Privacy notice
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Formerly known as Fair Processing Notices (FPN)
Background Information
Schools, Local Authorities (LA), the Department for Education (DfE) and other educational bodies that process personal data about pupils and staff are required by the Data Protection Act to issue a Privacy Notice to all parents/pupils and staff to inform them of the purposes for which that personal data may be held and used.
Privacy Notices must be issued to new pupils and staff by the school or LA but this can be done at the same time as other communications that they issue. For example:
- A pupil might receive the Privacy Notice as part of a school brochure or induction pack, or in a school diary, and/or it could be posted on the school notice board.
- For staff, the Privacy Notice might be included as part of a contract, induction pack, and/or posted on the staff notice board.
- A child receiving Social Care Services or a child looked after might receive their Privacy Notice as part of other information about the services that they are being offered.
It is no longer necessary to reissue Privacy Notices to pupils or staff who have received previous versions.
It is anticipated that staff, and young people who have the maturity to understand the nature and the implications of the request they are making and who have a general understanding of their rights under the Data Protection Act, should generally be able to request to see their personal information themselves under the Subject Access Provisions (S.7) of the Data Protection Act. For children under 12, their parents will generally act on their behalf. In every case, it will be for the school, as data controller, to assess whether the child is capable of understanding their rights under the Act, and the implications of their actions and so decide whether the parent needs to make the request on the child's behalf.
The Privacy Notice refers the recipient to both their Local Authority's website and to the Department for Education's website to see how they will store and use the data, as well as details of any organisations with whom the data will be shared. Further details can be found below.
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How the Local Authority uses information
The Local Authority (LA) uses information about children for whom it provides services, to enable it to carry out specific functions for which it is responsible, such as the assessment of any special educational needs the child may have. 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 children cannot be identified from them.
The Local Authority will use information about its school workforce for research and statistical purposes, and to evaluate and develop education policy and strategies. The statistics are used in such a way that individual staff cannot be identified from them. The LA may also use it to support and monitor schools regarding sickness and recruitment of staff.
Primary Care Trusts (PCT) use information about pupils for research and statistical purposes, to monitor the performance of local health services and to evaluate and develop them. The statistics are used in such a way that individual pupils cannot be identified from them. Information on the height and weight of individual pupils may however be provided to the child and its parents and this will require the PCTs to maintain details of pupils’ names for this purpose for a period designated by the Department of Health following the weighing and measuring process. PCTs may also provide individual schools and LAs with aggregate information on pupils’ height and weight.
Youth Support Services - For pupils of 13 years and over, the school is legally required to pass on certain information to the provider of youth support services in their area. This is the local authority support service for young people aged 13 to 19 in England - in Buckinghamshire this youth support service is provided by Connexions Buckinghamshire. The school must provide the name and address of the pupil and parent, and any further information relevant to the support services' role. In addition, the date of birth of the pupil is supplied.
Until pupils are aged 16 or older, their parent(s) can ask that no information beyond their children's name, address and date of birth (and their own name and address) be passed on to the youth support services provider. Pupils and/or parents will need to inform the school is this is what they wish. This right transfer to the pupil on their 16th birthday.
If a young person lives out of County but attends a Buckinghamshire school. Connexions Buckinghamshire may pass this information on to their home Local Authority.
Online information, advice and support on a range of issues affecting young people can be found on the Directgov Young People page at www.direct.gov.uk/en/YoungPeople/index.htm with access to trained helpline advisers, via SMS text message, telephone, webchat and email.
Alternatively for services in Buckinghamshire please go to http://www.connexionsbucks.org.uk
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What the DfE does with pupil’s and children’s data
If you require more information about how the DfE store and use pupil’s and children’s information, go the following website:
What the DfE does with school workforce data
If you require more information on how the DfE store and use school workforce information go to the following website:
Who does the DfE pass pupil data to
If you require more information about the third party organisations that the DfE shares pupil data with go to the following website:
If you can't access the website, please contact the DfE as follows:
Public Communications Unit
Department for Education
Sanctuary Buildings
Great Smith Street
London
SW1P 3BT
Website: www.education.gov.uk
email: info@education.gsi.gov.uk
Telephone: 0870 000 2288
For more information call 01296 382244 or email ppit1@buckscc.gov.uk
