Department for Education

The complainant requested information about the DfE’s investigations into applications by Steiner schools and Maharishi schools to enter the free schools programme. The Commissioner’s decision is that the DfE has correctly relied upon s35(1)(a) to withhold the information in respect of the Maharishi application. The exemption is engaged in relation to the Steiner investigation but the Commissioner has decided that the public interest in maintaining the exemption does not outweigh that of disclosure. Therefore the information regarding the Steiner investigation should be disclosed. The Commissioner requires the public authority to disclose the 2010 submission to ministers regarding Steiner schools withheld under section 35. Information Tribunal appeal number EA/2014/0017 dismissed