 Dear Jamie Halliday
  
 Thank you for your request for a review of our response to your FOI
 9715501
  
 An internal review will be carried out once the request has been responded
 too, as the request needs to be completed before the review can begin.
  
 We are chasing a response to your original request with the service are
 responsible for answering it.

 Information Management Team

 ══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

 From: [FOI #1399707 email]
 Sent: 19/03/2026 16:52
 To: [Durham County Council request email]
 Subject: [EXTERNAL]:Internal review of Freedom of Information request -
 Retention periods and disposal controls for pupil records, SEND,
 exclusions and EOTAS
 (Attachments:) Email (original message) from
 [FOI #1399707 email] received on 19/03/2026.eml,
 Email from [FOI #1399707 email] -
 [EXTERNAL]:Internal review of Freedom of Information request - Retention
 periods and disposal controls for pupil records, SEND, exclusions and
 EOTAS.txt
 CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not
 click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know
 the content is safe. Subject: Internal Review Request - FOI ref: 9715501
 Dear Information Governance Team, I am requesting an internal review of
 Durham County Council's handling of my Freedom of Information request
 dated 8 February 2026 (ref: 9715501). 1) Failure to comply with statutory
 timeframe The statutory deadline for response under section 10 of the
 Freedom of Information Act 2000 was 6 March 2026. That deadline has passed
 without a substantive response. 2) Inadequate handling and delay The only
 update provided, on 18 March 2026, states that the service area is 'still
 working on' the request. No explanation has been given for the delay, no
 extension has been formally applied, and no partial disclosure has been
 provided. 3) Nature of the requested information The request relates to
 retention schedules and disposal procedures for education records. These
 are standard information governance documents which should be readily
 identifiable and accessible. The continued delay suggests a failure in
 internal coordination or records management rather than any genuine
 complexity. 4) Comparative handling This request was submitted as part of
 a batch to multiple local authorities. All other authorities have provided
 substantive responses within the statutory timeframe. Durham County
 Council is the only authority to have failed to do so. Remedy sought I
 request that the internal review: a) Determines why the request was not
 responded to within the statutory timeframe b) Identifies any failures in
 the Council's FOI handling processes c) Ensures that a full response to
 the request is issued without further delay If a substantive response is
 not provided promptly following this review, I will refer the matter to
 the Information Commissioner's Office under section 50 of the Act. Yours
 faithfully, Jamie Halliday
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