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Privacy notice for parents/carers– use of your child’s personal data

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 students.

We, Catcote Futures, Learning and Skills Centre, Warren Road, Hartlepool, TS24 0RG, are the ‘data controller’ for the purposes of data protection law.

Our data protection officer (Veritau Ltd) can be contacted on 01609 532526.

 

The personal data we hold

Personal data that we may collect, use, store and share (when appropriate) about students includes, but is not restricted to:

  • Contact details, contact preferences, date of birth, identification documents
  • Results of internal assessments and externally set tests
  • Student and curricular records
  • Characteristics, such as ethnic background, eligibility for free school meals, or special educational needs
  • Exclusion information
  • Details of any medical conditions, including physical and mental health
  • Attendance information
  • Vulnerable Adult information
  • Details of any support received, including care packages, plans and support providers
  • Photographs
  • CCTV images captured in school

We may also hold data about students that we have received from other organisations, including other schools/colleges, local authorities and the Department for Education.

 

Why we use this data

We use this data to:

  • Support student learning
  • Monitor and report on student progress
  • Provide appropriate pastoral care
  • Protect student welfare
  • Provide appropriate health care
  • Assess the quality of our services
  • Administer admissions waiting lists
  • Carry out research
  • Comply with the law regarding data sharing
  • Monitor equal opportunities

 

Our legal basis for using this data.

We only collect and use students’ personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we process it where:

  • We need to comply with the law
  • We need to use it to carry out a task in the public interest (in order to provide the student with an education)

Sometimes, we may also process students’ personal information in situations where:

  • You or your child have provided with permission to use it in a certain way
  • We need to protect the individual’s vital interests (or someone else’s interest)
  • We need to fulfil a contract we have entered into with you or your child

Where we have obtained consent to use students’ personal data, this consent can be withdrawn at any time. 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 students’ 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 students 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

We keep personal information about students while they are attending our college. We may also keep it beyond their attendance at our college if this is necessary in order to comply with our legal obligations. Ourdata retention and disposalpolicy sets out how long we must keep information about students.

If you wish to see a copy of this policy please contact the Data Protection Officer on the telephone number provided.

 

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 data protection law) we may share personal information about students with:

  • Our local authority – to meet our legal duties to share certain information with it, such as concerns about students’ safety
  • The Department for Education (a government department)
  • The Education and Skills Funding Agency (a government department)
  • Your family and representatives to provide information regarding the student’s education and wellbeing
  • Educators and examining bodies to facilitate achievement and progression
  • Our regulator – Ofsted (the organisation or “watchdog” that supervises us)
  • Suppliers and service providers – so that they can provide the services we have contracted them for
  • Financial organisations in order to access support funding
  • Our auditors – in order to comply with requirements to provide audited financial statements and ensure adherence to our finance policy
  • Management Information Systems for the storage and processing of data
  • Health authorities and school nurse regarding student’s health and immunisation
  • Health and social welfare organisations in order to maintain your child’s EHC plan, Continuing Care (CHC) Health Commissioner, NHS regarding your child’s CHC plan
  • Police forces, courts, tribunals as required by law, eg in the event of an investigation

 

 

We are required to provide information about you to the Department for Education and Education and Skills Funding Agency so that they understand who our students are, their attendance and the progress they are making.

These government departments may share information from the database with other organisations which promote students’ education or wellbeing in England. These organisations must agree to strict terms and conditions about how they will use your data.

You can find more information about this on the Department for Education’s webpage on how it collects and shares research data.

You can also contact the Department for Educationif you have any questions about the database.

 

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 students’ rights regarding personal data

Individuals have a right to make a ‘subject access request’to gain access to personal information that the college holds about them.

Parents/carers can make a request with respect to their student’s data where the student is not considered mature enough to understand their rights over their own data (usually under the age of 12), or where the student has provided consent.  However, there is no automatic parental right of access to the educational record of the student.

If you make a subject access request, and if we do hold information about you or your child, we will:

  • Give you a description of it
  • Tell you why we are holding and processing it, and how long we will keep it for
  • Explain where we got it from, if not from you or your child
  • Tell you who it has been, or will be, shared with
  • Let you know whether any automated decision-making is being applied to the data, and any consequences of this
  • Give you a copy of the information in an intelligible form

Individuals also have the right for their personal information to be transmitted electronically to another organisation in certain circumstances.

If you would like to make a request please contact our data protection officer.

Other rights

Under data protection law, individuals have certain rights regarding how their personal data is used and kept safe, including the right to:

  • Object to the use of personal data if it would cause, or is causing, damage or distress
  • Prevent it being used to send direct marketing
  • Object to decisions being taken by automated means (by a computer or machine, rather than by a person)
  • In certain circumstances, have inaccurate personal data corrected, deleted or destroyed, or restrict processing
  • Claim compensation for damages caused by a breach of the data protection regulations

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our data protection officer.

 

Complaints

We take any 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 us in the first instance.

To make a complaint, please contact our data protection officer.

Alternatively, you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office:

  • Report a concern online at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/
  • Call 0303 123 1113
  • Or write to: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

 

Contact us

If you have any questions, concerns or would like more information about anything mentioned in this privacy notice, please contact our data protection officer:

  • In writing to Veritau Ltd, County Hall, Northallerton, DL7 8AL
  • Or by telephone on 01609 532526
  • Or email schoolsDPO@veritau.co.uk