Terms of Reference

At its meeting on 5 December 2007, the information authority board amended its terms of reference to include a section on board operation and to make other minor changes to clarify wording.


The Government White Paper ‘Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances’ identified a need to bring together the information needs of all the organisations that request information from the Further Education (FE) system and to agree what will be required from all providers, based on common standards. Data is to be collected once and used for a variety of purposes. The intent is to ensure that only priority information is collected and that reports are presented in a standard format.


This has led to the establishment of a single mechanism, or gatekeeper, for setting information standards and data and reporting requirements, the information authority.

The information authority board's decisions will reform data and information across the FE system. We are working with the Data Service, which is responsible for streamlining data collection and use.


Authority

The information authority’s powers come from;

  • The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Ministers asking the sector to work together to reform FE data.
  • The ministerial appointment of an independent chair to the information authority board and the cross system membership of the board.
  • A protocol agreement signed by stakeholder organisations, agreeing to work together to deliver the authority’s objectives, to reform FE data.

Relationships

The information authority will work within existing standards and structures. These include Office for National Statistics (ONS), the BIS/Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) Information Standards Board (ISB), the Managing Information Across Partners (MIAP) programme (notably the Common Data Definitions component) and the Schools Star Chamber. The information authority will also recognise the reciprocal arrangements governing FE in Higher Education and HE in FE.


Overall objective

The board will oversee key data and information reforms across the FE system by directing the overall strategy for data collection and reporting, and determining data definitions and standards.


Range of decisions

The board will take decisions on:

  • The data standards that will be used in collection and reporting.
  • The data items to be collected.
  • What information will be made available and disseminated and the rules are for its use, e.g. the use of ‘early findings’ reports; the purpose of data sharing; and how data might be shared.
  • How frequently data will be collected and reported
  • Data quality; The cycle, timetable and processes for changes to collection and reporting – including receiving, assessing and ruling on bids for new data items and reports.

In making those decisions, the board will take account of:

  • the principles of the information authority that use of data is maximised and burden is minimised.
  • the wider interests of the FE sector as a whole – and not just the interests of their own organisations.
  • representations from the sector, through the Secretariat, so that data user and data provider stakeholders can influence board decisions.
  • the need for stability and appropriate notice of change to FE data standards.

Scope of decisions

The main scope of the board’s decisions will be:

  • Post-16 learning across the English FE system – including FE colleges, FE learning through other institutions, work-based learning, Personal and Community Development Learning (PCDL) – but not including HE.
  • Initially data about learners and their learning – but increasingly other types of data (eg data on staff) and data covered by the Framework for Excellence will be in scope.

The board will have an interest in (and influence on) data standards, collections and reporting about and in school sixth forms, HE and in other UK countries. However, while working to ensure that the data needed from those systems is available to the FE system, the board will not have primary responsibility.


Operation of board meetings

Board meetings will operate as follows:

  • Board members are primarily the organisations that have signed the information authority protocol. Wherever possible decisions will be reached by consensus. If a formal vote becomes necessary, each organisation shall have one vote. The chairman shall have a second ‘casting’ vote in the event of a tied decision.
  • Each protocol signatory has a named representative for board meetings. Substitutes will need to be agreed in advance with the chairman.
  • The quorum for board meetings is the chair plus four board members.
  • Additional attendees will need the agreement of the chair. The head of the secretariat is a permanent attendee.
  • The secretariat will distribute papers to board members at least one week in advance of the meeting so that members have time to prepare.