Privacy Notice
(How we use student information)
The categories of student 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 (such as grades, forecasts and exam/test results)
- Medical information (such as allergies, medication)
- Special Educational Needs
- Behaviour information (Positive and negative behaviour, and exclusion information)
- Post 16+ data (destinations, courses)
Why we collect and use this information
We use the student data:
- to support student learning
- to monitor and report on student 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 student information under Section 357A of the Education act 1996 and Article 6 and 9 of the GDPR act.
GDPR – Article 6 1(c) ‘processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which the controller is subject’;
GDPR – Article 6 1(e) ‘processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller’;
GDPR – Article 9 1(g) ‘processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, on the basis of Union or Member State law which shall be proportionate to the aim pursued, respect the essence of the right to data protection and provide for suitable and s specific measures to safeguard the fundamental rights and the interests of the data subject’
Collecting student information
Whilst the majority of student 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 student information to us or if you have a choice in this.
Storing student data
We store your data on secure computers and in paper records which are secured physically. The school is legally required to store personal data about you after you have left school. To meet these obligations we hold student data until the student is 25 years of age. So, for most student leaving this school when they are 16 years of age, we will hold data about them for a further nine years before securely destroying it
Who we share student information with
We routinely share student information with:
- schools that the student’s attend after leaving us
- our local authority
- the Department for Education (DfE)
- the NHS (only the data required so that it can organise immunisation programs, this data includes your name, address and date of birth and those of your parent(s)
- SISRA an online service that allows us to assess performance and ability
- Nationwide Retail Services to provide cashless catering services (name and date of birth)
Why we share student information
We do not share information about our students with anyone without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.
We share students’ 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 students 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.
Youth support services
Students aged 13+
Once our students reach the age of 13, we also pass students 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 / student once he/she reaches the age 16.
Students aged 16+
We will also share certain information about students aged 16+ with 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:
- post-16 education and training providers
- youth support services
- careers advisers
For more information about services for young people, please visit our local authority website.
The National Pupil Database (NPD)
The NPD is owned and managed by the DfE and contains information about students 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 students 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 students 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 student 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 student 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 students 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 our DPL (Data Protection Lead) Mrs Nesbitt (mnesbitt@bishopheber.cheshire.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:
dataprotection@bishopheber.cheshire.sch.uk
Download the Privacy Notice
