Privacy Notice
- Who collects and processes your information?
Viewley Hill Academy is the data controller of the personal information you provide to us. This means the school determines the purposes for which, and the manner in which, any personal data relating to pupils and their families is to be processed.
In some cases, your data will be outsourced to a third party processor; however, this will only be done with your consent, unless the law requires the school to share your data. Where the school outsources data to a third party processor, the same data protection standards that Viewley Hill Academy upholds are imposed on the processor.
Ms P Bowler, Community Governor, is the Data Protection Officer for Viewley Hill Academy. Their role is to oversee and monitor the school’s data protection procedures, and to ensure they are compliant with the UK-GDPR. The Data Protection Officer can be contacted via school on 01642 591 053.
- What types of information do we collect and process?
- personal identifiers and contacts (such as name, national insurance number, unique pupil number, contact details and address)
- characteristics (such as ethnicity, language, and free school meal eligibility)
- safeguarding information (such as court orders and professional involvement)
- special educational needs (including the needs and ranking)
- medical and administration (such as doctors information, child health, dental health, allergies, medication and dietary requirements)
- attendance (such as sessions attended, number of absences, absence reasons and any previous schools attended)
- assessment and attainment (such as Early Years, Phonics and National Curriculum assessment results)
- behavioural information (such as exclusions and any relevant alternative provision put in place)
This list is not exhaustive.
- Why do we collect and use pupil information?
Viewley Hill Academy holds the legal right to collect and use personal data relating to pupils and their families, and we may also receive information regarding them from their previous school, LA and/or the DfE. We collect and use personal data in order to meet legal requirements and legitimate interests set out in the UK-GDPR and UK law, including those in relation to the following:
- Article 6 and Article 9 of the GDPR
- Education Act 1996
- Regulation 5 of The Education (Information About Individual Pupils) (England) Regulations 2013
In accordance with the above, the personal data of pupils and their families is collected and used for the following reasons:
- to support pupil learning
- to monitor and report on pupil attainment progress
- to provide appropriate pastoral care
- to assess the quality of our services
- to keep children safe (food allergies, or emergency contact details)
- to meet the statutory duties placed upon us for DfE data collections
- How do we collect pupil information?
We collect pupil information in a variety of ways. The most systematic methods are via:
- pupil booklets when a child starts the school
- annually updated registration and permission forms
- Common Transfer Files (CTF) or secure transfers from a previous school
Pupil data is essential for the schools’ operational use. Whilst the majority of pupil information you provide to us is mandatory, some of it requested on a voluntary basis. In order to comply with the data protection legislation, we will inform you at the point of collection, whether you are required to provide certain pupil information to us or if you have a choice in this.
- How long do we store data?
Personal data relating to pupils at Viewley Hill Academy and their families is stored in line with the school’s Data Retention Document which can be viewed on request at the school.
In accordance with the UK-GDPR, the school does not store personal data indefinitely; data is only stored for as long as is necessary to complete the task for which it was originally collected.
- Who do we share pupil information with?
We routinely share pupil information with:
- schools that the pupils attend after leaving us
- our local authority
- the Department for Education (DfE)
- the National Health Service
The school is required to share pupils’ data with the DfE on a statutory basis.
The National Pupil Database (NPD) is managed by the DfE and contains information about pupils in schools in England. Viewley Hill Academy is required by law to provide information about our pupils to the DfE as part of statutory data collections, such as the school census; some of this information is then stored in the NPD.
The DfE may share information about our pupils from the NDP with third parties who promote the education or wellbeing of children in England by:
- Conducting research or analysis
- Producing statistics
- Providing information, advice or guidance
The DfE has robust processes in place to ensure the confidentiality of any data shared from the NDP is maintained. Viewley Hill Academy will not share your personal information with any third parties without your consent, unless the law allows us to do so.
7. Can you request access to your data?
Under data protection legislation, parents and pupils 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, please contact the school office on 01642 591 053 for information about making a Subject Access Request (SAR).
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; and
- a right to seek redress, either through the ICO, or through the courts
If you have a concern or complaint about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, you should raise your concern with us in the first instance or directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office:
- 0303 123 1113, Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
- Information Commissioner’s Office
- How does the DfE collect your data?
The Department for Education (DfE) collects personal data from educational settings and local authorities via various statutory data collections. We are required to share information about our pupils with the Department for Education (DfE) either directly or via our local authority for the purpose of those data collections, under:
- Regulation 5 of The Education (Information About Individual Pupils) (England) Regulations 2013.
All data is transferred securely and held by DfE under a combination of software and hardware controls, which meet the current government security policy framework.
9. How does the DfE use your data?
The pupil data that we lawfully share with the DfE through data collections is used to:
- underpin school funding, which is calculated based upon the numbers of children and their characteristics in each school.
- inform ‘short term’ education policy monitoring and school accountability and intervention (for example, school GCSE results or Pupil Progress measures).
- Support ‘longer term’ research and monitoring of educational policy (for example how certain subject choices go on to affect education or earnings beyond school)
10. What requirements does the DfE place on schools for data collection?
To find out more about the data collection requirements placed on us by the Department for Education (for example; via the school census) go to: Censuses for schools
11. What is the National Pupil Database (NPD)?
Much of the data about pupils in England goes on to be held in the National Pupil Database (NPD).
The NPD is owned and managed by the Department for Education and contains information about pupils in schools in 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.
To find out more about the NPD, go to National pupil database user guide and supporting information
- Who does the DfE share data with?
The law allows the Department to share pupils’ personal data with certain third parties, including:
- schools
- local authorities
- researchers
- organisations connected with promoting the education or well-being of children in England
- other government departments and agencies
- organisations fighting or identifying crime
For more information about the Department’s NPD data sharing process, please visit:
How we collect and share research data
To contact DfE: Contact DfE
