Berkswich Primary and Nursery Privacy Notice

for pupils and their families/carers

Under data protection law, individuals have a right to be informed about how the school uses any personal data that we hold about them. We comply with this right by providing 'privacy notices' (sometimes called 'fair processing notices') to individuals where we are processing their personal data.

Privacy notice – how the school uses pupil information

What categories of information are processed?

The categories of personal information that we process include the following:

• Personal identifiers and contacts – e.g. name, unique pupil number, contact details and address
• Characteristics – e.g. ethnicity, language and eligibility for free school meals
• Safeguarding information – e.g. court orders and professional involvement
• Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) information – e.g. any needs you have
• Medical and administration – e.g. doctors’ information, your health, allergies, medication and dietary requirements
• Attendance – e.g. sessions attended, number of absences, reasons for absences and any previous schools you have attended
• Assessment and attainment – e.g. any relevant test and exam results
• Behavioural information – e.g. suspensions and any relevant alternative provision put in place

This list is not exhaustive – to access the current list of information the school processes, please see the school’s Data Asset Register which can be found in the school office.

Why do we collect and use your information?

We will only collect your information when we have a good reason to do so in line with the law – this is known as having a lawful basis to use data.

We collect and use your information for the following reasons:

• To support pupil learning
• To monitor and report on pupil attainment and progress
• To provide appropriate pastoral care
• To assess the quality of our services
• To keep pupils safe
• To meet legal duties placed on us by the government

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the lawful basis/bases we rely on for processing pupil information are:

• Article 6 of the UK GDPR (i.e. for the purpose of consent, contract, legal obligation, vital interests, public task and legitimate interests)
• Article 9 where the data processed is ‘special category’ data (this is data which requires a greater level of protection, such as information about health).
• in line with the statutory requirements for schools contained in the government document, Keeping Children Safe in Education
• For the purpose of supporting pupil learning, in accordance with the legal basis of legal obligation, paragraph 2 (g) of Article 9 and Section 537A of the Education Act 1996.

How do we collect your information?

We collect your personal information via the following methods:

• Registration forms
• Nursery Privacy Notice (not applicable for parents with children in Reception to Year Six)
• Common Transfer File (CTF) from your previous school
• Child protection plans/Safeguarding referral forms

Pupil data is essential for the school’s operational use. Whilst the majority of information you provide to us is mandatory, some of it is requested on a voluntary basis. In order to comply with data protection legislation, we will inform you at the point of collection whether you are required to provide certain information to us or if you have a choice.

How do we store your information?

We hold your personal information securely for the set amount of time shown in the school’s Records Management Policy, which can be found on the school’s website www.berkswichceprimar.co.uk .

For more information about how we keep your information safe, please see the school’s Data Protection Policy and Data and Cyber-security Breach Prevention and Management Plan.

Who do we share your information with and why?

We routinely share your information with:

• The Local Authority (LA)
• The Department for Education (DfE)
• Schools that you go to after leaving us
• NHS (class lists for checking that no-one has been omitted when checking parental permission slips for vaccinations and height/weight checks. These never override parental choice for participation.
• Third-parties, e.g. sharing name and age with competition entries (using parental/carer permission forms to share such data)

We do not share information about you with anyone without your consent, unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.

Department for Education (DfE)

The DfE collects personal information from us through various collections the school is required to undertake legally. We are required to share information about pupils with the DfE either directly or via our LA for the purpose of those data collections, under:

• Section 3 of The Education (Information About Individual Pupils, England) Regulations 2013

All information we share with the DfE is transferred securely and held by the DfE under a combination of software and hardware controls which meet the current government security policy framework (click on link for more information).

How does the government use your data?

The pupil data that we lawfully share with the DfE through data collections:

• Underpins school funding, which is calculated based upon numbers of pupils and their characteristics in each school.
• Informs ‘short-term’ education policy monitoring and school accountability and intervention.
• Supports ‘longer-term’ research and monitoring of educational policy, (e.g. how certain subject choices go on to affect education or earnings beyond school).

To find out more about the data collection requirements placed on us by the DfE, e.g. via the school census, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/education/data-collection-and-censuses-for-schools.

The National Pupil Database (NPD)

Much of the data about pupils in England goes on to be held in the NPD.

The NPD is owned and managed by the DfE and contains information about pupils in schools in England – it provides evidence on educational performance to inform independent research as well as studies commissioned by the DfE.

Information on the NPD is held in an electronic format for statistical purposes and it is securely collected from a range of sources, including schools, LAs and awarding bodies.

You can find out more about the NPD by following this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pupil-database-npd-privacy-notice/national-pupil-database-npd-privacy-notice.

Sharing by the DfE

The DfE is legally allowed to share pupils’ personal information with certain third parties, including the following:

• Schools
• LAs
• Researchers
• Organisations connected with promoting the education or wellbeing of pupils
• Other government departments and agencies
• Organisations fighting or identifying crime

Organisations fighting or identifying crime, such as the Home Office and the police, may use their legal powers to contact the DfE to request access to individual level information relating to a crime. The DfE typically supplies information on around 600 pupils per year to the Home Office and approximately one per year to the police.

For more information about how the DfE collects and shares pupil information, you can look at the information in the following two links:

• https://www.gov.uk/guidance/data-protection-how-we-collect-and-share-research-data
• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfe-external-data-shares

How to find out what personal information the DfE holds about you

Under the Data Protection Act 2018, you are entitled to ask the DfE what personal information it holds about you. You have the right to ask the DfE:

• If it processes your personal data.
• For a description of the data it holds about you.
• The reasons it is holding your data and any recipient it may be disclosed to.
• For a copy of your personal data and any details of its source.

To exercise these rights, you should make a subject access request. Information on how to do this can be found by following this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education/about/personal-information-charter

You can also contact the DfE directly using its online contact form by following this link: https://www.gov.uk/contact-dfe

What are your rights?

You have specific rights to the processing of your data, these are the right to:

• Request access to the information the school holds about you.
• Restrict our processing of your personal data, i.e. permitting its storage but no further processing.
• Object to direct marketing (including profiling) and processing for the purposes of scientific/historical research and statistics.
• Have your personal data rectified if it is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Not be subject to decisions based purely on automated processing where it produces a legal or similarly significant effect on you.
• Request the deletion or removal of personal data where there is no compelling reason for the continued processing.

If you want to request access to the personal information we hold about you, please contact the Date Protection Oficer (DPO). See contact details below.  

If you are concerned about the way we are collecting or using your information, please raise your concern with the school’s DPO in the first instance. You can also contact the ICO at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/.

How to withdraw consent and lodge complaints

Where our school processes your personal data with your consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent.

If you change your mind or are unhappy with how our school uses your personal data, you should let us know by contacting the school’s DPO (contact details below).

How can you find out more information?

If you require further information about how we and/or the DfE store and use your personal data, please visit our website to view our Data Protection Policy and Record Management Policy via www.berkswichceprimary.co.uk or visit the Gov.UK website.

If you would like to discuss anything in this privacy notice, please contact Ms Jackson (headteacher) or the school’s DPO:

Natalie Morrissey

Information Governance Manager

Staffordshire County Council

Information Governance Unit – Directorate of Strategy, Governance and Change

IGU | Staffordshire County Council

4th Floor, Staffordshire Place 1,

Tipping Street, Stafford, ST16 2DH

 (01785) 278109

Updating this privacy notice

We may need to update this privacy notice periodically if we change how we collect and process data. The school will inform you when this privacy notice has changed; however, we also recommend that you revisit this privacy notice periodically.  This privacy notice was last updated February 2025. 

Privacy Notice for Berkswich CE Primary

Declaration for Pupils and Their Families/Carers

I,  _____________________________________________________ (name of parent/carer)

declare that I understand:

• The categories of my personal information Berkswich CE Primary School collects and uses.
• Berkswich CE Primary School has a lawful basis for collecting and using my personal information.
• Berkswich CE Primary School may share my information with the DfE, LA and other stated organisations.
• Berkswich CE Primary School does not share information about me with anyone without my consent, unless the law and school policies allow them to do so.
• My information is retained in line with Berkswich CE Primary School’s Records Management Policy.
• My rights to the processing of my personal information.