Privacy notice

THE RICHARD CLARKE FIRST SCHOOL

PRIVACY NOTICE

How we use pupil information

The Richard Clarke First School is the data controller of the personal information you provide to us. This means the school determines the purposes for which, and the manner in which, any personal data relating to pupils and their families is to be processed. As a school we control and process data for educational purposes.

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 medical information
Special educational needs information
Safeguarding information (where necessary)

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 the quality of our services
to comply with the law regarding data sharing

The lawful basis on which we use this information

We collect and use pupil information within the legitimate interests of the school this includes the taking of photographs. Data is collected throught the School Census and DfE Data Returns – this is a legal obligation (Education Act 1996, details in https://www.gov.uk/education/data-collection-and-censuses-for-schools) and processing this data is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest. This complies with Articles 6 and 9 of the GDPR.

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 or if you have a choice in this.

Storing pupil data

We hold pupil data for different periods depending on the data processing activity:

For example, short term retention – school trip information deleted immediately; medium term retention – basic pupil information held for the duration of their time at this school; long term retention – 5 years to 25 years after the child has left this school to comply with DfE progress data analysis and safeguarding requirements.

General photographs may be kept indefinitely for school historical archive purposes.

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)

We also share information with our partners:

School Nurse Team and NHS
Sports Partners – Burton Albion Community Trust
Entrust Performing Arts for those children engaging in peripatetic music

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 about 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 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pupil-database-user-guide-and-supporting-information.

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 the 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 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 in the first instance our school office. office@richardclarke.staffs.sch.uk

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

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 Kay Hanson, Headteacher

Telephone: 01283 840206

Nikki Proctor, Data Protection Officer

dp0.schools@staffordshire.gov.uk