FAIR PROCESSING NOTICE FOR SCHOOL CENSUS IN 2008/2009
LAYER TWO: FULL TEXT

This notice gives additional information to the notice sent to you in October 2008 and provides further information about the processing of pupils’ personal data by the other organisations mentioned in that notice.

Grovelands C P School processes personal data about its pupils and is a ‘data controller’ in respect of this for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998.  It processes these data to: 

These data include contact details, national curriculum assessment results, attendance information, characteristics such as ethnic group, special educational needs and any relevant medical information.

 

ORGANISATIONS WITH WHICH THE SCHOOL SHARES YOUR DATA
From time to time the school is required to pass on some of these data to local authorities, ContactPoint, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCFS) and to agencies that are prescribed by law, such as the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), Ofsted, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), the Department of Health (DH) and Primary Care Trusts (PCTs).  All these are data controllers for the information they receive and are subject to the same legal constraints in how they deal with the data.  The data must only be used for specific purposes allowed by law.

 

EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL
Although schools send the Census data they collect directly to the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), the County Council has access to the data and has a role in helping schools collect them every year.  The County Council also checks the School Census data for accuracy and validates them before the DCSF can start using them. 

The County Council uses information about children for whom it provides services 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 County Council is also required to maintain the accuracy of the information held on ContactPoint about children and young people in its area. 

Since 1 April 2007, the County Council has taken over the delivery of Connexions services in East Sussex.  Connexions is the government's support service in England for young people aged 13 - 19 years (or up to the age of 25 for young people with learning difficulties or disabilities).  As Connexions is part of the Integrated Area Children’s Services, they require access to School Census data, along with other universal services such as the Youth Development Service which works with young people aged 11 – 19 years.  Connexions and the Youth Development Service share a common database to provide services, and, therefore, Connexions has access to information about children below 13 years of age.  The data the school shares with Connexions include name and address of the pupil and parent or carer and any further information relevant to Connexions service provision.  However parents can ask that no information beyond name and address (for pupil and parent) be passed on to Connexions.  What you can do to opt out of the school sharing this information with Connexions is in the section on your rights below.
www.eastsussex.gov.uk
Data Protection Officer, County Hall, St Anne’s Crescent, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 1UE

 

CONTACTPOINT
ContactPoint is an online directory which is only available to authorised staff who need it to do their jobs.  It is designed to allow practitioners who work with children and young people to find out quickly who else is working with the same child, making it easier to deliver more coordinated support.  ContactPoint is operated by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) with the participation of local authorities.  Information held on ContactPoint is drawn from a number of existing systems, including the School Census 2009.  Data from the School Census 2009 will be provided to ContactPoint nationally from the DCSF rather than by individual schools.  

ContactPoint will hold only the following basic information for all children in England (up until their 18th birthday); name, address, gender, date of birth and a unique identifying number for each child, name and contact details for the child's parent or carer with parental responsibility and contact details for services working with the child (at a minimum, educational setting, eg school, and GP practice, but also other services where appropriate).  The Children Act 2004 Information Database (England) Regulations 2007 requires maintained schools to supply ContactPoint with basic information about the child or young person; specifically this is the basic identifying information about the child or young person as listed above, the contact address and telephone numbers of the parents or carers with parental responsibility for the child or young person and the contact details of the school. 

ContactPoint will NOT contain any case information, such as case notes, assessments, attendance, exam results, medical records or subjective observations.
www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/deliveringservices/contactpoint
Data Protection Officer, DCSF, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London, SW1Y 3BT

DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES (DCSF)
DCSF uses information about pupils for research and statistical purposes, to inform, influence and improve education policy and to monitor the performance of the education service as a whole.  The DCSF will feed back to local authorities and schools information about their pupils for a variety of purposes that will include data checking exercises, use in self-evaluation analyses and where information is missing because it was not passed on by a former school.  The DCSF will also provide Ofsted with pupil data for use in school inspections.  Where relevant, pupil information may also be shared with post-16 learning institutions to minimise the administrative burden on application for a course and to aid the preparation of learning plans. 
Pupil information may be matched with other data sources that the Department holds in order to model and monitor pupils’ educational progression and to provide comprehensive information back to local authorities and learning institutions to support their day-to-day business.  The DCSF may also use contact details from these sources to obtain samples for statistical surveys; these surveys may be carried out by research agencies working under contract to the Department and participation in such surveys is usually voluntary.  The Department may also match data from these sources to data obtained from statistical surveys. 
Pupil data may also be shared with other government departments and agencies (including the Office for National Statistics) for statistical or research purposes only.  In all these cases, the matching will require that individualised data are used in the processing operation, but those data will not be processed in such a way that it supports measures or decisions relating to particular individuals or identifies individuals in any results.  This data sharing will be approved and controlled by the Department’s Chief Statistician.
The DCSF may also disclose individual pupil information to independent researchers studying the educational achievements of pupils and who have a legitimate need for it for their research.  However, each case will be determined on its merits and subject to the approval of the Department’s Chief Statistician.
www.dcsf.gov.uk
Data Protection Officer, DCSF, Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, London, SW1Y 3BT

 

QUALIFICATIONS AND CURRICULUM AUTHORITY (QCA)
The QCA uses information about pupils to administer the national curriculum assessments portfolio throughout Key Stages 1 to 3.  This includes both assessments required by statute and those that are optional.  The results of these are passed on to DCSF 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.
www.qca.org.uk
Data Protection Officer, QCA, 83 Piccadilly, London, W1J 8QA

OFSTED
Ofsted uses information about the progress and performance of pupils to help inspectors evaluate the work of schools, to assist schools in their self-evaluation, and as part of Ofsted’s assessment of the effectiveness of education initiatives and policy.  Ofsted also uses information about the views of children and young people, to inform children’s services inspections in local authority areas.  Inspection reports do not identify individual pupils.
www.ofsted.gov.uk
Data Protection Officer, Alexandra House, 33 Kingsway, London, WC2B 6SE

 

LEARNING AND SKILLS COUNCIL (LSC)
The LSC uses information about pupils for statistical purposes, to evaluate and develop education policy and 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.  On occasion, information may be shared with other government departments or agencies strictly for statistical or research purposes only.  The LSC or its partners may wish to contact learners from time to time about courses, or learning opportunities relevant to them.
www.lsc.gov.uk
Data Protection Officer, Cheylesmore House, Quinton Road, Coventry, CV1 2WT

 

PRIMARY CARE TRUSTS (PCTs)
PCTs 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 local authorities with aggregate information on pupils’ height and weight. 

The PCTs in East Sussex are:

Hastings and Rother PCT Bexhill Hospital                    Holliers Hill                           Bexhill-on-Sea                     East Sussex                          TN40 2DZ Tel: 01424 735600               Fax: 01424 735601

East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 36-38 Friars Walk Lewes East Sussex BN7 2PB Tel: 01273 485300 Fax: 01273 485400

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (DH)
The DH uses aggregate information (at school year group level) about pupils' height and weight for research and statistical purposes, to inform, influence and improve health policy and to monitor the performance of the health service as a whole.  The DH will base performance management discussions with Strategic Health Authorities on aggregate information about pupils attending schools in the PCT areas to help focus local resources and deliver the Public Service Agreement target to halt the year on year rise in obesity among children under 11 by 2010 in the context of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as a whole.  The DH will also provide aggregate PCT level data to the Healthcare Commission for performance assessment of the health service.
www.dh.gov.uk
Data Protection Officer, Skipton House, 80 London Road, London, SE1 6LH

 

YOUR RIGHTS UNDER THE DATA PROTECTION ACT 1998

Pupils and their parents or carers, as data subjects, have certain rights under the Data Protection Act, including a general right of access to personal data held on them.  If you wish to access your personal data, or you wish your parents to do so on your behalf, then please contact the relevant organisation in writing. 

Right to opting out of sharing data with Connexions
As described above, Connexions has access to the School Census data in order to provide services.  The Census data include basic information about your child - your child’s name and contact details and your name and contact details.  The Census data will also have additional information about your child, specifically the child’s gender, date of birth, ethnic origin, special educational needs and key stage or exam results.  However parents have the right to ask the school not to supply to Connexions information beyond just the name and address of pupil and parent or carer (basic information). 

If as a parent you do not want Connexions to receive additional information about your child from the school, beyond the basic contact details, you need to contact the school to let them know that you want to opt out.  The school’s contact details are given at the beginning of this document.  You are entitled to register an opt-out at any time, and once this is done no further additional information about your child will be passed on to Connexions.

Department for Children, Schools and Families may supply to Connexions service providers information that they have about children.  However, they will not pass on information they have received from the school if parents have notified the school that Connexions should not receive information beyond the basic information as specified above.