCS www.etcs.scot SQA www.sqa.org.uk |
| CLASS 2: HOW ASPIRE EDUCATION (KILBIRNIE) DELIVERS OUR FUNCTIONS AND SERVICES | |
| Class description: Information about our work, our strategy and policies for delivering functions and services and information for our service users. |
|
| The information we publish under this class | How to access it |
| Description of the school’s functions | Our services are listed at: www.aspirescotland.co.uk/education.html |
| Strategies, school policies and internal staff procedures for delivering the school’s functions, including allocation, quality and standards. | Our Policies and procedures are listed at (can Paul create a URL for the staff handbook) Policies and procedures are currently under review and will be added to and updated on an ongoing basis |
| How to report a concern to the school | Please email:
Tom Laurie |
| Reports about how the school delivers its functions | See Services as listed above at www.aspirescotland.co.uk/education.html |
| How the school charges (generally) for its services and functions (Scottish Excel Framework) | We are not member s of the Scottish Excel Framework. Individual charges are £100 per day per pupil. |
| List of services provided by the school, including the statutory basis for them (where applicable) | See www.aspirescotland.co.uk/education.html |
| Service schedules and delivery plans, for example school improvement plan | School Plan Link. |
| Information for service users, including how to access the services | Local Authorities will usually request our service flyers or check on our website before submitting a referral form. |
| School newsletters and news sheets | No information of this class held. |
| Parent guides e.g. on GIRFEC, SQA exam guides, etc (where published by the school) | No information of this class held. |
| CLASS 3: HOW ASPIRE EDUCATION (KILBIRNIE) TAKES DECISIONS AND WHAT IT HAS DECIDED | |
| Class description: Information about the decisions we take, how we make decisions and how we involve others |
|
| The information we publish under this class | How to access it. |
| Decisions taken by the school: agendas, reports and papers provided for consideration and minutes of Board (or equivalent) meetings | To be added. |
| Public consultations and the outcomes of engagement with stakeholders | No information of this Class held. |
| Reports of any regulatory inspections, audits and investigations carried out by the school. School Improvement partner visits. | See Education Scotland Report referenced in Class 2. |
| CLASS 4: WHAT ASPIRE EDUCATION KILBIRNIE SPENDS AND HOW IT SPENDS IT | |
| Class description: Information about our strategy for, and management of, financial resources (in sufficient detail to explain how we plan to spend public money and what has actually been spent. |
|
| The information we publish under this class | How to access it |
| Financial statements, including annual accounts, financial statements required by statute and any regular statements e.g., quarterly budget statements | To be added. |
| Financial policies and procedures for budget allocation | The day to day operational management of Aspire is delegated to the Senior Management Team who have the responsibility to manage the financial resources of Aspire in line with overall Strategic plan and approved annual revenue budget. The Senior Management Team should ensure the security of Aspire assets, and that resources are expended ensuring best value and in accordance with the any financial policies issued to budget holders from time to time. The Finance Manager should ensure the following information is complete and available to the Senior Management Team:- · The accurate recording of all financial transactions · Completion of regular budget monitoring reports and variance analysis · Ensure compliance with statutory financial regulations · Ensure financial regulations and policies reflect all necessary compliance and best practice |
| Budget allocation to key policy / function / service areas | Financial Procedures Link. |
| Purchasing plans and capital funding plans | No information under this class. |
| Financial administration manual / internal financial regulations | The nominated budget holders should ensure best value in all purchases and adhere to financial policies and guidelines issued as to the operation of School Bank Accounts, ensuring that all transactions are timeously and accurately recorded and the necessary source documentation is retained in support of expenditure. |
| Expenses policies and procedures | Financial Procedures Link. |
| Senior staff / board member expenses at category level e.g., travel, subsistence and accommodation | Financial Procedures Link. |
| Board member remuneration other than expenses | No information under this Class. |
| Pay and grading structure (levels of pay rather than individual salaries) | No information under this Class. |
| Investments, summary information about endowments, investments and school pension fund | To be added. |
| Any grants available from the school, how to apply for them and funding awards made | None. |
| CLASS 5: HOW ASPIRE EDUCATION (KILBIRNIE) MANAGES ITS HUMAN, PHYSICAL AND INFORMATION RESOURCES | |
| Class description: Information about how we manage the human, physical and information resources of Aspie Education (Kilbirnie) |
|
| The information we publish under this class | How to access it |
| Strategy for and management of human resources | The HR function is outsourced to Employ Easily Legal Services of Suite 544-545, Baltic Chambers, 50 Wellington Street, Glasgow G2 6HJ who report to the Senior Management team. |
| Human resources policies, procedures and guidelines, including: recruitment, performance management, salary and grading, promotion, pensions, discipline, grievance, staff development, staff records | These are as set out in the Employee Handbook a copy of which can be obtained on request from marion.menzies@aspirescotland.co.uk. |
| Employee relations structures and agreements reached with recognised trade unions and professional organisations | Aspire has the practice of holding regular meetings with employees to discuss and share information about the organisation and update our workforce. An ‘open door’ policy is in place with access to management at all levels. No Trade Union agreement is in place, however, Trade Unions are recognised in line with legislation and ACAS guidelines. |
| Management of the school’s land and property assets, including environmental / sustainability report | The property is owned and maintained Aspire Scotland Holdings Ltd. |
| Description of the school’s land and property holdings | As above. |
| Estate development plans | In discussions with North Ayrshire Council as the property is a listed building. |
| Property and land maintenance arrangements | As above. |
| Records management policy, including records retention schedule | To be added. |
| Information governance / asset management policies and procedures, information asset list | To be added. |
| Knowledge management policies and procedures | No information under this class. |
| Lists of statistical information published by the school | No information under this class. |
| Freedom of information policies and procedures | Freedom of Information Policy. |
| Data protection or privacy policy | We have a Data Protection Policy. |
| CLASS 6: HOW ASPIRE EDUCATION (KILBIRNIE) PROCURES GOODS AND SERVICES FROM EXTERNAL PROVIDERS | |
| Class description: Information about how we procure goods and services, and our contracts with external providers |
|
| Procurement policies and procedures | See Financial Procedures listed in Class 4. |
| Invitations to tender | No information under this Class. |
| List of contracts which have gone through formal tendering, including name of supplier, period of contract, and value | No information under this Class. |
| CLASS 7: HOW ASPIRE EDUCATION (KILBIRNIE) IS PERFORMING | |
| Class description: Information about how Aspire Education (Kilbirnie) performs as an organisation, and how well it delivers its functions and services |
|
| The information we publish under this class | How to access it |
| External reports e.g., annual report, performance statements required by statute (e.g., section 32 of the Public Service Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 if applicable | None. |
| Performance indicators and performance against them | School Plan Link. |
| Education Scotland Inspection reports (links to ES website) | Latest Education Scotland Inspectorate Report dated 27 Aug 2013 (available at www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/AspireIns270820131_tcm4-813673.pdf) |
| Care Inspectorate Inspection reports (links to CI website) | [list] www.careinspectorate.com |
| CLASS 8: OUR COMMERCIAL PUBLICATIONS | |
| Class description: Information packaged and made available for sale on a commercial basis and sold at market value through a retail outlet e.g. bookshop, museum or research journal. |
|
| The information we publish under this class | How to access it |
| No information under this Class | |
| CLASS 8: OUR OPEN DATA | |
| Class description: Open data made available by the school as described by the Scottish Government’s Open Data Resource Pack and available under an open licence. |
|
| The information we publish under this class | How to access it |
| No information under this Class | |