You asked
Please can you email me the updated COVID-19 infection figures for the education sector from Sept 2020 to Jan 2021.
We said
Thank you for your request.
In the December 2020 publication of the Characteristics article we published modelled odds ratios of ever testing positive for COVID-19 for working age adults, this included the education sector. This can be found in table 3d of the dataset accompanying the publication.
In November 2020 publication of the Characteristics article we also published the percentage of people testing positive for COVID-19 antibodies by occupation, this included the education sector. This can be found in table 1f of the dataset accompanying the publication.
We will be updating the occupation analysis in one of our subsequent articles. As such, the information you have requested for January 2021 is considered exempt under Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, whereby information is exempt from release if there is a view to publish the information in the future. Furthermore, as a central government department and producer of official statistics, we need to have the freedom to be able to determine our own publication timetables. This is to allow us to deal with the necessary preparation, administration and context of publications. It would be unreasonable to consider disclosure when to do so would undermine our functions.
This exemption is subject to a public interest test. We recognise the desirability of information being freely available and this is considered by ONS when publication schedules are set in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. The need for timely data must be balanced against the practicalities of applying statistical skill and judgement to produce the high quality, assured data needed to inform decision-making. If this balance is incorrectly applied, then we run the risk of decisions being based on inaccurate data which is arguably not in the public interest. This will have an impact on public trust in official statistics in a time when accuracy of official statistics is more important to the public than ever before.