What is data protection?
Data protection is about ensuring that personal information is collected, stored and used safely, fairly and responsibly.
Schools must comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. These laws set out how organisations must handle personal information and protect people’s privacy.
What information does the school collect?
We collect and hold different types of personal information to support the education, development and wellbeing of our pupils. This may include:
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Personal details, such as names, dates of birth and addresses.
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Parent and carer contact information.
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Attendance and punctuality records.
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Assessment results and educational progress.
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Medical information and additional needs.
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Safeguarding and pastoral information.
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Photographs and videos.
How and why do we use personal information?
We use personal information to:
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Provide children with a suitable education.
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Monitor learning, progress and attainment.
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Support children’s health, medical needs and wellbeing.
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Meet our safeguarding responsibilities and keep children safe.
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Manage attendance and communicate with families.
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Meet our legal and statutory responsibilities.
We only collect and use information where we have a lawful basis to do so.
How do we keep information safe?
We take our responsibility to protect personal information seriously. We have procedures in place to ensure that information is stored securely and only accessed by authorised individuals who need it for their role.
Where necessary and lawful, we may share information with organisations such as the local authority, Department for Education, health professionals and children’s social care services. Information is shared appropriately and securely.
What are your rights?
Under data protection legislation, individuals have rights regarding their personal information. These include:
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The right to know how personal information is being used.
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The right to request access to personal information.
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The right to ask for inaccurate information to be corrected.
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The right to request that information is erased in certain circumstances.
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The right to object to, or request restrictions on, certain types of processing.
Some rights are subject to exemptions and do not apply in every situation.
Who can I contact?
If you have questions about how we collect, use or store personal information, or wish to exercise your data protection rights, please contact the school office.
You can also contact our Data Protection Officer (DPO) at IT Systems & Support Limited who are contactable via DPO@itsystems.uk.net or on 0343 886 8660.
You have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the independent organisation responsible for upholding information rights in the UK.
Further information
Please see our privacy notices and Data Protection Policy for more detailed information about how we manage personal information.
