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.
This privacy notice explains how we collect, store and use personal data about pupils.
We, the Beacon of Light School, are the ‘data controller’ for the purposes of data protection law.
Our data protection officer working on behalf of the school is based at Gateshead Civic Centre (see ‘Contact us’ below).
The personal data we hold
Personal data that we may collect, use, store and share (when appropriate) about pupils includes, but is not restricted to:
We may also hold data about pupils that we have received from other organisations, including other schools, local authorities and the Department for Education.
Why we use this data
We use this data to:
Our legal basis for using this data
We only collect and use pupils’ personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we process it where:
Less commonly, we may also process pupils’ personal data in situations where:
Where we have obtained consent to use pupils’ personal data, this consent can be withdrawn at any time. We will make this clear when we ask for consent, and explain how consent can be withdrawn.
Some of the reasons listed above for collecting and using pupils’ personal data overlap, and there may be several grounds which justify our use of this data.
Collecting this information
While the majority of information we collect about pupils is mandatory, there is some information that can be provided voluntarily.
Whenever we seek to collect information from you or your child, we make it clear whether providing it is mandatory or optional. If it is mandatory, we will explain the possible consequences of not complying.
How we store this data
We keep personal information about pupils 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. Our Disposal of Records Schedule sets out how long we keep information about pupils and is available on request from the school office.
Data sharing
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:
National Pupil Database
We are required to provide information about 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 (NPD), which is owned and managed by the Department and provides evidence on school performance to inform research.
The database is held electronically so it can easily be turned into statistics. The information is securely collected from a range of sources including schools, local authorities and exam boards.
The Department for Education may share information from the NPD with other organisations which promote children’s education or wellbeing in England. Such organisations must agree to strict terms and conditions about how they will use the data.
For more information, see the Department’s webpage on how it collects and shares research data.
You can also contact the Department for Education with any further questions about the NPD.
Youth support services
Once our pupils reach the age of 13, we are legally required to pass on certain information about them to local authorities or youth support services as they have legal responsibilities regarding the education or training of 13-19 year-olds.
This information enables it to provide youth support services, post-16 education and training services, and careers advisers.
Parents/carers, or pupils once aged 16 or over, can contact our data protection officer to request that we only pass the individual’s name, address and date of birth to local authorities or youth support services
Transferring data internationally
Where we transfer personal data to a country or territory outside the European Economic Area, we will do so in accordance with data protection law.
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.
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 12), 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, and if we do hold information about you or your child, we will:
Individuals also have the right for their personal information to be transmitted electronically to another organisation in certain circumstances.
If you would like to make a request please contact our data protection officer.
As a Free School, parents/carers do not have automatic parental right to access to their child’s educational record while they are students at the Beacon of Light School. However, we are choosing to provide this facility. There may be a charge for this service which will be discussed on request. To request access, please contact the Principal.
Other rights
Under data protection law, individuals have certain rights regarding how their personal data is used and kept safe, including the right to:
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:
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: DCO@gateshead.gov.uk
This notice is based on the Department for Education’s model privacy notice for pupils, amended for parents and to reflect the way we use data in this school.
This privacy notice explains how we collect, store and use personal data about you.
We, the Beacon of Light School, are the ‘data controller’ for the purposes of data protection law.
Our data protection officer is based at Gateshead Civic Centre (see ‘Contact us’ below).
The personal data we hold
We hold some personal information about you to make sure we can help you learn and look after you at school.
For the same reasons, we get information about you from some other places too – like other schools, the local council and the government.
This information includes:
Why we use this data
We use this data to help run the school, including to:
Our legal basis for using this data
We will only collect and use your information when the law allows us to. Most often, we will use your information where:
Sometimes, we may also use your personal information where:
Where we have permission to use your data, you or your parents/carers may withdraw this at any time. We will make this clear when we ask for permission, and explain how to go about withdrawing consent.
Some of the reasons listed above for collecting and using your information overlap, and there may be several grounds which mean we can use your data.
Collecting this information
While in most cases you, or your parents/carers, must provide the personal information we need to collect, there are some occasions when you can choose whether or not to provide the data.
We will always tell you if it’s optional. If you must provide the data, we will explain what might happen if you don’t.
How we store this data
We will keep personal information about you while you are a pupil at our school. We may also keep it after you have left the school, where we are required to by law.
We have a Disposal of Records Schedule which sets out how long we must keep information about pupils. A copy of this can be obtained from our school office.
Data sharing
We do not share personal information about you with anyone outside the school without permission from you or your parents/carers, unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.
Where it is legally required, or necessary for another reason allowed under data protection law, we may share personal information about you with:
National Pupil Database
We are required to provide information about you to the Department for Education (a government department) as part of data collections such as the school census.
Some of this information is then stored in the National Pupil Database, which is managed by the Department for Education and provides evidence on how schools are performing. This, in turn, supports research.
The database is held electronically so it can easily be turned into statistics. The information it holds is collected securely from schools, local authorities, exam boards and others.
The Department for Education may share information from the database with other organisations which promote children’s education or wellbeing in England. These organisations must agree to strict terms and conditions about how they will use your data.
You can find more information about this on the Department for Education’s webpage on how it collects and shares research data..
You can also contact the Department for Education with any further questions about the database.
Youth support services
Once you reach the age of 13, we are legally required to pass on certain information about you to local authorities or youth support services in your area, as it has legal responsibilities regarding the education or training of 13-19 year-olds.
This information enables it to provide youth support services, post-16 education and training services, and careers advisers.
Your parents/carers, or you once you’re 16, can contact our data protection officer to ask us to only pass your name, address and date of birth to local authorities or youth support services in your area.
Transferring data internationally
Where we share data with an organisation that is based outside the European Economic Area, we will protect your data by following data protection law.
Your rights
How to access personal information we hold about you
You can find out if we hold any personal information about you, and how we use it, by making a ‘subject access request’, as long as we judge that you can properly understand your rights and what they mean.
If we do hold information about you, we will:
Your other rights over your data
You have other rights over how your personal data is used and kept safe, including the right to:
Complaints
We take any complaints about how we collect and use your personal data very seriously, so please let us know if you think we’ve done something wrong.
You can make a complaint at any time by contacting our data protection officer.
You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office in one of the following ways:
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: DCO@gateshead.gov.uk
This notice is based on the Department for Education’s model privacy notice for pupils, amended to reflect the way we use data in this school.
