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Whitefields Primary

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Privacy Notice - Workforce Information

Privacy Notice (How we use workforce information)

Whitefield Primary Academy is the Data Controller for the use of personal data in this privacy notice. Our Data Protection Office is Paula Creighton and can be contacted at paula.creighton@sptcompliance.co.uk

Under General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) we are obliged to inform you of the information that we hold on you as our employees, including what we use it for, who we share it with, and for how long we keep it. This privacy notice aims to provide you with this information.

The categories of school information that we process

These include:

  • personal information (such as name, employee or teacher number, national insurance number, proof of right to work, DBS, medical information)
  • contact information (such as address, email address, telephone number, emergency contact information)
  • characteristics information (such as gender, age, ethnic group)
  • contract information (such as start date, hours worked, post, roles and salary information)
  • work absence information (such as number of absences and reasons)
  • qualifications (and, where relevant, subjects taught)
  • criminal convictions

Why we collect and use workforce information

We use workforce data to:

  1. a) recruit new employees
  2. b) provide payroll and pension services and other employee benefits
  3. c) complete statutory returns and fulfil our statutory reporting obligations
  4. d) complete demographic monitoring
  5. e) manage performance
  6. f) enable individuals to be paid
  7. g) manage and reduce sickness and improve health
  8. h) provide learning and development opportunities
  9. i) information we collect may be used to instigate disciplinary action
  10. j) for the purposes of adhering to safer recruitment

 Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the legal basis / bases we rely on for processing personal information for general purposes are:

  • personal data: to carry out the performance of a contract and processing is based on explicit consent (recruitment process only)

 In addition, concerning any special category data:

  • special category data:necessary in the field of employment and social security

 Some of the information we collect and use is provided with your consent and that is the lawful basis for us processing it. We will make it clear where we are asking for your consent, why, and provide you with the opportunity to refuse to provide us with that information, explaining what the consequence of that will be. 

Collecting workforce information

We collect personal information via application forms and at the point of recruitment or appointment to a position within the school. We also ask staff to complete an annual data collection form in order to ensure the information we hold remains up-to-date.

Workforce data is essential for the school’s / local authority’s operational use. Whilst the majority of personal information you provide to us is mandatory, some of it is requested on a voluntary basis. In order to comply with GDPR, we will inform you at the point of collection, whether you are required to provide certain information to us or if you have a choice in this and we will tell you what you need to do if you do not want to share this information with us.

Storing workforce information

We hold staff data for the period determined appropriate for the different types of data that we hold.

We will keep information for the minimum period necessary in accordance with DfE’s data retention recommendations which consider legal and safeguarding considerations linked to the types of data held.

All information is held securely and will be destroyed as appropriate under secure and confidential conditions.

For more information on our data retention schedule and how we keep your data safe, please refer to our website.

Who we share workforce information with

We routinely share this information with:

  • our local authority (where applicable)
  • the Department for Education (DfE)
  • external training providers
  • health providers
  • employee benefits
  • child care vouchers scheme providers
  • HMRC
  • our responsible officer
  • our external auditor
  • staff within our multi academy trust (Pioneer Learning Trust)

Why we share school workforce information

We do not share information about our workforce members with anyone without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.

  • comply with statutory reporting requirements 
  • prevent or detect crime
  • support trade union membership
  • provide training opportunities
  • ensure employees have access to relevant external services which support wellbeing
  • as part of our internal and external audit functions
  • to provide employees with additional employee benefits such as the child care voucher scheme

Local authority

We are required to share information about our workforce members with our local authority (LA) under section 5 of the Education (Supply of Information about the School Workforce) (England) Regulations 2007 and amendments.

Department for Education

The Department for Education (DfE) collects personal data from educational settings and local authorities via various statutory data collections. We are required to share information about our children and young people with the Department for Education (DfE) for the purpose of those data collections, under:

We are required to share information about our school employees with the (DfE) under section 5 of the Education (Supply of Information about the School Workforce) (England) Regulations 2007 and amendments.

All data is transferred securely and held by DfE under a combination of software and hardware controls which meet the current government security policy framework.

For more information, please see ‘How Government uses your data’ section.

Requesting access to your personal data

Under data protection legislation, you have the right to request access to information about you that we hold. To make a request for your personal information, contact our Headteacher, Mrs J Christie.

Depending on the lawful basis above, you may 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; and
  • a right to seek redress, either through the ICO, or through the courts

If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, we ask that you raise your concern with us in the first instance. Alternatively, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/

For further information on how to request access to personal information held centrally by DfE, please see the ‘How Government uses your data’ section of this notice.

Withdrawal of consent and the right to lodge a complaint

Where we are processing your personal data with your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent. If you change your mind, or you are unhappy with our use of your personal data, please let us know by contacting our Headteacher, Mrs J Christie.

Last updated

We may need to update this privacy notice periodically so we recommend that you revisit this information from time to time. This version was last updated on 1st February 2021.

Contact

If you would like to discuss anything in this privacy notice, please contact:

Mr Jon Briggs, Chief Finance and Operations Officer 01582 604876 or by email jbriggs@chantryprimaryacademy.com

The school’s Data Protection Officer is Paula Creighton – paula.creighton@sptcompliance.co.uk

How Government uses your data

The workforce data that we lawfully share with the DfE through data collections:

  • informs departmental policy on pay and the monitoring of the effectiveness and diversity of the school workforce
  • links to school funding and expenditure
  • supports ‘longer term’ research and monitoring of educational policy

Data collection requirements

Sharing by the Department

The Department may share information about school employees with third parties who promote the education or well-being of children or the effective deployment of school staff in England by:

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

The Department has robust processes in place to ensure that the confidentiality of personal data is maintained and there are stringent controls in place regarding access to it and its use. Decisions on whether DfE releases personal data to third parties are subject to a strict approval process and based on a detailed assessment of:

  • who is requesting the data
  • the purpose for which it is required
  • the level and sensitivity of data requested; and
  • the arrangements in place to securely store and handle the data

To be granted access to school workforce information, organisations must comply with its strict terms and conditions covering the confidentiality and handling of the data, security arrangements and retention and use of the data.

How to find out what personal information DfE hold about you

Under the terms of the Data Protection Act 2018, you’re entitled to ask the Department:

  • if they are processing your personal data
  • for a description of the data they hold about you
  • the reasons they’re holding it and any recipient it may be disclosed to
  • for a copy of your personal data and any details of its source

If you want to see the personal data held about you by the Department, you should make a ‘subject access request’.  Further information on how to do this can be found within the Department’s personal information charter that is published at the address below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education/about/personal-information-charter

To contact the department: https://www.gov.uk/contact-dfe