Requests for access to information under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000 must be in writing and state the name of the applicant and an address for correspondence.
The ETI will respond promptly to such requests within the timescale set out in the FOIA.
The ETI is unable to release any inspection related evidence or information before an inspection report has been published or until the period during which a complaint can be made and responded to has passed.
After this period, the vast majority of inspection related evidence cannot be released to the public because it tends to be of a personal or identifiable nature and is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018).
In keeping with the principles of the DPA, the ETI will not retain inspection evidence which contains personal and identifiable information for longer than is necessary, i.e. after the report has been published and the period during which a complaint can be made, investigated and responded to has passed.
It should be noted that notes taken by an inspector during the observation of a lesson/session are not a performance review and cannot be used for such purposes. Typically, these notes make limited references to individual teachers or their teaching. More commonly, notes taken by an inspector during lessons/sessions observation will contain a range of information including, for example, notes on: teaching; learning; assessment, planning, and support for individual or groups of learners (as appropriate); and standards of learning and/or written work.