Privacy Notice for Parents and Carers

This privacy notice explains how we collect, store and use personal data about pupils. We, Durham Blue Coat C.E Aided Junior School, are the ‘data controller’ for the purposes of data protection law.

Our data protection officer is Mrs L Grieve, Head Teacher

Who we are and what we do:

We are Durham Blue Coat C.E Aided Junior School, Langley Road, Durham, DH1 5LP. We are an aided junior school for children ages 7 – 11 years old. Our local authority is Durham County Council.

The personal data we collect and hold:

We hold personal data about pupils, their parents or carers to support teaching and learning, to provide pastoral care and to assess how the school is performing. We may also receive data about pupils from other organisations including, but not limited to, other schools, local authorities, health care providers and the Department for Education.

Personal data that we may collect, use, store and share (when appropriate) about parents and pupils includes, but is not restricted to:    

• Contact details, contact preferences, date of birth, identification documents, National Insurance number.
• Results of internal assessments and externally set tests
• Pupil and curricular records
• Characteristics, such as ethnic background, eligibility for free school meals, or special educational needs
• Exclusion information
• Details of any medical conditions, including physical and mental health
• Attendance information
• Safeguarding information
• Details of any support received, including care packages, plans and support providers
• Photographs

Why we use this data:

We use this data to:-

• Support pupil learning
• Monitor and report on pupil progress
• Provide appropriate pastoral care
• Protect pupil welfare
• Assess the quality of our services (including monitoring staff performance)
• Administer admissions waiting lists
• Carry out research
• Comply with the law regarding data sharing
• Identify pupil eligibility for Free School Meals and Pupil Premium funding

Our legal basis for using this data:

We collect and use personal data on the basis of performing a public task (educating children).

On some occasions we may ask for consent to process data when its use is optional.  On those occasions consent can be withdrawn at any time. We will make this clear when we ask for consent, and explain how consent can be withdrawn.

Collecting this information:

We collect / obtain data from pupils, parents, carers, teachers and other professionals where relevant (e.g. G.P, hospital, social workers etc.)

How we store this data:

We keep personal information about pupils, and their parents/guardians while they are attending our school. We may also keep it beyond their attendance at our school if this is necessary in order to comply with our legal obligations. We will only retain the data we collect for as long as is necessary.  This would be to satisfy the purpose for which it has been collected in accordance with our data retention policy. Please contact us if you would like further details on this policy.

The security of data and information is important to us. This is why we follow a range of security policies and procedures to control and safeguard access to and use of your personal information. This includes both physical and technical security and integrity of all data.

Data sharing:

We do not share any of this data with any other organisation without your permission, except where the law requires it. We are required to provide pupil data to central government through the Department for Education and the Education Funding Agency.  Where it is necessary to protect a child, the school will also share data with the Local Authority Children’s Social Services, medical professional and/or the Police.

We will share information with the local authority to check eligibility for free school meals.

Parents and pupils’ rights regarding personal data:

Individuals have a right to make a ‘subject access request’ to gain access to personal information that the school holds about them.  This includes access to their child’s educational record. This should be made in writing or by e-mail to bluecoat@durhamlearning.net. The school will respond within a 15 school days timescale.

Parents/Carers can make a request with respect to their child’s data where the child is not considered mature enough to understand their rights over their own data (usually under the age of 16), or where the child has provided consent.

Parents also have the right to make a subject access request with respect to any personal data the school holds about them.

If you make a subject access request, we will:-

• Give you a copy of the information in an intelligible form
• Give you a description of the data we hold
• Tell you why we are holding and processing it, and how long we will keep it for
• Explain where we got it from, if not from you or your child
• Tell you who it has been, or will be, shared with
• Let you know whether any automated decision-making is being applied to the data, and any consequences of this

Individuals also have the right for their personal information to be transmitted electronically to another organisation in certain circumstances. 

If we can not provide information to you, we will give you a description of the information we hold and the reason why it can not be disclosed to you at the time of your request.

Other rights:

Individuals have rights regarding how their personal data is used and kept safe, including the right to:

• Object to the use of personal data if it would cause, or is causing, damage or distress
• Prevent it being used to send direct marketing
• Object to decisions being taken by automated means (by a computer or machine, rather than by a person)
• In certain circumstances, have inaccurate personal data corrected, deleted or destroyed, or restrict processing
• Claim compensation for damages caused by a breach of the data protection regulations

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our data protection officer.

Complaints:

We take any complaints about our collection and use of personal information very seriously.

If you think that our collection or use of personal information is unfair, misleading or inappropriate, or have any other concern about our data processing, please raise this with us in the first instance.

To make a complaint, please contact our data protection officer.

Alternatively, you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office:

• Report a concern online at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/
• Call 0303 123 1113
• Or write to: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

Contact us

If you have any questions, concerns or would like more information about anything mentioned in this privacy notice, please contact our data protection officer:-

Name  Mrs L Grieve

Data Protection Officer

Durham Blue Coat C.E Aided Junior School

Newton Hall

Durham

County Durham

DH1 5LP

Tel: 0191 3865975