PRIVACY NOTICE 2010/2011

Every school, education provider and early years setting in Cambridgeshire processes personal data about its pupils.  This data may only be used or passed on for specific purposes allowed by the law.

The purpose of a Fair Processing Notice / Privacy Notice is to inform pupils and parents about this information. The notices shows what information is held, why it is held, and the third parties to whom it may be passed.

The Information Commissioner has recommended that the term 'Fair Processing Notice' be replaced by 'Privacy Notice' (PN). The DCSF is therefore adopting this approach in its data collections from now on, and has reviewed the whole process of issuing Privacy Notices.

In the past, the suggested text has included the use of school information made available by the LA or the DCSF. However, the new process will mean much simpler Privacy Notices, where details of any organisations with which the LA and DCSF share data are contained on the LA and DCSF websites, with links from the Privacy Notices. This means that Privacy Notices do not need reissuing on an annual basis. The aim is to make the Privacy Notices issued to children and staff general and constant. Any changes to the details of organisations with which school or LA data is shared can be updated on the LA and DCSF websites.

The new approach is that a single, short and easily understandable Privacy Notice can be provided to pupils and staff by the school or LA 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 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 posted on the staff notice board, etc.
• 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 anticipated that staff, and young people over the age of 12 with the maturity to make their own decisions, 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 young people under 12, their parents will act on their behalf. In any event, it will be for the school, as data controller, to assess whether the child is capable of understanding the personal information in question, and so decide whether the parent needs to make the request on the child's behalf.

You can locate a copy of the Privacy Notice on this page or through your school’s website. You can access your school’s website via the links below:

Nursery Schools

http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/education/schools/websites/School+Websites+-+Nursery+Schools.htm

Primary Schools

http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/education/schools/websites/School+Websites+-+Primary+Schools.htm

Secondary Schools

http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/education/schools/websites/School+Websites+-+Secondary+Schools.htm

Special Schools

http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/education/schools/websites/School+Websites+-+Special+Schools.htm

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 LA is also required to maintain the accuracy of the information held on ContactPoint about children and young people in their area.

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 indentified 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.

Connexions Services  For pupils of 13 years and over, the school is legally required to pass on certain information to Connexions services providers on request.  Connexions is the government's information and advice service for all young people aged 13 to 19 in England (website:  http://www.connexions-direct.com/ ).  This information includes the name and address of the pupil and parent, and any further information relevant to the Connexions services’ role. 

However parents, or the pupils themselves if aged 16 or over, can ask that no information beyond name and address (for pupil and parent) be passed on to Connexions.  If as a parent, or as a pupil aged 16 or over, you wish to opt-out and do not want Connexions to receive from the school information beyond name, address and date of birth then please contact the school.

For further information on how the DCSF uses the information, please visit the Teachernet website via the link below:

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/ims/datamanagement/privacynotices/

If you have any queries relating to the production and distribution of the Privacy Notices please contact the OneVision Team on 01480 355977. If you have any queries relating to Data Protection please contact the Data Protection Officer on 01223 699137.

To download an electronic copy of any of the 2010/2011 Privacy Notices, please click on the link below:

Privacy Notice - Pupils(pdf)

Privacy Notice - Pupils (word doc.)

Privacy Notice - Early Years (pdf)

Privacy Notice - Early Years (word.doc.)

Privacy Notice - Children in Need or Looked After (LAC)(pdf)

Privacy Notice - Children in Need or Looked After (LAC)  (word doc)

Privacy Notice - Alternative Provisions(pdf)

Privacy Notice - Alternative Provisions (word doc.)

Privacy Notice - School Workforce (word doc.)