Information Held About you

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’ to individuals where we are processing their personal data.

This privacy notice explains how we collect, store and use personal data about our pupils.

Our data protection officer is Samantha Smith at Herefordshire Council and she can be contacted via email at IGschools@herefordshire.gov.uk or on 01432 260282

How we collect pupil information

We collect pupil information via registration forms on admission or Common Transfer File (CTF) or secure file transfer from previous schools, local authorities and the Department for Education.

The personal data we hold

Pupil data is essential for the schools’ operational use and to support our pupils’ learning, monitor and report on pupils’ progress and provide appropriate pastoral care. Personal data that we may collect, use, store and share (when appropriate) includes, but is not restricted to:

• 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 (ie; end of Key Stage tests and teacher assessments)
• Relevant medical information (such as care plans, asthma register and conditions school needs to be aware of for the wellbeing of your child)
• Special Educational Needs information  Exclusion/behavioural information
• Child Protection information  Safeguarding information
• Photographs (for internal safeguarding purposes, school newsletters, media and promotional purposes)

Who is processing my data?

All personal data held, is processed in accordance with data protection law. The Data Controller for the information outlined in this privacy notice is Kington Primary School, Mill Street, Kington, Herefordshire, HR5 3AL

How will we use the Information we hold about you?

We will collect information about you to:-

• Support pupil learning
• Monitor and report on pupil progress 
• Provide appropriate pastoral care
• Protect pupil welfare – to keep children safe
• Comply with the law regarding data sharing
• Meet the statutory duties placed upon us for DfE data collections
• Assess the quality of our services

What is the legal basis for us to process your data?

The legal basis for processing the data is:-

• Your consent, which you can withdraw at any time by notifying us
• Carrying out of a contract to which you are a party
• The protection of your vital interests
• The prevention/detection of crime
• Our legal obligation (ie; under the Education Act 1996 to collect information on school census)
• We need it to perform an official task in the public interest
• For the administration of justice

Who we will share your information with

We may share your information with partner organisations, including:-

• Schools that the pupils attend after leaving us
• 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
• Central and local government
• Survey and research organisations
• Professional advisers and consultants
• Police forces, courts, tribunals
• Professional bodies

We will not normally share your information with organisations other than our partner organisations without your consent, however, there may be certain circumstances where we would share without consent such as where we are required to do so by law, to safeguard public safety, and in risk of harm or emergency situations. Any information which is shared will only be shared on a need to know basis, with appropriate individuals. Only the minimum information for the purpose will be shared.

Data collection requirements:

To find out more about the data collection requirements place 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)

The NPD is owned and managed by the Department of Education and contains information about pupils in schools is 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-npd-privacy-notice/national-pupil-database-npd-privacy-notice

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 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 the data, security arrangements and retention and use of data.

To contact DfE: https://www.gov.uk/contact-dfe

Why we share pupil information

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:

We are required to provide information about pupils to the Department for Education as part of statutory data collections such as the school census under section 3 of The Education (Information About Individual Pupils) (England) Regulations 2013.

How long do we keep your records?

We keep personal information about pupils while they are attending our school. We may also keep it beyond their attendance at school if this is necessary in order to comply with our legal obligations. All information will be held securely and destroyed under confidential conditions. Our Records Management and Retention Policy sets out how long we keep information about pupils.

Your rights

You have a number of rights under data protection law, including the right to request your information and to request that the information be amended or erased if incorrect.

To exercise these rights, you will need to put your request in writing and provide proof of identification to our Data Protection Officer, Samantha Smith at Herefordshire Council via email at IGschools@herefordshire.gov.uk or 01432 260282.

You also have a right to make a complaint about our handling of your personal data to the Information Commissioner’s Office https://ico.org.uk/

Providing Accurate Information

It is important that we hold accurate and up to date information about you in order to assess your needs and delivery the appropriate services. If any of your details have changed, or change in the future, please ensure that you inform us as soon as possible so that we can update your records.

Further information

If you have any questions or concerns about how your information is used, please contact our Data |Protection Officer, Samantha Smith, Herefordshire Council, via email at IGshools@herefordshire.gov.uk or 01432 260282.

More information about data protection and how it applies to you can be found on the Information Commissioner’s Office website at https://ico.org.uk/