Academy trust refuses freedom of information request, partially on grounds of it being “vexatious”

St Paul's Catholic College, in Burgess Hill, West Sussex

An academy trust has refused to provide information about its handling of a complaint by parents about a school’s decision to change pupils’ GCSE options, arguing that a request by this website was vexatious and could only be answered through the release of personal data.

The West Sussex-based Bosco Catholic Education Trust rejected my Freedom of Information request which had sought to follow up on reporting about a controversy which had started in December 2021, at a school which had been about to join the trust.

Education Uncovered had reported on a saga which had begun when 16 parents at St Paul’s Catholic College in Burgess Hill wrote to object about a letter from the headteacher, Rob Carter, to mandate pupils take English Baccalaureate GCSE subjects. This had been sent on the eve of the GCSE options process beginning.

A lengthy complaint by two parents who at the time had children at the school, Richard and Liz Kennedy, which raised issues including those of governance and transparency, ensued. Mr Kennedy was a recent vice-chair of governors at the school.