Privacy Notice (How we use pupil information)

Gearies Primary School is based at Waremead Road, Gants Hill, Ilford, Essex  IG2 6TF. 

The categories of pupil information that we collect, hold and share include:

• Personal information (such as name, unique pipil number and address)
• Special category information (such as ethnicity, language, nationality, country of birth, free school meal eligibility and medical information)
• Attendance information (such as sessions attended, number of absences and absence reasons)
• Special Educational Needs (SEN) information

Data is processed in manual and electronic formats.  All feasible security measures are in place for both formats through school policies and technical measures.

Why we collect and use this information

Some of the reasons why we collect information is :

• to support pupil learning
• to monitor and report on pupil progress
• to provide appropriate pastoral care
• to assess the quality of our services
• to enhance communication
• to improve administration systems
• to support fundraising activities
• to comply with the law regarding data sharing

https://www.gov.uk/education/data-collection-and-censuses-for-schools]

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.   Anyone whose personal data is processed on the basis of consent can withdraw that consent easily and quickly.

CCTV

Our school uses Closed Circuit Television cameras for the purposes of monitoring our premises and to support any pupil behavioural policies. There are visible signs showing that CCTV is in operation and images from this system are securely stored where only a limited number of authorised persons may have access to them. We may be required to disclose CCTV images to authorised third parties such as the police to assist with crime prevention or at the behest of a court order.

Storing pupil data

We hold pupil data for as long as is necessary to provide a service or in line with statutory guidelines.

Who we share pupil information with

We share data with third parties for operational reasons.  The third party suppliers are:-

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.

Photographs and videos

For information on how we use images and photographs please see our  Use of Images and Photographs policy

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 and individual rights

Under the General Data Protection Regulations and Data Protection legislation, parents and pupils have the right to request access to information about them that we hold.  Additionally, the Education Act 1996 allows parent’s the right to access most of their child’s education records.  If you wish to request a copy of your data, please submit it in writing/email to the school’s Data Protection Officer.  Please include enough information to enable us to identify you and search for appropriate data.

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/.   More information about your rights is available here. 

Contact

If you would like to discuss anything in this privacy notice, please contact us via the school office.  The school has a Data Protection Officer who is responsible for data protection matters and can be contacted by email at data.protection@redbridge.gov.uk.