FAIR PROCESSING NOTICE and the DATA PROTECTION ACT

Schools hold information on their pupils and from time to time, by law, they have to share some of the information with various government organisations. Schools will also share information with other organisations where there is a need to protect a child or someone else from harm.

The Data Protection Act 1998 names schools, local authorities and other organisations that process children’s information as ‘data controllers’. This means, among other things that the information held about children must only be used for specific purposes allowed by law. 

The Children Act 2004 Information Database (England) Regulations 2007 say that all government-run schools in England must supply basic contact information to ContactPoint.

ContactPoint will be an online directory of children living in England and the people who work with them. Only people who have permission can see the directory, if they need it as part of their work. This will include people who work in education, health, social care, youth offending and some voluntary organisations.
Other agencies who use information about your child are:
Your local authority
Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF)
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA)
Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted).
Learning and Skills Council (LSC)
Connexions
Primary Care Trusts (PCTs)
Department of Health 
MIAP (Managing Information Across Partners)

Data protection
By law, all organisations that hold personal information about anybody have to make sure that the information they hold is secure. They also have to make sure that only people who have permission to see this information can see it if they need the information to carry out their work.
We take great care to make sure that the personal information we keep about children, both on paper and on computer, is safe.
All staff that use children’s information must have relevant checks and training for the type of information they handle.
The school holds information on pupils in order to support their teaching and learning, to monitor and report on their progress, to provide appropriate pastoral care, and to assess how well the school as awhole is doing. This information includes contact details, National Curriculum assessment results, attendance information, characteristics such as ethnic group, special educational needs and any relevant medical information. From time to time schools are required to pass on some of this data to LEAs, the DCSF and to agencies, such as QCA, Ofsted and LSC, that are prescribed by law.

The Local Authority uses information about pupils to carry out specific functions for which it is responsible, such as the assessment of any special educational needs the pupil may have. It also uses the information to derive statistics to inform decisions on (for example) the funding of schools, and to assess the performance of schools and set targets for them. The statistics are used in such a way that individual pupils cannot be identified from them.
The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) uses information about pupils for research and statistical purposes, to inform, influence and improve education policy and to monitor the performance of the education service as a whole. The DCSF will feed back to LEAs and schools information about their pupils for a variety of purposes that will include data checking exercises, use in self-evaluation analyses and where information is missing because it was not passed on by a former school. The DCSF will also provide Ofsted with pupil level data for use in school inspection. Where relevant, pupil information may also be shared with Post 16 learning institutions to minimise the administrative burden on application for a course and to aid the preparation of learning plans.
Pupil information may be matched with other data sources that the Department holds in order to model and monitor pupils’ educational progression; and to provide comprehensive information back to LEAs and learning institutions to support their day to day business. The DCSF may also use contact details from these sources to obtain samples for statistical surveys: these surveys may be carried out by research agencies working under contract to the Department and participation in such surveys is usually voluntary. The Department may also match data from these sources to data obtained from statistical surveys.
Pupil data may also be shared with other Government Departments and Agencies (including the Office for National Statistics) for statistical or research purposes only. In all these cases the matching will require that individualised data is used in the processing operation, but that data will not be processed in such a way that it supports measures or decisions relating to particular individuals or identifies individuals in any results. This data sharing will be approved and controlled by the Department’s Chief Statistician.
The DCSF may also disclose individual pupil information to independent researchers into the educational achievements of pupils who have a legitimate need for it for their research, but each case will be determined on its merits and subject to the approval of the Department’s Chief Statistician.
The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority uses information about pupils to administer the National Curriculum tests and assessments for Key Stages 1 to 3. The results of these are passed on to DCSF in order for it to compile statistics on trends and patterns in levels of achievement. The QCA uses the information to evaluate the effectiveness of the National Curriculum and the associated assessment arrangements, and to ensure that these are continually improved.

Ofsted uses information about the progress and performance of pupils to help inspectors evaluate the work of schools, to assist schools in their self-evaluation, and as part of Ofsted’s assessment of the effectiveness of education initiatives and policy.  Inspection reports do not identify individual pupils.

The Learning and Skills Council uses information about pupils for statistical purposes, to evaluate and develop education policy and to monitor the performance of the education service as a whole. The statistics (including those based on information provided by the QCA) are used in such a way that individual pupils cannot be identified from them.  On occasion information may be shared with other Government departments or agencies strictly for statistical or research purposes only.

The Connexions Service (previously known as Careers Service) is there to support young people, helping them to achieve their potential and to realise benefits from education, learning and employment. 

For pupils approaching or above age 13 the school is required to pass on information to the Connexions Service including the name and address of the pupil and parent, and any further information relevant to the Connexions Service’s role.

Parents, or the pupils themselves, however, if aged 16 or over, can ask that no information beyond name and address (of pupil and parent) be passed on to Connexions. 

The LA and DCSF may provide Connexions with information which they have about your child, but will not pass on any information they have received from us if you (or your child if aged 16 or over) have notified the school that Connexions should not receive information beyond name and address.

The Government is developing a system that will reduce the number of times students are asked to provide the same information by providing your child with a Unique Learner Number (ULN).  The ULN is a personal, 10-digit number that will remain with your child to record their lifelong educational achievements and qualifications.

It will be used to link all your child’s learning achievements, examination results and qualifications into one online learner record. This information about your child is already held in computer-based systems, but at the moment it is difficult to access, the ULN allows you to access all this information via the Internet.   It will also make it easier for careers services to provide your child with good advice and guidance about education and training opportunities.

Neither you nor your child can refuse to have a ULN if they are in education or training, but you can opt out of sharing your child’s data with other users if you wish. If you opt out, you may find that you need to fill in a form each time you move on to something new, such as a new college or later, an employer.  You can opt out at enrolment or at any other time after that by calling the MIAP Help Desk (see www.miap.gov.uk for details).

The law guarantees that your child’s personal details are handled securely and sensitively.  Information will only be passed to people who have a legitimate reason to see it, such as examination boards, schools or colleges that you want your child to move to and government agencies with responsibility for education and training.

 

Data Protection

Pupils, as data subjects, have certain rights under the Data Protection Act, including a general right of access to personal data held on them. If you wish to access your personal data, or you wish your parents to do so on your behalf, then please contact the relevant organisation in writing:

—    the school Data Protection Officer Ms J Connor, Plumstead Manor School, Old Mill Road SE18 1QF;

1. the LEA’s Data Protection Officer (Graeme James, Corporate Information Security Compliance Officer) at Room 203, 29-37, Wellington Street,  SE18 6PW;

 

      —    the QCA’s Data Protection Officer at QCA, 83 Piccadilly, London, W1J 8QA;

—    Ofsted’s Data Protection Officer at Alexandra House, 33 Kingsway,  WC2B 6SE;

—    LSC’s Data Protection Officer at Cheylesmore House, Quinton Road, Coventry, Warwickshire CV1 2WT;
        
 —   the DCSF’s Data Protection Officer at DfES, Caxton House, Tothill Street,
           London, SW1H 9NA.

In order to fulfil their responsibilities under the Act the organisation may, before responding to this request, seek proof of the requestor’s identity and any further information required to locate the information requested.
           
Separately from the Data Protection Act, regulations provide a pupil’s parent (regardless of the age of the pupil) with the right to view, or to have a copy of, their child’s educational record at the school. If you wish to exercise this right you should write to the school.

 

Opting out

If as a parent, or as a pupil aged 16 or over, you do not want Connexions to receive from us information beyond your name and address, then, please contact the school within two weeks of receiving this letter.

If your child is aged 16 or over, it is particularly important that you share this note as they have the right to ask for information beyond name and address not to be passed to Connexions, rather than the parent.

If you wish to opt out of sharing your data with other users through your Unique Learner Number (ULN), then please contact the school within two weeks of receiving this letter.  If you wish to opt out at any other time after this by calling the MIAP Help Desk (see www.miap.gov.uk for details)
 
If you wish to see the full Fair Processing Notice, please contact the admin office at Plumstead Manor School.