Privacy notice (How we use student information)

Schools hold and process a variety of information about their students which is necessary to support their learning. We, King Edward VII School, are a data controller of the personal information you provide us. This means the School determines the purposes for which, and the manner in which, any personal data relating to students and their families is to be processed. Personal data means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified. It does not include data where the identity has been removed or made anonymous.

The categories of student information that we collect, hold and share include:

• Personal information (such as name, unique pupil number and address)
• Characteristics (such as ethnicity, language and free school meal eligibility)
• Attendance information (such as sessions attended, number of absences and absence reasons)
• Special educational needs information
• Any relevant medical information
• Exclusions and behavioural information
• Assessment information
• Post 16 learning information

Why we collect and use this information

We use the student data:

• to support student learning
• to monitor and report on student progress
• to provide appropriate pastoral care, including safegaurding
• to assess the quality of our services
• to comply with the law regarding data sharing

The lawful basis on which we use this information

We collect and process information necessary for us to perform tasks in the public interest. This is in accordance with regulations set out in the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK law, including those in relation to the following: 

• Article 6 and Article 9 of the GDPR
• Education Act 1996
• Section 3 of The Education (Information About Individual Pupils) (England) Regulations 2013

An example of this is collecting information for the statutory School censuses, set out in the Education Act 1996.

Collecting student information

We collect information from you and may receive information about you from your previous school, the Local Authority and/or the Department for Education. From time to time, schools are also required by law to pass on some of this information to other educational and healthcare organisations.

Whilst the majority of student information you provide to us is mandatory, some of it is provided to us on a voluntary basis. In order to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation, we will inform you whether you are required to provide certain student information to us or if you have a choice in this.

Storing student data

The School does not store personal data indefinitely. We hold student data for no longer than is necessary to complete the task for which it was orginally collected, and in line with the School’s policies. We retain student data for a period of 25 years after the students’ date of birth.

Who we share student information with

We routinely share student information with:

• schools that students attend after leaving us
• our Local Authority
• the Department for Education (DfE)

In some cases student data will be outsourced to a third party processor. This may also be necessary in order to carry out tasks in the public interest, or for our legitmate interests, e.g. third parties acting on behalf of the Department for Education. In these instances any access to or use by third parties of student information provided by you will only be to perform functions on our behalf and may not be used for any other purpose. Sharing of any student data will always be kept to the absolute minimum required. Every effort has been made by the School to make sure that this data remains protected and that all third parties involved are GDPR compliant. A list of third parties used by the School, and in what capacity, can be requested from the School’s Data Protection Officer at dpo@kes.sheffield.sch.uk

Why we share student information

We do not share information about our students with anyone without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.

We share students’ data with the Department for Education (DfE) on a statutory basis. This data sharing underpins School funding and educational attainment policy and monitoring. We are required to share information about our students with our Local Authority (LA) and the Department for Education (DfE) under section 3 of The Education (Information About Individual Pupils) (England) Regulations 2013.

Data collection requirements:

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 https://www.gov.uk/education/datacollection-and-censuses-for-schools.

Youth support services

Students aged 13+

Once our students reach the age of 13, we also pass student information to our Local Authority and/or provider of youth support services as they have responsibilities in relation to the education or training of 13-19 year olds under section 507B of the Education Act 1996. This enables them to provide services as follows:

• youth support services
• careers advisers

A parent or guardian can request that only their child’s name, address and date of birth is passed to their Local Authority or provider of youth support services by informing us. This right is transferred to the child/student once he/she reaches the age 16.

Students aged 16+

We will also share certain information about students aged 16+ with our Local Authority and / or provider of youth support services as they have responsibilities in relation to the education or training of 13-19 year olds under section 507B of the Education Act 1996.

This enables them to provide services as follows:

• post-16 education and training providers
• youth support services
• careers advisers

For more information about services for young people, please visit our Local Authority website - https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/home

The National Pupil Database (NPD)

The NPD is owned and managed by the Department for Education and contains information about students 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.

We are required by law to provide information about our students 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 law that allows this is the Education (Information About Individual Pupils) (England) Regulations 2013.

To find out more about the NPD, go to https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationalpupil-database-user-guide-and-supporting-information.

The Department may share information about our students from the NPD with third parties who promote the education or well-being of children in England by:

• conducting research or analysis
• producing statistics
• providing information, advice or guidance

The Department has robust processes in place to ensure the confidentiality of our data is maintained and there are stringent controls in place regarding access and use of the data. Decisions on whether DfE releases data to third parties are subject to a strict approval process and based on a detailed assessment of:

• who is requesting the data
• the purpose for which it is required
• the level and sensitivity of data requested: and
• the arrangements in place to store and handle the data

To be granted access to student information, organisations must comply with strict terms and conditions covering the confidentiality and handling of the data, security arrangements and retention and use of the data.

For more information about the Department’s data sharing process, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/data-protection-how-we-collect-and-share-research-data For information about which organisations the department has provided student information, (and for which project), please visit the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pupil-database-requests-received

To contact DfE: https://www.gov.uk/contact-dfe

Requesting access to your personal data

Under data protection legislation, parents and students 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, contact the School’s Data Protection Officer at dpo@kes.sheffield.sch.uk

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
• claim compensation for damages caused by a breach of the Data Protection regulations

If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, we request that you raise your concern with us in the first instance. Alternatively, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/

Contact

If you would like to discuss anything in this privacy notice, please contact the School’s Data Protection Officer at dpo@kes.sheffield.sch.uk

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