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Staff – GDPR Privacy Notice

September 2022

Privacy Notice (How we use school workforce information)

This notice is to make clear how and why The Commonweal School collect personal information about you and what we do with this data. The Commonweal School is the data controller of the personal information you provide us. The school determines the purposes for which any personal data relating to staff is to be processed.

Why do we collect and use your information?

We collect and use personal data in order to meet the legal requirements and legitimate interests set out in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK law, including those in relation to the following:

  • Article 6(1)(e) – public task, data processing which is necessary to allow the school to function, and Article 9(2)(e) – data processed with the explicit consent of an individual, of the GDPR
  • Education Act 1996

We also use the data to:

  • Enable the development of a comprehensive picture of the workforce and how it is deployed
  • Inform the development of recruitment and retention policies
  • Enable individuals to be paid

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

  • Personal information (such as name, employee or teacher number, national insurance number)Special categories of data including characteristics information such as gender, age, ethnic group
  • Contract information (such as start dates, hours worked, post, roles and salary information)
  • Work absence information (such as number of absences and reasons)
  • Qualifications (and, where relevant, subjects taught) and training information
  • Relevant medical information

Collecting school workforce information

Whilst the majority of staff information you provide to us is mandatory, some of it is provided to us on a voluntary basis. In order to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation, we will inform you whether you are required to provide certain school workforce information to us or if you have a choice in this.

Storing school workforce information

In accordance with the GDPR, the school does not store personal data indefinitely; data is only stored for as long as is necessary to complete the task for which it was originally intended.

Personal data relating to the school workforce at The Commonweal School is stored in line with the school’s Data Protection Policy and from May 2018 the General Data Protection Regulation Policy (GDPR).

Who do we share school workforce information with?

We routinely share school workforce information with:

  • our local authority
  • the Department for Education (DfE)
  • SIMS (Capita)
  • the school’s Payroll Provider
  • IMASS Occupational Health

Why we share school workforce information

  • We do not share information about our school workforce with anyone without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.
  • We are required to share information about our workforce members with our local authority under Section 5 of the Education (Supply of Information about the School Workforce) (England) Regulations 2007 and amendments.
  • We share personal data with the Department for Education (DfE) on a statutory basis. This data sharing underpins workforce policy monitoring, evaluation, and links to school funding / expenditure and the assessment educational attainment.
  • We are required to share information about our workforce with the (DfE) under Section 5 of The Education (Supply of Information about the School Workforce) (England) Regulations 2007 and amendments.

Data collection requirements

The DfE collects and processes personal data relating to those employed by schools and local authorities that work in state funded schools (including all maintained schools, all academies and free schools and all special schools including Pupil Referral Units and Alternative Provision). All state funded schools are required to make census submissions because it is a statutory return under Sections 113 and 114 of the Education Act 2005.
To find out more about the data collection requirements placed on us by the Department for Education including the data that we share with them go to https://www.gov.uk/education/data-collection-and-censuses-for-schools.

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.

For more information about the department’s data sharing process, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/data-protection-how-we-collect-and-share-research-data

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

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, or be given access to your child’s educational record, contact Mr P Battye, Data Protection Officer, The Commonweal School, The Mall, Swindon, SN4 1JE.

You can contact the DPO in writing at the above address or via email dpo@commonweal.co.uk

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; and
  • claim compensation for damages caused by a breach of the Data Protection regulations

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.

Alternatively, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/

Further information

If you would like to discuss anything in this privacy notice, please contact:
Mr P Battye, Data Protection Officer, The Commonweal School, The Mall, Swindon, SN4 1JE.