FOI request (FOIR-705907166)

To whom it may concern, 

This is a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I would like to request information relating to unaccredited online schools. For the purposes of this request, “unaccredited online schools” refers to online education providers that offer full-time education to pupils of compulsory school age which have NOT been accredited under the Department for Education’s Online Education Accreditation Scheme (see: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-online-education-accreditation). 

For your information, I am aware that the Online Education Accreditation Scheme was only launched in the 2022/2023 academic year so all online school providers prior to 2022/2023 will have been unaccredited.

Please provide the following information:

1. The total number of children the council has funded to attend unaccredited online schools in each of the past eight academic years (2017/2018 through to 2024/2025 inclusive). Within each academic year, please break down the total by: 

a. Sex, i.e. how many of these children are male and how many are female.

b. Age or ‘Key Stage’ year.

c. Ethnicity.

d. The proportion of these children that qualify/qualified for free school meals (but not including infant free school meals).

e. The proportion of these children that have/had special educational needs.

2. The total amount the council has spent on this attendance at unaccredited online schools in each of the past eight academic years (2017/2018 through to 2024/2025 inclusive).

3. The mean cost per placement in an unaccredited online school in each of the past eight academic years (2017/2018 through to 2024/2025 inclusive).

4. The median cost per placement in an unaccredited online school in each of the past eight academic years (2017/2018 through to 2024/2025 inclusive).

5. The names of the unaccredited online school providers, or the top five most used unaccredited online school providers in each of the past eight academic years (2017/2018 through to 2024/2025 inclusive).

Please provide the most up-to-date information as of the date this request is fulfilled in electronic (soft copy) form via email to me at antonia.cundy@ft.com.

If it is not possible to fulfil this request for cost reasons, please provide advice and assistance as to how I can refine my request. If you can identify any other ways that my request could be refined I would be grateful for any further advice and assistance.