Privacy Notice for Parents/ Carers
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Privacy notice
Under data protection law, individuals have a right to be informed about how the Trust uses any personal data that Leigh Academies Trust (LAT) 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 individuals we engage to work on our Trust or its academies.
We, Leigh Academies Trust (LAT), are the ‘data controller’ for the purposes of data protection law.
Our Data Protection Officer is Stephane Vernoux (see ‘Contact us’ below).
- Document title: Privacy Notice for Parents/ Carers
- Version number: 1.2
- Policy Status: Approved
- Date of Issue: May 2018
- Date to be revised: May 2026
The personal data we hold
Personal data that we may collect, use, store and share (when appropriate) about parents/carers includes, but is not restricted to:
- Contact details, contact preferences, identification documents
- Photographs
- CCTV images captured in school
We may also hold data about parents/carers 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:
- Support pupil learning
- Monitor and report on pupil progress
- Provide appropriate pastoral care
- Protect pupil welfare
- Assess the quality of our services
- Administer admissions waiting lists
- Carry out research
- Comply with the law regarding data sharing
- Provide additional services such as catering and uniform sales
Our legal basis for using this data
We only collect and use parents/carers’ personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we process it where:
- We need to comply with a legal obligation;
- We need it to perform an official task in the public interest;
Less commonly, we may also process parents/carers’ personal data in situations where:
- We have obtained consent to use it in a certain way;
- We need to protect the individual’s vital interests (or someone else’s interests).
Where we have obtained consent to use parents/carers’ personal data, this consent can be withdrawn at any time. We will make this clear when we ask for consent, and explain how consent can be withdrawn.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 parents/carers’ 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 parents/carers is mandatory, there is some information that can be provided voluntarily.
Whenever we seek to collect information from you, 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 parents/carers while their child are attending one of our academy. We may also keep it beyond their attendance at our academy if this is necessary in order to comply with our legal obligations. Our Data Retention Policy sets out how long we keep information about parents/carers. You can request a copy of this policy by email from datacontroller@latrust.org.uk.
Data sharing
We do not share information about parents/carers 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 parents/carers with:
- The relevant local authority – to meet our legal obligations to share certain information with it, such as safeguarding concerns and exclusions;
- The Department for Education – to meet our legal obligations and acting in the public interest regarding the education of young people;
- The pupil’s family and representatives – to meet our legal obligations and acting in the public interest regarding the education of the pupil;
- Educators and examining bodies – to meet our obligations whilst acting in the public interest to ensure the continuing education of the pupil as well as measuring outcomes ,this includes but is not limited to, transferring data to another education setting;
- Our regulator – Ofsted, under whom we have a legal obligation and a public interest to provide a quality education for pupils;
- Suppliers and service providers – to enable them to provide the service we have engaged them for in line with our contractual obligations;
- Our auditors – to meet our legal obligations of having an internal and external audit;
- Health authorities such as the NHS – to protect the pupils’ vital interests in respect of their physical and mental health;
- Security organisations – in respect to our legal obligation under initiatives;
- Health and social welfare organisations – under the public interest and our obligation to provide pastoral care;
- Professional advisers and consultants – acting under the public interest in providing educational support and consultancy;
- Police forces, courts, tribunals – fulfilling our legal obligations to prevent crime and comply with court orders etc;
- Charities and professional bodies – either through consent or under the public interest in order to provide relevant services such as awards and achievements.
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’ rights regarding personal data
Individuals have a right to make a ‘subject access request’ to gain access to personal information that the academy 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/carers also have the right to make a subject access request with respect to any personal data the academy holds about them.
If you make a subject access request, and if we do hold information about you or your child, we will:
- Give you a description of it;
- Tell you why we are holding and processing it, and how long we will keep it for;
- Explain where we got it from, if not from you or your child;
- Tell you who it has been, or will be, shared with;
- Let you know whether any automated decision-making is being applied to the data, and any consequences of this;
- Give you a copy of the information in an intelligible form.
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.
Other rights
Under data protection law, individuals have certain rights regarding how their personal data is used and kept safe, including the right to:
Object to the use of personal data if it would cause, or is causing, damage or distress;
- Prevent it being used to send direct marketing;
- Object to decisions being taken by automated means (by a computer or machine, rather than by a person);
- In certain circumstances, have inaccurate personal data corrected, deleted or destroyed, or restrict processing;
- Claim compensation for damages caused by a breach of the data protection regulations.
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 at datacontroller@latrust.org.uk. Alternatively, you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office:
- Report a concern online at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/;
- Call 0303 123 1113;
- Or write to: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.
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:
- Stephane Vernoux, Group Data Protection Officer, datacontroller@latrust.org.uk.