Blacon High School

We use the pupil data:

• to support pupil learning
• to monitor and report on pupil progress
• to provide appropriate pastoral care
• to protect pupil welfare
• to assess the quality of our services
• to comply with the law regarding data sharing
• to carry out research

The categories of pupil information that we collect, hold and share include:

• Personal information (such as name, unique pupil number and address)
• Characteristics (such as ethnicity, language, nationality, country of birth and free school meal eligibility)
• Attendance information (such as sessions attended, number of absences and absence reasons)
• Assessment information
• Exclusions/behavioural information
• Relevant medical information
• Special educational needs information
• Post 16 learning information

We collect and process pupil information as part of our public functions under both the Data Protection Act and Article 6, part (e) of the General Data Protection Regulation.

The legislation and guidance that allows us to do this in the UK includes, but is not limited to:

• The Education Pupil Registration (England) Regulations 2006
• Education (Information About Individual Pupils) (England) Regulations 2013
• Education Act 2002
• Education Act 2011
• Government Guidance on Schools and Education

We do not share information about pupils with any third party without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.

Where it is legally required, or necessary (and it complies with data protection law) we may share personal information about pupils with:

• schools that the pupils attend after leaving us
• our local authority
• the Department for Education (DfE)
• examining bodies
• Ofsted
• suppliers and service providers – to enale them to provide the service we have contracted them for
• school nurse

To find out more about the data collection requirements placed on us by the Department for Education (for example; via the school census) go to the Department for Education’s website.

We are required by law, to provide information about our pupils to the Department for Education as part of statutory data collections, such as the school census. Some of this information is then stored in the National Pupil Database.

Visit theNational Pupil Database (NPD) website for further information on the National Pupil Database.

The Department for Education may share information about our pupils from the National Pupil Database with third parties who promote the education or well-being of children in England by:

• conducting research or analysis
• producing statistics
• providing information, advice or guidance

To be granted access to pupil information, organisations must comply with strict terms and conditions covering the confidentiality and handling of the data, security arrangements and retention and use of the data in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation.

For more information about the department’s data sharing process, please visit the Department of Education’s website.

We hold pupil data for 6 years following a student’s last entry which would be when they reach 25 years of age.

In order to understand the impact of COVID-19 and lockdowns on students, Blacon High School are involved in a project with Cheshire West and Chester Council and Social Finance Limited to analyse patterns of attendance and behaviour amongst pupils in an effort to understand the impact of possible future lockdowns.  This will allow the Council to:

• identify the pupils who are likely to have increased needs and vulnerabilities when returning to school after lockdown;
• understanding the level of support needed and informing the targeting of interventions post lockdown;
• supporting Local Authority to best allocate budgets to support the pupils currently most in-need or at-risk of having significant increased need in the future;
• Building resilience and informing any potential future lockdown strategies.

The information being provided is generally supplied to the Council as part of the school census, but for this initiative contains details specific to the lockdown period.

• Name
• Date of birth
• Unique Pupil Number (UPN)
• Postcode
• Student’s attendance both pre and post lockdown.
• Student’s attendance during lockdown.
• Details of exclusions – reason, date of exclusion, number of excluded sessions

The information provided to the Council will be pseudonymised and individual students will not be identified.

The legal basis for sharing this data with the Council is under Article 6(1)(e) in that it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.

The Council will only keep your information for as long as it necessary to complete their analysis and all data will be pseudonymised to ensure individual students cannot be identified.   All data will be deleted at the end of the processing, which will conclude at the end of the project in March 2021 and data will be securely deleted.

Under the Data Protection Act and General Data Protection Regulation you have the right to request access to the information that we hold about you.

To make a request for your personal information, or be given access to your child’s educational record, please contact Mr M Maher, Data Manager and  Data Protection Lead, by email: mmaher@blaconhigh.cheshire.sch.uk or telephone: 01244 371 475

You also have the right to:

• object to processing of personal data that is likely to cause, or is causing, damage or distress
• prevent processing for the purpose of direct marketing
• object to decisions being taken by automated means
• in certain circumstances, have inaccurate personal data rectified, blocked, erased or destroyed.

If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, you should raise your concern with us in the first instance.

For general questions or advice about the school’s data protection procedures or to alert us to any issues you may have in the way we may handle your or your child’s information please contact:

• DP Lead: Mr M Maher
• Email:mmaher@blaconhigh.cheshire.sch.uk
• Telephone: 01244 371 475

If you prefer, you may contact the School’s independent Data Protection Officer direct at:

Schools Data Protection Officer
Cheshire West and Chester Council,
Council Offices,
4 Civic Way,
Ellesmere Port,
CH65 0BE

• Email: schoolDPO@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office using the following details:

• Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) website
• By post: The Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
• Telephone: 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 54 57 45

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