Categories of information
The categories of pupil information that we collect, hold and share include:
- Personal information (such as name, unique pupil number and address)
- Characteristics (such as ethnicity, language, nationality, country of birth and free school meal eligibility)
- Attendance information (such as sessions attended, number of absences and absence reasons)
- Assessment information generated from teacher assessments and standardized tests
- Relevant medical information, as provided to school by Parents/Carers/ carers
- Information as to a child’s special educational needs and/or disability; as applicable
- Information regarding any pupil exclusion (temporary and/ or permanent)
- Behaviour information (record of any significant incident, nature of involvement and outcomes)
- Information with regards to any safeguarding matters; including referrals to Children’s Services (via Careline), CLA designation etc.
Why we collect and use this information
Section 537A of the Education Act 1996 requires schools to collect and provide any such individual pupil information as may be prescribed. This includes sharing a set of named pupil records through the submission of termly school census returns to the Local Authority and DfE.
We use the pupil data:
- to support pupil learning
- to monitor and report on pupil progress
- to provide appropriate pastoral care
- to assess the quality of our services
- to comply with the law regarding data sharing
- to support pupil well-being
The lawful basis on which we use this information
We collect and use pupil information under Article 6, Section 1 (sub-sections a, b, c, d, e & f) for “general purposes” and Article 9, Section 2 (sub-section h & i) and Section 3 where data processed is “special category data” from the EU – GDPR. (Effective date 25th May, 2018)
We also collect and share individual pupil information with the Local Authority – including attendance and exclusions data, each week. This is supported under The Education (Pupil Registration) England Regulations 2006 Regulation 12; Children’s Act 2004 Section 10: co-operation to improve well-being; Children’s Act 2004 Section 11: arrangement to safeguard and promote welfare; Education and Inspections Act 2006 Section 38 and Working Together to Safeguard Children March 2013 Guidance.
Collecting pupil information
Whilst the majority of pupil 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 pupil information to us or if you have a choice in this.
Storing pupil data
Once a child has left our school the information is passed onto the new school; either as a hard (paper) and/or electronic version.
Who we share pupil information with
We routinely share pupil information with:
- schools that the pupil’s attend after leaving us
- our local authority
- the Department for Education (DfE)
- School Health services and NHS
- Careline – Social Services
- Police and other emergency services
Why we share pupil information
We do not share information about our children with anyone without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.
We share children’ 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 children with our local authority (LA) and the Department for Education (DfE) under section 3 of The Education (“Information About Individual children”) (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/data-collection-and-censuses-for-schools.
The National Pupil Database (NPD)
The NPD is owned and managed by the Department for Education and contains information about children 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 children to the DfE as part of statutory data collections such as the school census and early years’ census. Some of this information is then stored in the NPD. The law that allows this is the Education (Information About Individual children) (England) Regulations 2013.
To find out more about the NPD, go to https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pupil-database-user-guide-and-supporting-information.
The department may share information about our children 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 pupil 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 pupil 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/Carers and children 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 Data Protection Officer (details included in Contacts section)
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
St Finbar’s Catholic Primary School has entered into an annual SLA (Service Level Agreement) with the Local Authority to provide DPO (Data Protection Officer) services.
The school has a named DPLO (Data Protection Link Officer)
| Role and body | Name | Telephone | |
| DPO Local Authority | Michael Jones | – | dpo@liverpool.gov.uk |
| DPLO School | Diane Welch | 0151 727 3963 | Finbars-ao@st-finbars.liverpool.sch.uk |
Review
This privacy notice will be reviewed every year.
Reviewing body: Full Governing Body
Next review date: March 2024