Privacy Notice

Privacy Notice For Parents and Pupils (How we use pupil information)

 
This privacy notice explains how we collect, store and use personal data about
pupils. Dayspring Trust is the ‘data controller’ for the purposes of data protection.
 
Our Data Protection Officer is:

Data Protection Officer (for Schools)
Corporate Services and Governance
Gateshead Council
Civic Centre, Regent Street,
Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, NE8 1HH.
Tel No: (0191) 433 2113 or 433 2192

Email: DPO@Gateshead.gov.uk

The categories of pupil information that we collect, hold and
share includes, but is not restricted to:
  • 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)
  • Special Educational Needs information
  • Medical (only where necessary to safeguard the pupil)
  • Assessment information (suh as grades and scores)
  • Safeguarding information (such as child protection plans, minutes from meetings)
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
  • administer admissions waiting lists
  • to comply with the law regarding data sharing
The lawful basis on which we use this information

We collect and use pupil information under the legal basis of the necessity to carry out tasks in the public interest. This covers our use of personal data for everyday tasks such as – operating the curriculum, storing personal data about our pupils, their parental contacts, staff, timetable information, cashless catering, library systems and annual census requirements.

Special category data is processed under the same legal basis as other information however, is more sensitive and includes information about an individual’s:

Race;

Ethnic origin;

Poilitics;

Religion;

Trade union membership;

Genetics;

Biometrics (where used for ID purposes);

Health;

Sexual orientation

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 until the pupil reaches 25 years of age according to our records retention policy which follows the Information Management Toolkit for Schools as recommended by the Information Records Management Society.

Who we share pupil information with

We routinely share pupil information with:

  • schools that the pupil’s attend after leaving us
  • the local authority
  • the Department for Education (DfE) and the Education Funding Agency

Where it is necessary to protect a child, we will also share data with Social services, medical professionals and/or the Police.

We do not transfer personal data to countries outside the European Economic Area.

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 the (DfE) under regulation 5 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/datacollection-and-censuses-for-schools.

Youth support services
Pupils aged 13+

Once our pupils reach the age of 13, we also pass pupil information to our local authority and / or provider of youth support services as they have responsibilities in relation to the education or training of 13-19 year olds under section 507B of the Education Act 1996.

This enables them to provide services as follows:

  • youth support services
  • careers advisers

A parent or guardian can request that only their child’s name, address and date of birth is passed to their local authority or provider of youth support services by informing us. This right is transferred to the child / pupil once he/she reaches the age 16.

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-andsupporting-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 make a ‘subject access request’ 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 Mr B Janes (Headteacher) in the first instance.

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:

Mr B Janes (Headteacher) or our Data Protection Officer:

Data Protection Officer (for Schools)
Corporate Services and Governance
Gateshead Council
Civic Centre, Regent Street,
Gateshead, Tyne & Wear, NE8 1HH.
Tel No: (0191) 433 2113 or 433 2192

Email: DPO@Gateshead.gov.uk