Freedom of Information

Publication scheme

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.

A. Legal requirement
A.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.
A.2 'Public authorities' are listed in the Act and include universities, further education colleges and sixth form colleges.

B. What is a publication scheme?
B.1 The publication scheme is a document which outlines 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 availability 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.
B.2 A publication scheme must set out the classes, or categories, of information published. It must also make clear how the information included can be accessed and whether or not charges will be made.

C. The model publication scheme for higher education
C.1 The University of Brighton has adopted the model publication scheme developed for the Higher Education sector and is therefore committed to publishing the information it includes.
C.2 This model is designed for higher education institutions 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 each 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.

D. The University of Brighton
The University of Brighton adopted its university title in 1992, along with the UK's other former polytechnics. Brighton Polytechnic had been the product of a succession of mergers in the 1970s in Brighton and in Eastbourne but could trace its origins back to the middle of the nineteenth century in Brighton. The constituent colleges which formed the polytechnic were Brighton College of Technology, Brighton College of Art and Design, Brighton College of Education and the East Sussex College of Higher Education. Following a period of relative stability throughout the 1980s, the Sussex and Kent Institute of Nursing and Midwifery became part of the University of Brighton in 1994. In 2003, the university opened the Brighton and Sussex Medical School run jointly with the University of Sussex and the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust. Simultaneously, the University Centre Hastings was opened in collaboration with SEEDA. Until 2009, the university acted as manager of this higher education centre, drawing courses from a range of HE providers. In September 2009 University Centre Hastings was incorporated into the University of Brighton, as the university had become the sole provider of courses there.

The university has three campuses in Brighton, three significant concentrations of activity in Eastbourne, and from September 2011 a two-building campus in Hastings.

• In Brighton, at Falmer, work in teacher education, languages, the social sciences, nursing and medicine is located; at Moulsecoomb, activity in science and engineering, computing, mathematics, information sciences, architecture and business; and at Grand Parade, in the city centre, work in art and design.
• In Eastbourne, the university offers courses in sports science, physical education, service management, physiotherapy, podiatry and occupational therapy.
• In Hastings, degrees in social science, broadcast media, business, computing, education and a wide range of joint honours courses are available.

The university organises its academic work into five faculties, each comprises three academic schools. The Brighton and Sussex Medical School forms a sixth academic unit, and is also a school within the University of Sussex.

The university enrols of the order of 22,000 students each year with a significant concentration on full-time undergraduates and a growing number of taught postgraduates and research students. A total staff of 2,600 includes around 750 academic and research staff. A range of central departments provide library and information services, sport and recreation provision, accommodation, personal counselling and other student support services across the university's campuses.

In May 2004, the university was subject to Institutional Audit by the QAA and received a very positive report. Throughout the programme of subject reviews in recent years, the QAA found excellent teaching, learning and student support in all of the subjects considered.