Data Protection Fair Processing Notice for
Sandwell Primary School:
Data Protection Act 1998 Schools, Local Education Authorities and the Department
for Education and Skills (the government department which
deals with education) all hold information on pupils in
order to run the education system, and in doing so have
to follow the Data Protection Act 1998. This means, among
other things, that the data held about pupils must only
be used for specific purposes allowed by law. We are therefore
writing to tell you about the types of data held, why that
data is held, and to whom it may be passed on.
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 a whole 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 we are required to pass on some of this
data to the Local Education Authority (LEA), to another
school to which the pupil is transferring, to the Department
for Education and Skills (DfES) and to the Qualifications
and Curriculum Authority (QCA) which is responsible for
the National Curriculum and associated assessment arrangements.
The Local Education 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, Admissions and Transfers and Education
Benefits. 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 LEA and schools may also share data with Sandwell
Child Health Service and other social health/welfare services. 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 DfES 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. The Department for Education and Skills 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. The DfES will feed back to LEAs and schools
information about their pupils where they are lacking this
information because it was not passed on by a former school.
On occasion information may be shared with other Government
departments or agencies strictly for statistical or research
purposes only. Pupils, as data subjects, have certain rights under the
Data Protection Act, including a general right of access
to personal data held on them, with parents exercising
this right on their behalf if they are too young to do
so themselves. If you wish to access the personal data
held about your child, then please contact the relevant
organisation in writing:
- The school at (enter details)
- The LEA’s Data Protection Officer at Education
and Lifelong Learning, Shaftesbury House, 402 High Street,
West Bromwich.
- The QCA’s Data Protection Officer at QCA, 83
Piccadilly, London, W1J 8QA.
- The DfES’s Data Protection Officer at DfES, Caxton
House, Tothill Street, London, SW1H 9NA.
Please note that all rights under the Data Protection
Act, to do with information about your child, rest with them
as soon as they are old enough to understand these rights.
This will vary from one child to another and you will wish
to consider the position for your child, but, as a broad
guide, it is reckoned that most children will have a sufficient
understanding by the age of 12.
Separately from the Data Protection Act, DfES 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. See also: |
