Information Governance UK Training Courses > Freedom of Information (FOI) Courses
MANAGE FOI EFFICIENTLY
UK Freedom of Information (FOI) Courses
Practical FOI training that gives your team the confidence to handle requests properly, apply exemptions defensibly, and respond on time.
Handle FOI and EIR requests efficiently and consistently
Apply exemptions and the public interest test with confidence
Achieve BCS practitioner certification in Freedom of Information
Save time and resource by improving how you manage FOI
Our Freedom of Information courses cover the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Training is delivered by experienced practitioners using real scenarios, not theory.
Most FOI problems are not caused by difficult law. They are caused by requests that were logged late, searched inconsistently, or refused with an exemption that was never properly evidenced. Each of those becomes an internal review, and a proportion of those become complaints to the Information Commissioner.
Training addresses the problem at the source. A team that recognises a valid request, routes it correctly between the FOI Act and the EIRs, runs a proportionate search with an audit trail, and writes a refusal notice that actually explains its reasoning will spend far less time on reviews and appeals.
BCS Practitioner Certificate in Freedom of Information
(excl VAT) £1850
The Essentials Bundle: Data Protection, Freedom of Information and Records Management
(excl VAT) £55
The Essentials Bundle: Freedom of Information and Data Protection
(excl VAT) £40
The Essentials Bundle: Freedom of Information and Records Management
(excl VAT) £40
The Essentials Collection in Freedom of Information
(excl VAT) £25
The Essentials Collection in Information Governance for Board Members
(excl VAT) £25
What FOI training should actually cover
Freedom of information gives the public a legal right to request recorded information held by public authorities. The right itself is simple. Managing it well is not.
Recognising and validating requests
A request does not have to mention the FOI Act, be addressed to the information governance team, or arrive on a form. Staff across the organisation need to recognise one when it lands. Getting this wrong is the single most common cause of a missed 20 working day deadline.
The information search and cost limits
Section 12 allows a request to be refused where compliance would exceed the appropriate limit. That limit is £600 for central government, legislative bodies and the armed forces, and £450 for other public authorities, calculated at £25 per hour. In practice that is 24 hours of work for central government bodies and 18 hours for everyone else.
Applying section 12 properly means running a defensible estimate, not a guess, and offering advice and assistance on how the request could be narrowed.
Vexatious and repeated requests
Section 14 exists for a reason, and using it correctly protects resource. Using it as a way of avoiding an uncomfortable request does not survive scrutiny. Knowing where the line sits requires understanding the case law, not just the wording of the section.
Routing between the FOI Act and the EIRs
Requests for environmental information fall under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, not the FOI Act, and the two regimes work differently. The EIRs allow verbal requests, apply the public interest test to every exception, and give special status to information about emissions. Section 39 of the FOI Act allows an authority to handle a request under the EIRs alone, but only if the routing decision is made and recorded properly.
Exemptions and the public interest test
Absolute exemptions and qualified exemptions work differently, and qualified exemptions require a public interest test that is genuinely conducted and genuinely recorded. Refusal notices that assert an exemption without evidencing the harm or the balancing exercise are the most common reason a decision goes against an authority on appeal.
FOI and personal data
Section 40 governs the interaction between FOI and personal data, and it was amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. Teams handling both FOI requests and subject access requests need to understand where one right ends and the other begins. Our data protection and GDPR courses and our Handling Data Subject Access Requests course cover the other side of that boundary.
What is Freedom of Information, and why efficient management is important?
Freedom of Information gives the public a legal right to request recorded information held by public authorities. Efficient management of these requests is crucial for maintaining transparency, meeting statutory response deadlines, and avoiding reputational damage or regulatory action from poor compliance.
What’s the difference between FOI and FOISA?
While both laws ensure public access to information, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI) applies to public authorities in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, while the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) applies to Scottish public authorities.
Though similar in principle, they have distinct differences in timescales, exemptions, and enforcement. FOISA includes unique provisions like the harm test for exemptions and different fee structures. Understanding these differences is essential for organisations operating across UK jurisdictions.
Our courses cover all aspects of Freedom of Information management and request handling, including the Scottish variant of FOI.
Our FOI training approach
Staying current with FOI legislation, case law, and best practices can be challenging for busy professionals. Our training provides structured learning, practical exercises based on real scenarios, and expert guidance on complex issues like applying for exemptions and managing public interest tests.
Who benefits from our Freedom of Information training courses?
FOI training is essential for information officers, records managers and public sector employees who handle information requests.
It is particularly valuable for:
- Information governance and FOI teams, who need depth and current knowledge of case law and regulator guidance
- Compliance teams, who need to give assurance that the function is working
- Senior managers responsible for sign-off, who are frequently asked to approve refusals they do not fully understand
- Frontline and service area staff, who receive requests first and decide, often unknowingly, whether the clock has started
- New starters in an FOI role, who need to become competent quickly
Consistency across all five groups is what separates a well-run FOI function from a reactive one.
Customised Freedom of Information training to help your team feel confident in their role
We deliver our Freedom of Information courses in-house and customise them to your organisation. That means your request types, your service areas, your recurring difficulties, and the exemptions your authority actually relies on.
We can also deliver in-house training on the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR and EIRS) as they apply to public authorities across the UK.
Request in-person or online in-house delivery
Organisation-wide FOI and EIR capability, taught in your own context
Understand the theory and get the practical skills to apply it
What our customers say
"I now have a good foundational knowledge on FOISA and EIR”
The trainer (Frank) delivered the training in a positive and engaging way. He was knowledgeable and experienced and happily responded to our questions. I thoroughly enjoyed the training, feel that I have benefited from attending and would happily recommend to anyone
Student, May 2026
Online live- Introduction to Scottish
Freedom of Information
"The course was well done and the instructor very knowledgeable"
The information was explained well and the examples given by participants helped clear things up, especially for those new to FO
Student, May 2026
Online live- Introduction to Scottish
Freedom of Information
"Frank is a good host"
.. he keeps things interesting. I’ve found that on all of the TKM courses I’ve been on. There was lots of space for contribution which I think is important for my learning.
Student, June 2026
Online live- Introduction to Scottish
Freedom of Information