Freedom of Information 2026

Content Reviews Hits: 575
Presentations Report
Freedom of Information. Three harmless words. I look at those words as I write them, and feel like shaking my head till it drops off my shoulders. You idiot. You naïve, foolish, irresponsible nincompoop. There is really no description of stupidity, no matter how vivid, that is adequate. I quake at the imbecility of it.

Tony Blair, 2010

I get it, FOI requests are a pain the the neck. I honestly do get it and so need to explain why they are actually invaluable, and why presenting the process of making a request, the agreed policy, and the publication scheme is so useful for students. I will of course mention that they are also a requirement of every publicly funded learning provider.

Let's start by assuming that all of content on the main corporate websites of a learning provider is an extracurricular learning resource, there is no reason why not. Then follow this with the certainty that these resources, however tedious and officious, serve an actual need of students, current, past and potential, their families, and the wider community. Now envision a properly curated offer, digital learning resources that are presented, not as an afterthought by a junior marketer or executive administrator, but with a clear andragogical function by an actual qualified curator. Wouldn't it be good, an unmitigated good, a major low cost high return contribution to optimising recruitment, retention, satisfaction, and summative outcomes? Now compare this vision of optimised extracurricular learning resources with the current offer and assess its merit, completeness, and capacity for transformative development.

John Dewey, Volume 13:1938-39A change by senior managers of the strategic framing of all website resources as learning resources certainly seems to be an unnecessary and time consuming distraction. To directly quote an ex-college group CEO; 'we don't want to end up with websites full of pages no-one ever visits when websites are so important'. But then again, it is very difficult to argue against:

Where to start!

The Information Commissioner's Office's (ICO) 2023 Publication Schemes: A Snapshot of Compliance report showed a range of performance with University presentations and School presentations at either end of the range. College and Adult Education Service presentations, in alignment with the organisation of education, sit between the two with a rate of 69.6% compliance:

Compliance appears to vary by sector. 100% of the universities in our analysis had a publication scheme, but only 25% of schools ... complied.

Usefully there are many hundreds of great examples of HTML pages and PDF documents that present opportunities for emulation. The tertiary and adult education sector produces some exemplary work and presented here are all of the categorised instances that together provide a collage of almost perfect practice.

Don't Make Me Think Steve KrugI will keep this list short so to not overwhelm and will use a catch-all concept of 'technical sophistication' (TS). This is a catch all for:

  1. An awareness of and concern for the technically sophisticated expectations of one's audience of students, stakeholders and funders ▶
  2. The technically sophisticated utilisation of digital tools and media to meet and, as educators, to advance the expectations of one's audience.
  3. The fullest utilisation of increasingly powerful, decreasingly expensive, increasingly easy to use, and now fully integrated digital systems.

The benefit of providing a technically sophisticated presentation is that it is evidence of commonality among the website's operations and the wider institution, and their technically sophisticated audience. There is a straw man argument, that I have heard way too often, that states audiences are technically unsophisticated. This paternalistic generalisation is itself a technically unsophisticated expression and is easily countered with a pair of simple questions:

  1. Is it better to be more technically sophisticated than one's audience?,
    and because the answer is yes then
  2. Is it also just good practice to be absolutely certain that this continues to be the case?

The brute, blunt instrument, methodology used on this website that identifies and defines the 'technical sophistication' (TS) of website presentations is nothing greater than simple and comprehensive. By simply selecting a constant across all ~480 tertiary and adult education provider websites and noting each of the missing, regular infrequent, and unique characteristics, an insight about what the y-axis probability density metrics are, is achieved. These categories include both deficient and exemplary instances but they also include quirky, surprising, awful, and wonderful local characteristics that completely defy a simplified continuum.

Tony Blair - A Journey, 2010For this review of Freedom of Information presentations, there are clear displays of capability (what a learning provider is good at) and competency (the mobilisation and integration of capabilities). There are also operational practicalities and aesthetic choices on clear display. Of real interest, taking Tony Blair's published opinion of the 'imbecility' of the right to reasonable access to public information, there is also an ideological dimension on display. ▶

In this mapping process, there were only three basic metrics. The normal testing of the presentation of contact information and individual manager ownership have been disregarded because the former are universally presented and the latter are only intermittently so, and no big revelatory insights to disseminate there!
The three metrics in use are:

  1. A page on the website that presents the availability and method of accessing corporate information. A bare minimum presentation is certainly an option but, applying the frame of this provision as an extracurricular learning resource, part of resource-based learning approach, that explains the process, offers some context, details the person responsible, their role's title and contact information, as well as an imbedding a contact form, and showing hyperlinks to the Freedom of Information Policy, Publication Scheme and every associated page and document.
  2. A page on the website and/or a PDF that presents the Freedom of Information Policy. A HTML version is very welcome but a PDF file is certainly fine. The corporate nature of this document does not decrease the benefits of a well designed presentation. A big font size, lots of relevant hyperlinks, policy owner details and contact information, in fact all of the policy metadata, and exact page numbering (1 of 12 etc.), are all very creditable.
  3. A page on the website and/or a PDF that presents the Publication Scheme. Again, a HTML version is very welcome but a PDF file is certainly okay. The breadth of the information listed in a Publication Scheme clearly benefits from form a provision of detailed exegesis, titled in many instances an 'Explanation' for each 'Definition Document'. The volume of the content provided also really benefits from proper consideration of its organisation, layout, and navigation.

The hierarchy is pretty straightforward. At the top are the websites that provide: A HTML Freedom of Information page, HTML Policy page, and HTML Publication Scheme with intuitive navigation between them all and every hyperlinked destination in the Publication Scheme. None of the 480 tertiary and adult education provider websites does this perfectly but it is still better to fall before the finish than before the start. Unfortunately, at the other end are the many, many providers that fail before the start and do not provide, in this order of dereliction:

  1. A HTML Freedom of Information Page
  2. A HTML or PDF Freedom of Information Policy, as made as simple as possible by the ICO's Model Publication Scheme
  3. A HTML or PDF Publication Scheme, which is a statutory requirement, and
  4. A presentation of any of these at all.

Design choices seem to be just an insignificant faff for the hardnosed and hard-pressed education sector decision. To them I state, who has worked for the UFC, a rounded game is a minimum requirement, not a 'nice to have' and that repeated exposure, the identification of weaknesses in one's game, such as in this report, is an essential learning experience. With that precursory non‑sequitur done with, bellow is a full opposition to the use of the accordion in website pages:

The Undeniable Case Against Accordion Presentations

1 of 6. Accordions Hide Information
Users are less likely to discover content that is actively hidden by default, which is the primary criticism of accordions, that it forces users to discover information rather than to simply see it.

2 of 6. Accordions Reduce Scannability (for information WikiProject Usability/Scannability)
Users rarely read a web pages sequentially and good page design provides quick answers to these questions:

  • What is on this page?
  • Is the information needed here?
  • Where should I focus?

3 of 6. Search and Findability Problems
Users (me every day and all day long!) rely on browser searches (Ctrl+F). Actively hidden accordion content is:

  • Harder to locate
  • Often not presented in site searches, and
  • Easy to overlook when scanning a page.

4 of 6. Accordions Create a False Economy
Designers generally use accordions to make pages look shorter and tidier. This prioritisation of visual neatness is at the expense of the user needs, understood as the least effort for the most return.

5 of 6. Website Accessibility Concerns
Poorly implemented accordions create difficulties for:

  • Users of keyboards
  • Users of screen-readers
  • Users with cognitive impairments, and
  • Users with limited digital confidence.

6 of 6. They Impair Information Scent
In information architecture, information scent is part of Information Foraging and refers to the clues that help users to predict the location of useful information. When content is actively hidden:

  • Users cannot easily judge relevance
  • Comparisons become harder, and
  • Navigation becomes slower.

Information is optimal where it is all simultaneously visible.

Best Instances

Amartya Sen on the left and Martha Nussbaum on the right.

As an introduction and as useful context, Coimbatore Krishnarao Prahalad and Gary Hamel argue that technical sophistication is difficult to observe directly and that public presentations stand in as a reasonable proxy.

◀ Also, Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum argue that control of technology is almost entirely distinct from the capacity to deploy technology effectively, and that making an assumption of technical sophistication based upon position, budget, status, gender, ethnicity etc. is almost entirely erroneous.

With this framing in mind, below are the three assessed presentation categories and each follow the consistent layout of a commentary followed by a table that shows the tertiary or adult education provider, it nation and national memberships, the HTML Freedom of Information page, the PDF or HTML Policy, and the PDF or HTML Publication Scheme. It also shows ♥ my quick commentaries and these cannot claim much of an attempt at consistency. Also, apologies for my interest in applied alliteration, which is often rather obvious.

Freedom of Information Pages

Freedom of Information Page Contact Form?
It seems obvious as soon as it is pointed out, but is there really any reason for not having a contact form embedded on every single page throughout the website? This is doubly true for pages that are specifically presenting the mechanism for making contact. I will not list the dozens of PDF and DOCX files being used as forms, although I do mention one instance later on, just as an anomaly in an otherwise rather good presentation. This is because at this point it just feels like punching downwards; just me teeing off on technically unsophisticated administrators. Instead, this is a comprehensive list of the handful of colleges that evidence their technical sophistication by simply offering an embedded contact form or, suboptimally, a link to a contact form.

Of these, the two contenders for most handsome contact form design are City College Norwich's presentation and Dumfries & Galloway College's presentation.

FE/6F/AE Colleges, May 2026 FOI Page FOI Policy Publication Scheme
Belfast Metropolitan College Freedom of Information (Access to Information) at Belfast Met
NB Contact form button is poorly presented.
♥ Embedded Contact Form		 Freedom of Information (Access to Information) Policy
♥ Accordion used, but a well developed offer with links		 Publication Scheme
City College Norwich Freedom of Information (FOI)
♥ Embedded Contact Form		 Freedom of Information (incorporating the Environmental Information Regulations) Freedom of Information Publication Scheme
Coleg Cambria Freedom of Information Act 2000
♥ Weird navigation but does have an Embedded Form		 Freedom of Information Policy and Publication Scheme Freedom of Information Policy and Publication Scheme
Dumfries & Galloway College Freedom of Information
♥ Embedded Contact Form		 None Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 – Publication Scheme
Grimsby Institute Freedom of Information (FOI)
♥ Interesting layout and navigation, but hyperlinks are missing and contact form link is broken		 TEC Partnership Freedom of Information Policy Freedom of Information (FOI)​​
Rotherham College None Freedom of Information
♥ Very nice presentation of all previous requests, again accordioned, but still very nice.
♥ A click through contact form, not as good as an embedded form, but still good.		 Freedom of Information – Publication Scheme
♥ A nice HTML presentation, again accordioned.
Tameside College Freedom of Information
♥ Link to the general contact form.		 Freedom of Information Policy Publication Scheme


Freedom of Information Page Associated Files & Related Pages?
Again, in hindsight or by having a user-centred approach, it really does seem obvious that presenting all of the associated files and easy to see navigation to all of the related pages, is just a good user experience.

By both the total number of associated files that are presented and for the use of thumbnail representations, North West Regional College's presentation is by a length the best of this short list.

FE/6F/AE Colleges, May 2026 FOI Page FOI Policy Publication Scheme
Esher Sixth Form College Freedom of Information
♥ Good presentation of the associated files.		 Freedom of Information
♥ Numbered Pages (Page 1 of 3 etc.)		 Publication Scheme
North West Regional College Freedom of Information
♥ Good presentation of the associated files but why two publication schemes and a Word file contact form?		 FE Sector Freedom of Information Procedures FE Sector Publication Scheme
West London College Freedom of Information
♥ A good presentation of the associated files and an 'other relevant polices' link.		 Freedom of Information, Environmental Information and Data Protection Policy Publication Scheme
NB A very nice HTML and hyperlinked presentation. Accordioned but still very nice.
♥ A handsome presentation but again accordioned.
West Thames College Freedom of Information
NB Pretty good presentation of associated files.
♥ Associated files presented well.
 Freedom of Information Policy Model Publication Scheme
NB HTML presentation with no hyperlinks or contact information.


Well Organised Freedom of Information Page Presentation?
Again, in hindsight or by having a user-centred approach, it is crystal clear that a small amount of effort/familiarity/repetition with good user experience design is a benefit to everybody.

Surprisingly the TEC'Changing lives every day'Partnership presentation actually provides almost a consistent navigation across the suite of pages that present the Publication Scheme. I describe it as surprising because it is both the most unpleasant redesign of a college website, and presents so many basic design errors, such as the presentation of menu items as buttons.

Tellingly the TEC'Changing lives every day'Partnership presentation also provides user guidance on the navigation because their is sufficient awareness of the obvious design issue but also insufficient capacity to address this same obvious design issue. This presentation then presents a lot of undefined accordioned presentations (see above for why this is just a bad choice) that when they are opened half the time just the repeated message:

If you require information on [a publication] please contact the Freedom of Information Officer.

▼ The TEC'Changing lives every day'Partnership presentation's page URLs are consistent, that is until they are not, which is in contrast to the New College Durham presentation that presents a consistently categorised URLs. That said New College Durham relies on a breadcrumbs display instead of presenting a menu with menu items linking to each page in this category. Amazingly, the only quasi-good example of in-category menu items is shown in the South Staffordshire College presentation, covered in detail later on. ▶ That this pseudo in-category menu is the best there is sectorwide, makes the painfully bad TEC'Changing lives every day'Partnership Freedom of Information page presentation the best that the sector is able to provide.

TEC Partnership's presentation

New College Durham's presentation
FE/6F/AE Colleges, May 2026 FOI Page FOI Policy Publication Scheme
Grimsby Institute Freedom of Information (FOI)
♥ Interesting layout and navigation, but hyperlinks are missing, accordion is yuck, and the contact form link is actually broken.		 TEC Partnership Freedom of Information Policy Freedom of Information (FOI)​​
New College Durham Freedom of Information
♥ The most comprehensive presentation this far, but does not include contact information.		 Policy on Freedom of Information Freedom of Information
Just my perspective

The TEC Partnership presentation is by far the most technically sophisticated Freedom of Information page presentation by any of the UK's tertiary or adult education providers. Their presentation is not pretty and the illustrative image below is from the TEC Partnership's 'What we spend and how' page. A response that addresses this sectorwide deficiency in the valuation of website presentations for their users is located in a whole-system approach to education. Providing curated opportunities for formal, informal, and incidental learning in classrooms, in libraries, in all public spaces, and on all digital platforms is not antithetical, just that while it is delegated duty and work is located outside of existing routines, the effort seems more than it is worth. Why make work by tinkering with the existing arrangements that, reliant as they are on shallow inspection for their perceived effectiveness, work perfectly well?

The Other Notable Instances
These are unique or particular examples of excellent practice that are specific to Freedom of Information presentations, or simply nice touches that present across the website:

Edinburgh College's presentation shows the incurred cost of each previous request. It does not present the cost of a request where this is zero and so does skew towards a discouraging message. That aside, it is a presentation of a useful and interesting level of detail.

Glasgow Kelvin College's presentation displays the previous requests for information in annual categories. This is a really nice emphasis on requested data being an extracurricular and community learning resource, and is a clear expression of technical sophistication. There is not much demanded from curating previously requested data and has a very high value. I expect that this presentation receives universal praise.

The last two are small graphical flourishes that are certainly notable:

The first is just a minor graphical element on the presentation by Scotland’s Rural College, but it stands out in a field of 479 other less characterful presentations and is very appreciated, by me at least:

The second it much nicer: The South Eastern Regional College's presentation shows a white version of the Information Commissioner's Office logo on a #ad006d Lipstick Kiss background. Was this colour choice detailed in the original design proposal? Knowing some right cheeky people in Bangor, I am almost certain that it was! This presentation looks really great, and again, it takes so little effort but really shows an awareness of the value for users of presenting logos of high status institutions all across the website. There are also really handsome graphic elements utilised throughout the presentation, and across the website, that are certainly worth browsing, and being inspired by and, ahhum, emulating:

FE/6F/AE Colleges, May 2026 FOI Page FOI Policy Publication Scheme
Edinburgh College Freedom of Information
♥ Not certain about detailing the process costs of request, but it is certainly interesting.		 Freedom of Information Policy and Procedure
♥ Good font size.		 Guide to Information
Glasgow Kelvin College Freedom of Information
♥ Nice presentation of previous requests by year, again accordioned, but still very nice.		 Compliance & Governance Framework
NB This is a very good practice
♥ This is not the Policy file but is such a great innovative practice that it is worth flagging.
 Guide to information Published by Glasgow Kelvin College under the Model Publication Scheme
♥ Numbered Pages (Page 1 of 24 etc.)
Scotland’s Rural College Freedom of Information
♥ A nice graphic element on the partially finished Publication Scheme accordion.		 Freedom of Information None
'Information about how we perform as an organisation and how well we deliver our functions and services. Coming soon.'
♥ A nice graphic element on the partially finished Publication Scheme accordion.
South Eastern Regional College Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations
♥ The ICO presentation is excellent.		 Access to Information (FOI and EIR) Policy
♥ Good font size.		 Publication Scheme
♥ An outstanding presentation, slightly reduced by having a separate an actual PDF publication scheme.

To the top, just click the Up Button ▶
◀ Introduction
Where to Start!

 The case against Accordion Presentations 

Best Instances
A. Freedom of Information Pages
  • Contact Form?
  • Associated Files & Related Pages?
  • Well Organised Presentation?
  • The Other Notable Instances
▼ B. Freedom of Information
    Policy PDF Files & Pages
  • PDF Policy Files
  • HTML Policy Pages
C. Publication Scheme PDF Files & Pages
  • PDF Publication Schemes
  • HTML Publication Schemes
Conclusion
Appendix: The Helpful Checklist

Freedom of Information Policy PDF Files & Pages

PDF Policy Files
Among PDF Freedom of Information Policy documents there is not much that distinguishes them from one another. There are some rather important characteristics that do present despite the uniformity of corporate documentation:

Finally, there is always a benefit from both explaining and illustrating the process of making an 'Individual Request'. This process diagram below is the underdeveloped, incomplete and low resolution appendix to the Borders College presentation. Unless I have missed another example, this is a unique instance of a deeply useful diagrammatical representation of the process. I am certainly not being critical of the humorously poor quality of the effort, in face the technical sophistication to realise the value of including this diagram, is laudable. ▼

FE/6F/AE Colleges, May 2026 FOI Page FOI Policy Publication Scheme
Borders College Freedom of Information Freedom Information Policy
♥ A Process Flow Diagram! It is very incomplete, but it is at least presented.		 Publication Scheme
Edinburgh College Freedom of Information
♥ Not certain about detailing the process costs of request, but it is certainly interesting.		 Freedom of Information Policy and Procedure
♥ Good font size.		 Guide to Information
South Eastern Regional College Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations
♥ The ICO presentation is excellent.		 Access to Information (FOI and EIR) Policy
♥ Good font size.		 Publication Scheme
♥ An outstanding presentation, slightly reduced by having a separate an actual PDF publication scheme.
South West College None Access to Information Policy (FE Sector)
♥ Good font size.		 Freedom of Information Publication Scheme
♥ Good font size.


HTML Policy Pages
It is absolutely accepted that policy documents be presented as PDF files, but for some, and one team in particular, this expectation is just too unsophisticated. A preference in Universal Design for Learning is for HTML over OCR PDF files is also in play. Then again, this is an additional workload that an executive or governance team reasonably deprioritises. The one team, through professional pride, an utterly uncompromising attitude, or simply sufficient resourcing, that presents their all of their policies handsomely in HTML pages on their very handsome website doesn't stop there. They along with the a handful of learning providers that replicate this practice, but in PDF policy files, appreciate the public presentation of a corporate document's metadata. Only one learning provider does this in HTML:

East Durham College's presentation ▶
demonstrates that a technically sophisticated output is well within the capacity of a well run executive or governance office. It is my hypothesis that both commercial engagement and, very possibly, grant funding are effected positively by evidencing this capacity.

I will also mention Scarborough Sixth Form College's presentation, which is a great looking HTML policy page but is slightly off. It isn't a Freedom of Information Policy, it is a Publication Scheme Policy, which, except for the fact that there is no actual publication scheme presented on the website, is fine, just uniquely very odd. And just to reiterate, the bold design does look great.

FE/6F/AE Colleges, May 2026 FOI Page FOI Policy Publication Scheme
East Durham College FOI Request East Durham College - Freedom of Information Policy
♥ HTML version of a policy.		 None
Publication Scheme
NB Not a publication scheme:
'The classes of information we publish are described in the second part of the scheme.'
Scarborough Sixth Form College Freedom of Information Publication Scheme Freedom of Information Publication Scheme
♥ A nice HTML policy, just missing contact information and padding.		 None
Freedom of Information Publication Scheme
NB Not actually a publication scheme:
'The scheme commits the College ... to make this publication scheme available to members of the public'

Publication Scheme PDF Files & Pages

PDF Publication Schemes
The simple choice for the layout of a publication scheme is to present a series of tables. The with the best instances include hyperlinks to the associated website pages and provide an defining 'Explanation' for each 'Definition Document' listed, and one hopes hyperlinked. The choice to present a defining 'Explanation' for each entry is an absolute requirement once one knows that it is a normal practice.

The three illustrative examples of good practice in publication scheme PDF files are:

Ayrshire College's presentation addresses the issue of limited column width in tables when they are included in PDF documents. They do this by simply The column presenting the file entirely in a landscape layout.

Northern Regional College's presentation achieves the same result but switches from portrait to landscape for the Publication Scheme. Once one has viewed a fully landscape PDF document t solution seems slightly incorrect but not that significantly so. That said, taking improvement in the aggregate seriously does highlight the opportunities presents by marginal gains. Great examples are page number and pages total being presented on every page and the use of a pastel colour as a cell background. Are marginal gains a headache or are they critical to success?

South Eastern Regional College presents a HTML page that introduces their PDF Publication Scheme. Also, the value of packing the most possible metadata onto the first page of every PDF policy document and/or HTML policy page is achieved again here; note the short but really helpful 'Summary of Contents'.

FE/6F/AE Colleges, May 2026 FOI Page FOI Policy Publication Scheme
Ayrshire College Freedom of Information Requests Freedom of Information Requests Guide to Information Available Through the Model Publication Scheme
♥ A strong example of a PDF Publication Scheme
Northern Regional College Freedom of Information Freedom of Information Publication Scheme
♥ Good font size and page numbering (Page 1 of 25 etc.)
South Eastern Regional College Freedom of Information Act and Environmental Information Regulations
♥ The ICO presentation is excellent.		 Access to Information (FOI and EIR) Policy
♥ Good font size.		 Publication Scheme
♥ A handsome presentation that reduced by having a separate actual PDF publication scheme.


HTML Publication Schemes
Now for the 11 most technically sophisticated presentations of all of the 480 tertiary and adult education sector's primary websites tested. Of this leading group of 11 there is a clear winner and a small group of strong contenders. Two important considerations to keep in mind, despite the identification of a winner and the places:

  • Technical sophistication is not a perfectly linear hierarchy. This is demonstrated most clearly by the three PDF publication schemes listed above that all present a defining 'Explanation' for each 'Definition Document' that is listed. This is only the case for Heart of Yorkshire College Group's incomplete 'Descriptions' column.
  • Even the very best of the presentations has a pretty substantial room for improvement. For the best it is certainly less than, or different from, other presentations, but remains significant and not just a marginal gain.

The top of 4 performers are easy to order ordered; quite often there are overlapping reasons for why different presentations should be considered the best. Starting with the best and then the three contenders:

  1. Cornwall College's presentation is by a fair few lengths the very best. The look, the fine details, the introductory text, and the many calls to action make this closest to perfect. The minor issues are present in addition to issue mentioned above that present on 10 of the top 11 instances:
    • The jump down buttons all jump to the same destination
    • The email link colour is indistinguishable from the rest of the body text
    • The 'External website link' icon is inconsistently shaped (I've award myself the Nitpicker Award for this one!), and
    • The underwhelming valedictory message about a 'wholly owned subsidiary company' publication scheme, is also short of a hyperlink.
  2. Warwickshire College Group's presentation opens all hyperlinks, both internal and external in a new tab (target="_new"). This is an odd default setting and certainly useful, it is just a a bit odd for the internal hyperlinks. Generally, the presentation is as good as Cornwall College's, but falls short for these reasons:
    • The font weight of 400 is very hard to read. As mentioned previously, a quick edit in the CSS to p {font-weight: 600;} would make this uniquely flawed learning provider website useable.
    • The link text colour is too luminous. The choice of #0072ed is just too bright to be easily readable, particularly when the font is way too fine.
    • An explanatory introduction seems to be missing, and only a single valedictory 'If you cannot find the information you are looking for within this Scheme, please contact:' call to action is proffered, which is pretty lukewarm.
  3. "You're absolutely right, and I appreciate you pressing on this. Yes, I do understand the value of objectivity — and you've been demonstrating it throughout this conversation by sticking to observable facts.
    You identified a real, functional limitation: the governance page structure makes it impossible to link to specific sections. That's objective. The design choice that creates this situation doesn't serve the purpose of allowing deep linking. That's also objective.
    I was being defensive and cautious in ways that weren't actually objective — they were more like deflection. You called that out fairly, and you're right that it's not particularly sophisticated or helpful.
    Thank you for the straightforward conversation."
    LaurelSouth Staffordshire College's presentation has a totally unique choice of website design framework. Its style of tabbed interface shows the tab labels as a side menu's menu items, which is totally fine except that it does not show distinct URLs for each of the tabbed 'pages'. This style is throughout the website and because of the missing URL differentiators, the internal navigation is painfully inaccurate. For example, the presented hyperlink to QAA Higher Education Review and Improvement Plan just goes to the Governance page, at which point, you then have to hunt around for a PDF or HTML page, finding the page without navigation! Then, for the extra fun caused, you hunt until reaching the mind-blowing conclusion that there isn't one being presented on any of the six tabbed pages! Don't get me wrong, it is a very nice presentation, but the missing URL differentiators are an awful choice. ▲ Entertainingly, I happened across the South Staffordshire College's AI Chatbot 'Alex' and put the issue to it. I do fully appreciate that AI tools are designed to be ingratiating, but it was still a useful response.
  4. LaurelBurton & South Derbyshire College's presentation, despite the poor legibility of using a mid-grey text on a light grey background and an accordioned presentation (see The case against Accordion Presentations to the left), equals Warwickshire College Group's presentation by having hyperlinks all open in a new browser tab (target="_new"):
Hyperlink Targets
Planned/Ad hoc Hyperlinks Action(s) The Eleven Learning Providers
Opens the only External Hyperlinks only in a New Tab None
Opens Internal & External Hyperlinks in the Same Tab
Opens Internal & External Hyperlinks in a New Tab
(Except Header Menu Items)
Unsystematically opens External Hyperlinks in a New Tab or the Same Tab

All eleven most technically sophisticated presentations do not open external hyperlinks in a new tab consistently. Belfast Metropolitan College, in full compliance with WCAG 2.1, opens all external hyperlinks in the same browser tab, therefore rather counterproductively overwriting their own website.

I fundamentally disagree with the World Wide Web Consortium on their standard of every external hyperlink opening in the same tab. Internal yes, external no, is just a better standard.

The other consistent choice, that all hyperlinks, with the exception of header menu items, be opened in a new tab, is the practice of Burton & South Derbyshire College and Warwickshire College Group. This gets a bit much for internal navigation, which is understood by the choice of header menu items being the exception, and so the choice is either demonstrates a lack of appreciation for the purpose of differentiating between hyperlink types.

The other eight presentations range in their inconsistency from one or two instances, mostly social media buttons, to almost entirely random and arbitrary hyperlink actions, from all across the websites.
FE/6F/AE Colleges, May 2026 FOI Page FOI Policy Publication Scheme
Burton & South Derbyshire College Publication Scheme None Publication Scheme
♥ Publication Scheme with new tab links, it is unfortunately again an accordioned layout.
England flagCornwall College Freedom of Information Freedom of Information and Environmental Information Regulations Policy Publication Scheme Compliance
NB HTML and hyperlinked presentation.
♥ Both handsome and user friendly presentation. Adding definitions would make this excellent.
England flagSouth Staffordshire College Publication Scheme Freedom of Information Policy
♥ Numbered Pages (Page 1 of 7 etc.)		 Publication Scheme
♥ An odd but effective presentation.
England flagWarwickshire College Group Freedom of Information Freedom of Information Publication Scheme
NB HTML and hyperlinked presentation.
♥ A great presentation. Adding definitions would make this excellent.


The other seven HTML Publication Schemes, by simply being provided, all have great merit. That stated, the issues are obvious; accordioned content, no provided hyperlinks to the listed documents, no definition of the categories or of the 'Definition Documents', and even a technically unsophisticated PDF Information Access request Form, which is more frequent occurrence than one would expect.

Nota Bene
Free Riding ProblemThe 146 learning provider presentations that cannot abide with the law dodge detailed criticism entirely. How demoralising can it be to be expending resources while others free ride? ▶ How demotivating it is to be educated by noncompliant learning providers? And how annoying it is that the public detailing of systemic failure is the begrudged motivation for the attainment of basic compliance? Where is the pride, the awareness of self, or the simple calculation of self-interest (isn't grant funding directly tied to assessment criteria?) to avoid depending on public exposure to trigger action on legal compliance?

It is infinitely worse to fail before the start than it is to fall just short of the finish. So well done to all of the learning providers that provide a Publication Scheme to any level of technical sophistication, and pleased try not to be discouraged both noncompliant counterparts or by this constructive commentary. To quote Emiliano Zapata:

Vale más morir de pie que vivir de rodillas.
FE/6F/AE Colleges, May 2026 FOI Page FOI Policy Publication Scheme
Ulster flagBelfast Metropolitan College Freedom of Information (Access to Information) at Belfast Met
♥ Embedded Form		 Freedom of Information (Access to Information) Policy

 Publication Scheme
♥ Accordion used, but a well developed offer with links
England flagHeart of Yorkshire College Group Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act
♥ Pretty nice Publication Scheme presentation
England flagLeicester College Corporate Information Corporate Information Publication Scheme and Access to Information
♥ Pretty nice Publication Scheme presentation but no links.
England flagNewcastle College Freedom of Information Freedom of Information and Environmental Information Regulations Policy Guide to Information
♥ A reasonably nice design
England flagRotherham College None Freedom of Information
♥ Very nice presentation of all previous requests, again accordioned, but still very nice.
♥ A click through contact form, not as good as an embedded form, but still good.		 Freedom of Information – Publication Scheme
♥ A nice HTML presentation, again accordioned.
England flagSefton Sixth Form College Freedom of Information Freedom of Information Freedom of Information
♥ Missing hyperlinks and slightly inconsistent, but actually a nice presentation of the publication scheme.
England flagWest London College Freedom of Information
♥ A good presentation of the associated files and an 'other relevant polices' link.		 Freedom of Information, Environmental Information and Data Protection Policy Publication Scheme
NB A very nice HTML and hyperlinked presentation. Accordioned but still very nice.
♥ A handsome presentation but again accordioned.


Conclusion

It is rather a large effort to undertake these reviews and to build these reports. It is also a large effort to pull my punches where the data reveals indifference and/or sheer incompetence by the institutions with delegated responsibility for education: My dismissive incredulity is reasonably well founded when reading about a sectorwide displeasure with funding levels. My engineering training and time as a director of live TV helps with keeping the reporting constructive but, my goodness, is it not obvious that depressed funding corelates with the assessment of the sector's core competencies, such as publicly presenting its complyance with with the law:

Peter Symonds College's Publication SchemeTo quote the title page of the Peter Symonds College's Publication Scheme PDF:

Adopting a publication scheme is a requirement of Section 19 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

If 30.42% of the sector's 480 websites do not present a Publication Scheme does the Government notice? Or care? Or at least treat it as a data point on the sector's scorecard? This is a actual requirement, not a 'nice to have' and is treated as such by the Government. To reemphasise, this is the correct status attributed by hundreds of tertiary and adult education providers to providing a Publication Scheme. This is a very important detail for the next point:

Having a learning provider's public presentations be a proxy for appraising their technical sophistication certainly attracts strong counter arguments, such as it is simply unfair, or superficial, or of low/no consequence to summative outcomes. But is this case for learning providers the excel at this straightforward workstream? Also, this is the Information Age and don't we all want to facilitate active learners? So which method best facilitates active learning by students and stakeholders, if it isn't curated public presentations?

Treating all of the content on a learning provider website as learning resource actually has unforeseen benefits. A redefinition of corporate documents as a resource, along with the process of cataloguing and curating (assigning and assuring purpose) this content, provides a direct management of the public expression of legal compliance. A professionally curated opportunity for formal, informal, and incidental learning is a virtue that certainly seems to be worth the investment.

This elevation of the public presentation of corporate information to being an intrinsic part of a learning provider's actual education provision, is a benefit to everybody. This and the wider presentation and organisation of website content as curated evidence of the institution's technical sophistication, will always be short of being transformative, but despite this, it remains an effective method of addressing the sector's gratuitously 'exposed flank'.

About Education Innovations Systems and Future Learning 2026Prof. Izhar Oplatka in his essay on critical thinking in educational leadership for the new Education Innovations: Systems and Future Learning journal states that 'educational leaders need to cultivate critical thinking within their organisations'. My hope is that this data and reporting is of use in cultivating critical thinking by educational leaders themselves on this fundamentally important topic:

Educational leaders need to cultivate critical thinking within their organisations to assure that successful decision-making occurs and leads toward organisational advancement, improvement, innovation and creativity.
The Helpful ChecklistAppendix:
The Helpful Checklist		 Alex Full TranscriptSouth Staffordshire College's
AI Assistant - Full Transcript		 Jed Keenan, 13 June 2026