“In responses to two parliamentary questions (shown below), the Department for Education has indicated that this local authority:
a) Applied for permission from the Secretary of State for Education to move funding from the schools block to the high needs block for 2019/20
b) Would have carried out an assessment of the equalities impact of their proposal to move funding when making this application.
We would like to make a Freedom of Information Act request for the Equalities Impact Assessment that the local authority would have shared with the Secretary of State.
We understand that the Secretary of State did not give permission for funding to be moved. We would like to request any other documentation around any assessment that the local authority has made on the impact that the Secretary of State’s decision will have on disabled children.
Relevant parliamentary questions:
The following statement is used within the Council’s disapplication request:
“The Equality Act 2010 identifies the following as protected characteristics for the public sector equality duty: Age; Disability; Gender reassignment, marriage, pregnancy and sexual orientation; Religion; Race (including ethnicity); Disability.
The disapplication for transfer of funding takes into account all pupils regardless of where the pupil lives, their background, ability or need. The adjustment works for the benefit of all pupils / schools that call on the High Needs Block without reducing the funding in Devon schools. The schools affected are in both the maintained and academy sector.”
All of the information provided was within this disapplication request, there was no further assessment undertaken. Once rejected, the assessment was not revisited.
We do not, therefore, hold the requested information.