The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force on May 25, 2018, and was designed to modernise laws that protect the personal information of individuals. GDPR alters and re-defines how schools can handle information and in the process re-enforces the rights/protection of individuals and gives them more control over their information.

What does GDPR mean for schools?

A great deal of the processing of personal data undertaken by schools will fall under a specific legal basis, ‘in the public interest’. As it is in the public interest to operate schools successfully, it will mean that specific consent will not be needed in the majority of cases in schools.

GDPR regulations ensure that data is protected and whilst giving individuals more control over their data.

Schools accountability for data:

• Under GDPR, consent must be explicitly given to anything that isn’t within the normal business of the school, especially if it involves a third party managing the data. Parents (or the pupil themselves depending on their age) must express consent for their child’s data to be used outside of the normal business of the school.
• Schools must appoint a Data Protection Officer and be able to prove that they are GDPR compliant (see details below.)
• Schools must ensure that their third party suppliers who may process any of their data is GDPR compliant and must have legally binding contracts with any company that processes any personal data. These contracts must cover what data is being processed, who it is being processed by, who has access to it and how it is protected.
• It will be compulsory that all data breaches which are likely to have a detrimental effect on the data subject are reported to the ICO within 72 hours

How do we use the information?

Parkfields collects and holds personal information relating to our pupils and those involved in their care, we may also receive information from previous schools, the local authority(s) and/or the Department for Education (DfE). We use this personal data to:

• Support our pupils’ learning
• Support our pupils’ welfare
• Monitor and report on their progress
• Provide appropriate pastoral care
• Assess the quality of our services
• Process any complaints
• Protect vulnerable individuals
• Comply with the law regarding data sharing

This information will include: – a child’s Unique Pupil Number (UPN), name, address, contact details, carers details, national curriculum assessment results, examination results, internal assessment results, school reports, behavioural information, attendance information, any exclusion information, where they go after they leave us, personal characteristics (such as their ethnic group), any special educational needs or disabilities they may have, as well as relevant medical information.

Who do we share the data with?

We may pass data to:

• Third-party organisations, as allowed by law
• Agencies that provide services on our behalf
• Agencies with whom we have a duty to co-operate
• Ongoing schools

Parkfields GDPR related policies

To view The Pyramid Schools Trust Privacy Notices click here

To view The Pyramid Schools Trust Data Protection Policy click here. This policy contains details about how to make a 'subject access request.'

To download a subject access request form click here

 

Contact

Trust Data Protection Officer (DPO)

dpo@pyramidschoolstrust.org