Privacy Notice (How we use pupil information)
The categories of pupil information that we process include:
- personal identifiers and contacts (such as name, unique pupil number, contact details and address)
- characteristics (such as ethnicity, language, and free school meal eligibility)
- safeguarding information (such as court orders and professional involvement)
- special educational needs (including the needs and ranking)
- medical and administration (such as doctors information, child health, dental health, allergies, medication and dietary requirements)
- attendance (such as sessions attended, number of absences, absence reasons and any previous schools attended)
- assessment and attainment (such as key stage 1 and phonics results)
- behavioural information (such as exclusions and any relevant alternative provision put in place)
- school trip attendance
- Photographs (for internal safeguarding & security purposes, school newsletters, media and promotional purposes)
- Payment details
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 collect and use pupil information
We collect and use pupil information, for the following purposes:
- to support pupil learning
- to monitor and report on pupil attainment progress
- to provide appropriate pastoral care
- to assess the quality of our services
- to keep children safe (food allergies, or emergency contact details)
- to meet the statutory duties placed upon us for DfE data collections
- administer admissions waiting lists
- to inform you of events and other things going on in school
- to assess the quality of our services
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the lawful bases we rely on for processing pupil information are:
Our lawful basis for collecting and processing pupil information is defined under Article 6, and the following sub-paragraphs in the GDPR apply:
a) Data subject gives consent for one or more specific purposes.
b) Processing is necessary to comply with the legal obligations of the controller.
c) Processing is necessary to protect the vital interests of the data subject.
d) Processing is necessary for tasks in the public interest or exercise of authority vested in the controller (the provision of education).
Our lawful basis for collecting and processing pupil information is also further defined under Article 9, in that some of the information we process is deemed to be sensitive, or special, information and the following sub-paragraphs in the GDPR apply:
a) The data subject has given explicit consent.
b) It is necessary to fulfil the obligations of controller or of data subject.
c) It is necessary to protect the vital interests of the data subject.
d) Processing is carried out by a foundation or not-for-profit organisation (includes religious, political or philosophical organisations and trade unions)
e) Reasons of public interest in the area of public health
f) It is in the public interest
A full breakdown of the information we collect on pupils can be requested from the school office.
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 pupil information
We collect pupil information via registration forms at the start of the school year or Common Transfer File (CTF) or secure file transfer from previous school.
Pupil data is essential for the schools’ operational use. Whilst the majority of pupil information you provide to us is mandatory, some of it requested on a voluntary basis. In order to comply with the data protection legislation, we will inform you at the point of collection, 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 whilst the child remains at Kingswood Primary School and Nursery. The file will follow the pupil when they leave Kingswood Primary School and Nursery. However, where there is a legal obligation to retain the information beyond that period, it will be retained in line with our retention policy.
We have data protection policies and procedures in place, which are regularly reviewed. Further information can be found on our website or by contacting the school office.
Who we share pupil information with
We routinely share pupil information 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
- The pupil’s family and representatives
- Educators and examining bodies
- Ofsted
- Suppliers and service providers – to enable them to provide the service we have contracted them for
- Financial organisations
- Central and local government
- 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
- Schools that the pupil’s attend after leaving us
Why we regularly 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.
All data is transferred securely and held by DfE under a combination of software and hardware controls, which meet the current government security policy framework.
For more information, please see ‘How Government uses your data’ section.
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 office@kingswoodprimaryschool.net
You also have the right to:
- to ask us for access to information about you that we hold
- to have your personal data rectified, if it is inaccurate or incomplete
- to request the deletion or removal of personal data where there is no compelling reason for its continued processing
- to restrict our processing of your personal data (i.e. permitting its storage but no further processing)
- to object to direct marketing (including profiling) and processing for the purposes of scientific/historical research and statistics
- not to be subject to decisions based purely on automated processing where it produces a legal or similarly significant effect on you
If you have a concern or complaint about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, you should raise your concern with us in the first instance or directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/
For further information on how to request access to personal information held centrally by DfE, please see the ‘How Government uses your data’ section of this notice.
Withdrawal of consent and the right to lodge a complaint
Where we are processing your personal data with your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent. If you change your mind, or you are unhappy with our use of your personal data, please let us know by contacting Nicola Cohen using office@kingswoodprimaryschool.net.
Last updated
We may need to update this privacy notice periodically so we recommend that you revisit this information from time to time.
Contact
If you would like to discuss anything in this privacy notice, please contact: Nicola Cohen using office@kingswoodprimaryschool.net.
How Government uses your data
The pupil data that we lawfully share with the DfE through data collections:
- underpins school funding, which is calculated based upon the numbers of children and their characteristics in each school.
- informs ‘short term’ education policy monitoring and school accountability and intervention (for example, school GCSE results or Pupil Progress measures).
- supports ‘longer term’ research and monitoring of educational policy (for example how certain subject choices go on to affect education or earnings beyond school)
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)
Much of the data about pupils in England goes on to be held in 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.
To find out more about the NPD, go to https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pupil-database-user-guide-and-supporting-information
Sharing by the Department
The law allows the Department to share pupils’ personal data with certain third parties, including:
- schools and local authorities
- researchers
- organisations connected with promoting the education or wellbeing of children in England
- other government departments and agencies
- organisations fighting or identifying crime
For more information about the Department’s NPD data sharing process, please visit:
https://www.gov.uk/data-protection-how-we-collect-and-share-research-data
Organisations fighting or identifying crime may use their legal powers to contact DfE to request access to individual level information relevant to detecting that crime. Whilst numbers fluctuate slightly over time, DfE typically supplies data on around 600 pupils per year to the Home Office and roughly 1 per year to the Police.
For information about which organisations the Department has provided pupil information, (and for which project) or to access a monthly breakdown of data share volumes with Home Office and the Police please visit the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfe-external-data-shares
How to find out what personal information DfE hold about you
Under the terms of the Data Protection Act 2018, you are entitled to ask the Department:
- if they are processing your personal data
- for a description of the data they hold about you
- the reasons they’re holding it and any recipient it may be disclosed to
- for a copy of your personal data and any details of its source
If you want to see the personal data held about you by the Department, you should make a ‘subject access request’. Further information on how to do this can be found within the Department’s personal information charter that is published at the address below:
To contact DfE: https://www.gov.uk/contact-dfe