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Walthamstow School for Girls

Privacy Notice 2022

     

Privacy Notice for Pupils
 

Privacy Notice (How we use student information -

Walthamstow School for Girls)

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 
  • Relevant medical information 
  • Special Education Needs information 
  • Exclusions/behavioural information 
  • Personal information about a student’s parents/carers and/or other relatives (such as name, contact details, relationship to child) 

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 
  • to share data for statutory inspections and audit purposes 

The lawful basis on which we use this information 

We collect and use student information under 

  • The Education Act (various years) 
  • The Education (Student Registration) (England) Regulations 
  • The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 
  • The School Admissions Regulations 2012 
  • Children and Families Act 2014 
  • The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 
  • Article 6, and Article 9 (GDPR, includes special category data) 

The DfE process census data under the various Education Acts – further information can be found on their website: https://www.gov.uk/education/data-collection-and-censuses-for-schools 

 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 (GDPR), 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 hold student data for varying lengths of time depending on what the information is.  The specified periods we hold school data for is outlined in our Data Record Retention Schedule which is accessible via our school website. 

Who we share student information with 

We routinely share student information with: 

  • the Department for Education (DfE) 
  • agencies which we commission to deliver services on our behalf, including the NHS School Nurse Team, the Educational Psychologist Service and the Speech and Language Service. 

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 Students) (England) Regulations 2013. 

Youth support services 

Students aged 13+  

Once our students reach the age of 13, we also pass student 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 student once they reach 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’s website.  

Data collection requirements: 

To find out more about the data collection 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) 

The NPD is owned and managed by the Department for Education and contains information about students in schools in England.  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 Students) (England) Regulations 2013. 

To find out more about the NPD, go to https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-student-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 to 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 
  • 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 to (and for which project) please visit the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-student-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 Nicola Janes, Administrative Manager, via info@wsfg.waltham.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 
  • 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 our Education Data Protection Officer: 

Maryline Alvis, contactable via maryline.alvis@walthamforest.gov.uk  

 

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