Publication Scheme
1. Legal Requirement
1.1 Adopting a publication scheme is a requirement of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This Act promotes greater openness and accountability across the public sector by requiring all 'public authorities' to make information available proactively, through a publication scheme.
1.2 'Public authorities' are defined in the Act and include universities, further education colleges and sixth form colleges.
2. What is a publication scheme
2.1 A publication scheme is a document which describes the information a public authority publishes, or intends to publish. In this context, 'publish' means to make information available, routinely. These descriptions are called 'classes of information'. The scheme is not a list of the actual publications, because this will change as new material is published or existing material revised. It is, however, the public authority's commitment to make available the information described.
2.2 A publication scheme must set out the classes, or categories, of information published. It must also make clear how the information described can be accessed and whether or not charges will be made.
3. The model publication scheme for higher education
3.1 The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has adopted the model publication scheme developed for the Higher Education sector and is therefore committed to publishing the information it describes.
3.2 This model is designed for universities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The purpose of the model is to save institutions duplicating effort in producing individual schemes and to assist the public in accessing information from across the sector. However, to reflect the diversity in size and function of institution, a number of optional classes of information are included. As a result, models within the sector will vary slightly. Any optional classes relevant to us have been included in our scheme.
4. Who we are and how we are organised and governed
This section covers information relating to the organisation, structures, locations, contact details and policy and decision making processes.
The RVC has a long and proud history and is located on two sites:
Camden Campus: Contact details: Royal College Street, London, NW1 0TU. Tel: 44 (0) 207 4685000.
Hawkshead Campus: Contact details: Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA. Tel: 44 (0) 1707 666333.
How the institution is organised and governed.
This section of the publication scheme provides information on policy proposals and decisions and decision making processes, procedures and consultations, minutes, constitution and terms of reference from the governing body and academic board etc.
Departmental Structure
List of Academic Departments and Administrative and Support Services
Committee structure
Guide for Members of Governing Bodies of Universities and Colleges in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Available on the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) website.
Statement of Primary Responsibilities
Council & Council Committee Structure
Terms of Reference for Committees of Council
Standing Orders of Council Committees
Decisions which are the Prerogative of Council
Register of Members' Interests
Other committees
Teaching Quality Committee
Research Strategy Committee
Information relating to organisations which the College has responsibility for, those it works in partnership with and those companies wholly owned by it.
The RVC owns the London BioScience Innovation Centre, London's first centre for early stage life science companies, venture investors and others in this sector. This puts the College at the heart of biotechnology and other biomedical research in London and opens the door for research collaboration.
The Bloomsbury Colleges Group was set up in 2004 and consists of six University of London colleges. These are: Birkbeck, the Institute of Education, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the Royal Veterinary College, the School of Oriental and African Studies and The School of Pharmacy. The Group collaborates in administrative matters whilst allowing the six institutions to maintain their independence.
The College runs a distance learning programme in collaboration with the University of London's International Programmes. The College runs joint courses with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Zoological Society of London. The College maintains a Register of Collaborative Provision
Simfonec is the Science Enterprise Centre for The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) as well as King's College, Queen Mary's, City University and CASS Business School.
5. What we spend and how we spend it
This section covers financial information relating to business continuity and the college’s annual reports and financial statements.
Budgetary and accounts information
Financial Policies and Information
Financial regulations and procedures, staff pay structures
Financial Regulations Appendices
Professional Subscriptions Policy
Computer Equipment Disposal Policy
6. What our priorities are and how we are doing
This section covers information on the RVC's strategies and plans, audits inspections and reviews.
Annual report, corporate plans, teaching and learning strategy, academic quality and standards
Annual Reviews
Corporate Plan 2009-13 (as a PDF)
Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy
External Review Information
Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Re-Accreditation 2010
Periodic Review of Courses – to request the schedule of reviews please contact the Academic Quality Manager on cjackson@rvc.ac.uk
Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2008 (Results for the Royal Veterinary College are available on the RAE website).
7. How we make decisions
This section of the publication scheme provides information on policy proposals and decisions and decision making processes, procedures and consultations, minutes, constitution and terms of reference from the governing body and academic board etc.
Committee structure
Guide for Members of Governing Bodies of Universities and Colleges in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Available on the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) website
Statement of Primary Responsibilities
Council & Council Committee Structure
Terms of Reference for Committees of Council
Standing Orders of Council Committees
Decisions which are the Prerogative of Council
Register of Members' Interests
HEFCE & Other HE Agencies & Organisations
Senior Management Group
Academic Board
Learning,Teaching and Assessment committee minutes, constitution and terms of reference.
Other committees
Teaching Quality Committee
Research Strategy Committee
8. Our policies and procedures
This section contains information on written policies and procedures supporting the delivery of our services and responsibilities.
Policies and procedures for conducting College business
Academic Quality, Regulations and Procedures are sub-divided into five sections as follows:
- Teaching and Learning
- Academic Quality Assurance and Enhancement Procedures
- General
- Doctoral Programmes and Research Degrees
- Examiners and Assessment
Student administration ·
Staff and Student Values (find in 'General')
Assessment of Prior Learning (APL) and Admission with Advanced Standing procedures (find in 'General')
Information Security Policy (find in 'General')
IT Acceptable Use Policy (find in 'General')
Information Strategy 2010 - 2013 (find in 'General')
Public Interest Disclosure ("whistleblowing") Policy
Module and Strand Leaders and the Delivery of Teaching (find in 'Teaching and Learning')
Admissions
Admissions Policy Taught Courses (find in 'General')
Student regulations
General Regulations for Internal Students of the Royal Veterinary College (find in 'General')
General Assessment Regulations (find in 'Examiners and Assessment')
Academic Misconduct (find in 'General')
Code of Professional Standards (soon to be replaced by the RVC Charter) (find in 'General')
Credit (find in 'Teaching and Learning')
Allowable Reasons for Submission Extensions (see submission deadlines in 'Examiners and Assessment')
Formal student procedures
Staff and Student Values (find in 'General')
BSc Pre-Clinical Veterinary Sciences (see Special Arrangements or Adjustments in 'Examiners and Assessment')
Code of Practice for Pre Meetings of Boards of Examiners (find in 'Examiners and Assessment')
Constitution and Function of Boards of Examiners (find in 'Examiners and Assessment')
Complaints Procedure for Students and Applicants (find in 'General')
Professional Requirements (including Fitness to Study and Practise) (find in 'General')
Appeals Procedure (find in 'General')
Preparing for Appeals (find in 'General')
Learning and personal development and support
Academic Progress Committee (APRICOT) (find in 'General')
Academic Progress Committee (PRUNE) (find in 'General')
Guidelines for Chairs of APRICOT - considering accrual of EMS (find in 'General')
Feedback to Students (find in 'Examiners and Assessment')
Services for students with special needs
Other student related policies and welfare
Deferral of study (find in 'General')
Religious Observance Policy (find in 'General')
Learning, Teaching and Assessment Strategy (find in 'Teaching and Learning')
Timetable Policy (find in 'Teaching and Learning')
Timetabling Protocols (find in 'Teaching and Learning')
Timetabling Calendar (find in 'Teaching and Learning')
Application procedures and information. Information about qualifications
Postgraduate and Undergraduate
RVC BMAT “current link - /Undergraduate/BMAT.cfm”
Widening Participation information “current link - /WP/Index.cfm”
Education Liaison “current link - /Undergraduate/VisitUs/EducationLiaison.cfm”
Fees and finance
Financial Information for UK/EU Undergraduate Students
Financial Information for International Undergraduates
Financial Information for Postgraduate Students
Graduate School scholarships and bursaries
Tuition Fees and Refunds Policy: home and overseas students
Access Agreement 2012-13 (PDF)
Employment outcomes/career paths
Performance indicators with data on employment of graduates are available via the following external websites:
Higher Education Funding Council for England (pre-2004 data), Higher Education Statistics Agency (data from 2004 onwards).
Retention and completion
Performance indicators with data on retention and completion are available from the following external websites: Higher Education Funding Council for England (pre-2004 data), Higher Education Statistics Agency (data from 2004 onwards)
Statistics on students
Student body statistics
Statistics on RVC students are also available from the following external websites: Higher Education Funding Council for England, Higher Education Statistics Agency, Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.
Student accommodation
Examples of the types of information in this class are set out below.
RVC Accommodation
Policies and procedures relating to Human Resources
Disciplinary procedures
Disciplinary procedures for research, academic-related, and clerical and related administrative staff.
RVC Standing Orders (includes order relating to dismissal, discipline and grievance procedures for academic staff).
Policy and procedure for dealing with allegations of research misconduct (PDF)
Grievance procedures
Leave and absence policies and procedures
Absence Management Toolkit (PDF)
Leave and Absence Policy and Procedures (WORD)
Recruitment policies, procedures and guidelines
Appointments procedure for Vice Principals and Senior Management Group (PDF)
Composition of appointments committees for academic posts (Academic staff) (PDF)
Relocation expenses
Joint Negotiating Consultative Committee (JNCC)
Staff assistance/benefits
Staff forms and information
Equal opportunities
Equal Opportunities Policy (PDF)
Equal Opportunities monitoring reports
Equality Scheme (Single) and Action Plan
Religion and Belief Policy (PDF)
Staff development
This class includes information on staff development and training, including induction programmes, probation and appraisal. Examples of the types of information in this class are set out below.
Probation policies and procedures
Probation period for academic staff (PDF)
Probation period for support staff (PDF)
Staff development and review
Staff training and development
College Health and Safety, which includes Statement of Policy, roles and responsibilities of staff and students and function of the Safety Committee
Occupational Health
9. Lists and registers
This section provides information held in lists and registers relating to functions of the institutions.
Any information we are currently legally required to hold in publicly available registers. Asset registers.
Register of interests for Council Members
Disclosure logs
All Freedom of Information requests are logged, but there is currently no disclosure log available via the website.
10. The services we offer
This section provides freely available information about the Royal Veterinary College's services.
Animal Care Trust including online shop
Library and Information Services
Press Office
11. Accessing information covered by the publication scheme
11.1 Most information described in our publication scheme is available via the website free of charge. Material provided by email as a result of a request for information not on our website will normally be provided free of charge. There may however be a charge levied on anything that is either requested as a print copy or which can only be provided in print format. In such cases charges will cover such actual costs as printing or photocopying and postage. If a charge is to be made, the amount will be confirmed to the requestor before the information is provided and payment may be requested before the material is supplied.
11.2 Where information is not available electronically, please contact:
FOI Officer
RVC Library
Hawkshead Lane
North Mymms
Hatfield
AL9 7TA
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)1707 666384
Email: FOI@RVC.ac.uk
11.3 Please note that a publication scheme relates to 'published' information. Therefore, material covered has already been prepared in a format ready for distribution.
12. What about information not covered by the publication scheme?
12.1 From 1 January 2005 you have had the right, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, to request any information held by a public authority which it has not already made available through its publication scheme.
12.2 Requests have to be made in writing and, in general, public authorities will have 20 working days to respond. They may charge a fee, which will have to be calculated according to Fees Regulations. They will not be required to release information to which an exemption in the Act legitimately applies. However, public authorities may be required to explain to the applicant why they are not releasing information and they may also have to justify this to the Information Commissioner.
12.3 For further information on how to submit a request to the RVC, see Submitting a Freedom of Information or Environmental Information Request.
13. RVC Publications
13.1. RVC publications
The publication scheme indicates where information is contained in a publication which the RVC sells commercially. You will be charged the current retail price for the publication, plus any other charges (such as postage and packing) which are applied to purchasers. Details of current publications and prices are available from the FOI Officer.
13.2 Archives and manuscripts Archives and manuscripts in the custody of the RVC Library are available for consultation in the Special Collections Reading Room of the Library. Material is normally available in paper format, and may be consulted without charge by you or someone acting on your behalf, subject to the rules governing access to the Library. There are charges for photocopying and other reprographic services, which may be different from the copying charges which apply to other information covered by the Publication Scheme. Details of current copying charges for archives and manuscripts are set out on the Library's website, and in reprographics leaflets which can be obtained on request from Special Collections. See Class 6.1 for further information.
13.3. How to order Orders for RVC publications should be placed by contacting the RVC's Publications Office, while orders for copies of archives and manuscripts in the custody of the RVC Library should be placed by contacting Special Collections in the Library (see Class 6.1 for contact details). In all other cases, you can request copies of information covered by the RVC's publication scheme by contacting the RVC at the following address:
FOI Officer
RVC Library
Hawkshead Lane
North Mymms
Hatfield
AL9 7TA
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)1707 666384
Email: FOI@RVC.ac.uk
On receipt of your request, we will inform you of any charges that apply. Payment must be received in advance before copies can be supplied.
13.4 Re-use of information The copyright of information included in the RVC's publication scheme will be owned by the RVC unless otherwise indicated. The supply of information under the Freedom of Information Act or the Environmental Information Regulations does not give the person or organisation who receives it an automatic right to re-use the information in a way which would infringe copyright, for example, by making multiple copies, publishing and issuing copies to the public.
Brief extracts of material covered by the publication scheme may be reproduced under the fair dealing provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (sections 29 and 30) for the purposes of research for non-commercial purposes, private study, criticism, review and news reporting. More extensive re-use must only be carried out with prior written permission from the RVC.
Enquiries about the re-use of material should be directed to the RVC's FOI Officer: see How to order for contact details.
13.5 Feedback and Complaints The RVC welcomes comments and suggestions relating to its Freedom of Information Publication Scheme. We would also like to hear from you if you have a complaint about the Scheme or the supply of information to you under the Scheme.
Comments, suggestions and complaints should initially be sent in writing to the FOI Officer at the following address:
FOI Officer
RVC Library
Hawkshead Lane
North Mymms
Hatfield
AL9 7TA
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)1707 666384
Email: FOI@RVC.ac.uk
The FOI Officer will respond in writing as soon as possible, and in all cases within 20 working days.
If you are dissatisfied with the response which you receive, you may ask for a review of your case using our internal procedures. Please send your complaint in writing to the Librarian, RVC Library at the following address:
The Assistant Principal and College Secretary
Royal Veterinary College
Hawkshead Lane
North Mymms
Hatfield
AL9 7TA
London
WC1H 0XG
United Kingdom
Fax: +44 (0)1707 666322
Email: FOI@RVC.ac.uk
The Assistant Principal will acknowledge your complaint within seven working days, and will convene a panel to investigate it. A response will be sent to you within 40 working days of receipt of your complaint. If it includes a decision that information should be released to you, the information will be provided to you as soon as possible.
If you are dissatisfied with the RVC's response to your complaint, you can ask the Information Commissioner to determine whether the RVC is complying with its legal duties in regard to publication schemes under the Freedom of Information Act. The Commissioner has discretionary powers to enforce the adoption of a publication scheme, or the disclosure of information which falls within the classes of a publication scheme if he is satisfied that a public authority is not complying with its duties under the Act. The Commissioner can be contacted at the following address:
Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel. 020 7025 7580
Fax. 01625 524510
13.6 Further information
More information about the Freedom of Information Act is available on the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) website.
Please note that Scotland has its own Freedom of Information Act and Information Commissioner. For more information, please see the Scottish Government's website.