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Privacy notice for Parents and 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, Sacred Heart High School, are the ‘data controller’ for the purposes of data protection law. Our data protection officer is the SPS Data Protection Officer (further details under ‘Contact us’)
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:
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:
In order to meet statutory requirements around appropriate education provision and to fulfil safeguarding requirements, we share information about school history and the latest known pupil and parent address and contact details in the event of a Child Missing Education, or becoming Electively Home Educated. This information also supports the in-year admissions process.
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:
Less commonly, we may also process pupils’ personal data in situations where:
We will make this clear when we ask for consent and explain how consent can be withdrawn.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
Children’s records are stored securely in paper files and on the school’s secure server. We keep personal information about pupils while they are attending our school. We may also keep it beyond their attendance at our school if this is necessary in order to comply with our legal obligations. We will adhere to the Information Management Toolkit for Schools Document.
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 the General Data Protection Regulation, otherwise known as the GDPR) we may share personal information about pupils with:
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.
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 school holds 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:
As a parent of a pupil attending an academy there is no automatic parental right of access to educational records in our setting. However, we would consider any parental request for such access and decide whether it is appropriate to grant the request on a case by case basis.
If you require access to the above, please apply in writing, citing your reasons to the Headteacher.
Your other rights regarding your data
Under data protection law, individuals have certain rights regarding how their personal data is used and kept safe, including the right to:
To exercise any of these rights, please contact the Headteacher.
Complaints
We take 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 the school in the first instance.
To make a complaint, please contact our Headteacher.
Alternatively, you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office:
Contact us
If you have any questions, concerns or would like more information about anything mentioned in this privacy notice, please contact the Headteacher in the first instance.
This notice is based on the Department for Education’s model privacy notice for the school workforce, amended to reflect the way we use data in this school.