GDPR
Privacy notice for parents/carers
Under data protection law, individuals have a right to be informed about how the school uses any
personal data that we hold about them. We comply with this right by providing ‘privacy notices’
(sometimes called ‘fair processing notices’) to individuals where we are processing their personal
data.
This privacy notice explains how we collect, store and use personal data about pupils.
We, at Shears Green Junior School, are the ‘data controller’ for the purposes of data protection law.
Our data protection officer is Mr Chris Norwood (see ‘Contact us’ below).
The personal data we hold
Personal data that we may collect, use, store and share (when appropriate) about pupils includes, but
is not restricted to:
· Contact details, contact preferences, date of birth, identification documents
· Results of internal assessments and externally set tests
· Pupil and curricular records
· Characteristics, such as ethnic background, eligibility for free school meals, or special
educational needs
· Exclusion information
· Details of any medical conditions, including physical and mental health
· Attendance information
· Safeguarding information
· Details of any support received, including care packages, plans and support providers
· Photographs
· CCTV images captured in school
We may also hold data about pupils that we have received from other organisations, including other
schools, local authorities and the Department for Education.
Why we use this data
We use this data to:
· Support pupil learning
· Monitor and report on pupil progress
· Provide appropriate pastoral care
· Protect pupil welfare
· Assess the quality of our services
· Administer admissions waiting lists
· Carry out research
· Comply with the law regarding data sharing
Our legal basis for using this data
We only collect and use pupils’ personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we process
it where:
· We need to comply with a legal obligation
· We need it to perform an official task in the public interest
Less commonly, we may also process pupils’ personal data in situations where:
· We have obtained consent to use it in a certain way
· We need to protect the individual’s vital interests (or someone else’s interests)
Where we have obtained consent to use pupils’ personal data, this consent can be withdrawn at any
time. We will make this clear when we ask for consent, and explain how consent can be withdrawn.
Some of the reasons listed above for collecting and using pupils’ personal data overlap, and there may
be several grounds which justify our use of this data.
Collecting this information
While the majority of information we collect about pupils is mandatory, there is some information that
can be provided voluntarily.
Whenever we seek to collect information from you or your child, we make it clear whether providing it
is mandatory or optional. If it is mandatory, we will explain the possible consequences of not
complying.
How we store this data
We keep personal information about pupils while they are attending our schools. We may also keep it
beyond their attendance at our schools if this is necessary in order to comply with our legal
obligations. Our records retention schedule sets out how long we keep information about pupils. If
you would like to request a copy of this information, please contact the school office in writing.
Data sharing
We do not share information about pupils with any third party without consent unless the law and our
policies allow us to do so.
Where it is legally required, or necessary (and it complies with data protection law) we may share
personal information about pupils with:
· Our local authority – to meet our legal obligations to share certain information with it, such as
safeguarding concerns and exclusions
· The Department for Education – to meet our legal obligations regarding sharing of national data
· The pupil’s family and representatives
· Educators and examining bodies
· Our regulator [specify as appropriate, e.g. Ofsted, Independent Schools Inspectorate]
· Suppliers and service providers – to enable them to provide the service we have contracted
them for
· Financial organisations
· Central and local government
· Our auditors
· Survey and research organisations
· Health authorities
· Security organisations
· Health and social welfare organisations
· Professional advisers and consultants
· Charities and voluntary organisations
· Police forces, courts, tribunals
· Professional bodies
National Pupil Database
We are required to provide information about pupils to the Department for Education as part of
statutory data collections such as the school census and early year’s census
Some of this information is then stored in the National Pupil Database (NPD), which is owned and
managed by the Department and provides evidence on school performance to inform research.
The database is held electronically so it can easily be turned into statistics. The information is securely
collected from a range of sources including schools, local authorities and exam boards.
The Department for Education may share information from the NPD with other organisations which
promote children’s education or wellbeing in England. Such organisations must agree to strict terms
and conditions about how they will use the data.
For more information, see the Department’s webpage on how it collects and shares research data.
You can also contact the Department for Education with any further questions about the NPD.
Transferring data internationally
Where we transfer personal data to a country or territory outside the European Economic Area, we will
do so in accordance with data protection law.
Parents and pupils’ rights regarding personal data
Individuals have a right to make a ‘subject access request’ to gain access to personal information
that the schools hold about them.
Parents/carers can make a request with respect to their child’s data where the child is not considered
mature enough to understand their rights over their own data (usually under the age of 12), or where
the child has provided consent.
Parents also have the right to make a subject access request with respect to any personal data the
school holds about them.
If you make a subject access request, and if we do hold information about you or your child, we will:
· Give you a description of it
· Tell you why we are holding and processing it, and how long we will keep it for
· Explain where we got it from, if not from you or your child
· Tell you who it has been, or will be, shared with
· Let you know whether any automated decision-making is being applied to the data, and any
consequences of this
· Give you a copy of the information in an intelligible form
Individuals also have the right for their personal information to be transmitted electronically to another
organisation in certain circumstances.
If you would like to make a request please contact our data protection officer.
Other rights
Under data protection law, individuals have certain rights regarding how their personal data is used
and kept safe, including the right to:
· Object to the use of personal data if it would cause, or is causing, damage or distress
· Prevent it being used to send direct marketing
· Object to decisions being taken by automated means (by a computer or machine, rather than by
a person)
· In certain circumstances, have inaccurate personal data corrected, deleted or destroyed, or
restrict processing
· Claim compensation for damages caused by a breach of the data protection regulations
To exercise any of these rights, please contact our data protection officer.
Complaints
We take any complaints about our collection and use of personal information very seriously.
If you think that our collection or use of personal information is unfair, misleading or inappropriate, or
have any other concern about our data processing, please raise this with us in the first instance.
To make a complaint, please contact our data protection officer.
Alternatively, you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office:
· Report a concern online at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/
· Call 0303 123 1113
· Or write to: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow,
Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Contact us
If you have any questions, concerns or would like more information about anything mentioned in this
privacy notice, please contact our data protection officer: c.norwood@nsfg.org.uk
This notice is based on the Department for Education’s model privacy notice for pupils, amended for
parents and to reflect the way we use data in this school.