UK DATA PRIVACY LAWS HAVE CHANGED.
One of the biggest changes to UK data privacy law came into effect on 25th May 2018.
The General Data Protection Regulation, known as GDPR, is a really positive step towards you having more control over how your data is used and how you’re contacted. The changes will also help to better protect your personal data.
PRIVACY NOTICE
The categories of pupil information that we collect, hold and share include:
- Personal information (such as name, unique pupil number and address)
- Characteristics (such as ethnicity, language, nationality, country of birth and free school meal eligibility)
- Attendance information (such as sessions attended, number of absences and absence reasons)
- Assessment information
- Relevant medication information
- Special needs education information
Why we collect and use this information
We use the pupil data:
- To support pupil learning
- To monitor and report on pupil progress
- To provide appropriate pastoral care
- To assess how well our school is doing
- To comply with the law regarding data sharing
The lawful basis on which we use this information
We process this information under GPDR regulations 25th May 2018 ensuring we are ‘compliant with a legal obligation’ (Article 6c) and ‘carrying out obligations and exercising specific rights’ (Article 9).
Collecting pupil information
Whilst the majority of pupil information you provide to us is mandatory, some of it is provided to us on a voluntary basis. In order to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation, we will inform you whether you are required to provide certain pupil information to us if you have a choice in this.
Storing pupil data
We store pupil data in line with the school retention policy.
Who we share pupil information with
We routinely share pupil information with:
- Schools that the pupil’s attend after leaving us
- Our local authority
- The Department for Education (DFE)
- NHS/School nurse
- Outside agencies supporting pupils in school. (Education Psychology, Autistic Spectrum Education Team etc.)
Why we share pupil information
We do not share information about our pupils with anyone without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.
We share pupils’ data with the Department for Education (DFE) on a statutory basis. This data sharing underpins school funding and educational attainment policy and monitoring.
We are required to share information about our pupils with our local authority (LA) and the Department for Education (DFE) under section 3 of The Education (Information about Individual Pupils) (England) Regulations 2013.
Data collection requirements:
To find out more the data collection requirements placed on us by the Department for Education (for example; via the school census) go to https://www.gov.uk/education/data-collection-and-censuses-for-schools.
The National Pupil Database (NPD)
The NPD is owned and managed by the Department for Education and contains information about pupils in schools in England. It provides invaluable evidence on educational performance to inform independent research, as well as studies commissioned by the Department. It is held in electronic format for statistical purposes. This information is securely collected from a range of sources including schools, local authorities and awarding bodies.
We are required by law, to provide information about our pupils to the DFE as part of statutory data collections such as the school census and early years’ census. Some of this information is then stored in the NPD. The law that allows this is the Education (information About Individual Pupils) (England) Regulations 2013.
To find out more about the NPD, go to
The department may share information about our pupils from the NPD with third parties who promote the education or well-being of children in England by:
- Conducting research or analysis
- Producing statistics
- Providing information, advice or guidance
The Department has robust processes in place to ensure the confidentiality of our data is maintained and there are stringent controls in place regarding access and use of the data. Decisions on whether DFE releases data to third parties are subject to a strict approval process and based on a detailed assessment of:
- Who is requesting the data
- The purpose for which it is required
- The level and sensitivity of data requested: and
- The arrangements in place to store and handle the data
To be granted access to pupil information, organisations must comply with strict terms and conditions covering the confidentiality and handling of the data, security arrangements and retention and use of data.
For more information about the department’s data sharing process, please visit:
https://www.gov.uk/data-protection-how-we-collect-and-share-research-data
For information about which organisations the department has provided pupil information, (and for which project), please visit the following website:
https://www.gov.uk.government/publications/national-pupil-database-requests-received
To contact DFE: https://www.gov.uk/contact-dfe
Requesting access to your personal data
Under the data protection legislation, parents and pupils have the right to request access to information about them that we hold. To make a request for your personal information, or be given access to your child’s educational record, contact Mrs T Bass (Head teacher) or Mrs K Turnbull (Deputy Head teacher)
You also have the right to:
- Object to processing of personal data that is likely to cause, or is causing, damage or distress
- Prevent processing for the purpose of direct marketing
- Object to decisions being taken by automated means
- In certain circumstances, have inaccurate personal data rectified, blocked, erased or destroyed; and
- Claim compensation for damages caused by a breach of the Data Protection Regulations
We respect your privacy and work hard to meet strict regulatory requirements.
If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, we request that you raise your concern with us in the first instance. Alternatively, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/
Contact
If you would like to discuss anything in this privacy notice, please contact
Mrs T Bass (Head Teacher)
Mrs K Turnbull (Deputy Head Teacher)
Mr T Pinto (Data protection Officer for the school)