The policies cover every aspect of college life. Below are some of our most important policies for your reference. If you want to know our policy on something that is not listed, please ask the college office.

Privacy Notice

Students, Parents & Carers

This privacy notice sets out how and why we collect and process personal information relating to current and former students and the parents / carers of current and former students.

The Data Protection Officer

Beacon College Data Protection Officer is Ms Samantha Smith who can be contacted by E-mail: igschools@herefordshire.gov.uk; Tel: 01432 260282; Post: Information Governance, Herefordshire Council, Plough Lane, HR4 0LE

Information held about you

In order to provide efficient and effective services it is necessary for us to collect and process personal information about you. This information will include:-

• personal identifiers and contacts - such as name, unique pupil number, DOB, contact details (including parent / carer contact details) and photographs
• characteristics information– such as ethnicity, language, free school meal eligibility , pupil premium information,
• safeguarding information – such as court orders and professional involvement
• special educational needs information – including needs and ranking
• medical and administration information  – such as doctors information, health, dental health, allergies, medication and dietary requirements
• attendance information – such as sessions attended, number of absences, reasons for absences and previous schools attended
• behavioural information – such as exclusions, relevant alterative provision put in place
• assessment and attainment information – such as national curriculum assessment results
• information relating to communications with you – such as details of home visits, meetings, telephone calls, parental consent
• choices made - including school meal arrangements, trips, activities, extracurricular activities, wrap around care
• financial information – for example to check eligibility for free school meals

This list is not exhaustive.

Why we collect this data and how will we use the information we hold about you

We will collect and process information about you to fulfil the school’s official functions and meet legal requirements:-

• to support pupil learning
• to monitor and report on pupil attainment progress
• to provide appropriate pastoral care
• to safeguard those in our care
• to assess the quality of our services and how well we are doing
• to keep children safe (for example food allergies and emergency contact details)
• to meet the  statutory duties placed upon us for DfE data collections
• to underpin school funding
• to inform short term education policy monitoring, school accountability and interventions (for example SAT results, or Pupil Progress measures)
• to support longer term research and monitoring of educational policy

This information is essential for the school’s operational use.  While the majority of information you provide to us is mandatory some of it is requested on a voluntary basis.  In compliance with data protection legislation 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. 

Information may also be obtained from other sources including the local authority and other educational settings previously attended.

What is the legal basis for us to process your data?

There is a wide ranging framework of legislation that governs the school’s actions to educate and safeguard the wellbeing of its pupils. 

The majority of information collected and processed is done so under this legal framework or in the performance of a public task to ensure the efficient management of the school and the health and wellbeing of our students.

Relevant health and medical information is collected and processed in order to protect the vital interests of our pupils.

Other information may be collected and processed with your consent, which you can withdraw at any time.

Who is processing my data?

All personal data is processed in accordance with data protection law. The Data Controller for the information outlined in this privacy notice is The Beacon College

The Beacon College contracts with a number of carefully vetted companies who process data on behalf of the school, these include:

• Arbor – used to manage pupil data
• My Concern – used to capture child protection and safeguarding records
• Herefordshire Council Revenues & Benefits – used to manage free school meal applications

Who we will share your information with

We do not share information about students, parents or carers with anyone without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.  Under the legal framework we routinely share student information with:

• schools that the pupils attend after leaving us
• our local authority
• the Department for Education
• the school nurse
• the NHS
• the Police

With your consent, your information may also be shared with:

• Facebook – used to promote and celebrate events pupils take part in
• Twitter – used to promote and celebrate events pupils take part in
• The college website and newsletters – used to promote and celebrate events pupils take part in

We will not normally share your information without your consent; however, there may be certain circumstances where we would share without consent such as where we are required to do so by law; for monitoring and funding purposes; safeguarding, and in risk of harm or emergency situations. Any information shared will be with appropriate individuals on a need to know basis.  Only the minimum information required will be shared.

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 pupils with the DfE either directly or via our local authority for the purpose of those data collections, under:

regulation 5 of The Education (Information About Individual Pupils) (England) Regulations 2013.

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.

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 https://www.gov.uk/education/data-collection-and-censuses-for-schools  Information about the National Pupil Database can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pupil-database-user-guide-and-supporting-information

Local Authorities

We may be required to share information about our pupils with the local authority to ensure that they can conduct their statutory duties under

• the Schools Admission Code, including conducting Fair Access Panels.
• social care legislation.

How do we store and how long do we keep your information?

We will only keep your information for the minimum period necessary. The information outlined in this privacy notice will be kept no longer than the maximum time required by law as outlined in the Records Management Toolkit for Schools (information and records management society www.irms.org.uk). All information will be held securely and destroyed under confidential conditions at the appropriate time.

Your rights

You have a number of rights under data protection law, including the right to request a copy of your information and to request that the information be amended or erased if incorrect.

To exercise these rights, you will need to put your request in writing and provide proof of identification to:

The Beacon College

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 the school office

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.

You also have a right to make a complaint about our handling of your personal data to the Information Commissioner’s Office https://ico.org.uk/

Providing Accurate Information

It is important that we hold accurate and up to date information about you in order to assess your needs and delivery the appropriate services.  If any of your details have changed, or change in the future, please ensure that you inform us as soon as possible so that we can update our records.

Further information

If you have any questions or concerns about how your information is used, please contact The Beacon College in the first instance.

Alternatively you can contact Ms Samantha Smith, the Data Protection Officer.

More information about data protection and how it applies to you can be found on the Information Commissioner’s Office website at https://ico.org.uk/

Privacy Notice

Workforce

This privacy notice sets out how and why we, as data controller, collect and process personal information relating to current and former employees, volunteers, contractors and others engaged to work at the school.

This notice does not form part of any contract of employment or other contract to provide services.

The Data Protection Officer

Beacon College’s Data Protection Officer is Ms Samantha Smith who can be contacted by E-mail: igschools@herefordshire.gov.uk; Tel: 01432 260282; Post: Information Governance, Herefordshire Council, Plough Lane, HR4 0LE

Information held about you

In order to provide efficient and effective services it is necessary for us to collect and process personal information about you. This information will include:-

• personal identifiers and contacts - such as name, address, marital status, employee or teacher number, national insurance number, photographs, and vehicle registration
• characteristics information– such as ethnicity, language, age
• contract information – such as start date, hours worked, post / role details, bank account details  and salary information
• work absence information – such as number of absences and reasons, holiday entitlement
• qualifications – including on-going training records, professional membership details and where relevant details of subjects taught
• medical and administration information  – such as doctors information, health, allergies, medication and dietary requirements
• next of kin and emergency contact information
• review and disciplinary information – such as annual review documents
• information relating to communications with you – such as details of meetings, telephone calls
• DBS confirmation information
• trade union membership

This list is not exhaustive.

Why we collect this data and how will we use the information we hold about you

We will collect information about you to:-

• for safer recruitment practices in carrying out our safeguarding duties to students and workforce
• to enable the development of a comprehensive picture of the workforce and how it is deployed
• to inform the development of recruitment and retention policies
• to enable individuals to be paid
• to support the work of the School Teachers’ Review Body
• enable ethnicity and disability monitoring
• to keep individuals safe in relation to existing medical conditions

This information is essential for the school’s operational use.  While the majority of information you provide to us is mandatory some of it is requested on a voluntary basis.  In compliance with data protection legislation 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. 

What is the legal basis for us to process your data?

There is a wide ranging framework of legislation that governs the school’s actions to educate and safeguard the wellbeing of its pupils, the school will process your data in compliance with its legal obligations to carry out these duties. 

Your data will also be processed in performance of the public task to ensure the efficient management and running of the school.

The majority of information collected and processed about you is done so for the performance of a contract with you or to take steps in preparation for such a contract.

Relevant health and medical information is collected and processed in order to protect the vital interests of our workforce.

Other information may be collected and processed with your consent, which you can withdraw at any time.

Who is processing my data?

All personal data is processed in accordance with data protection law. The Data Controller for the information outlined in this privacy notice is Trinity Primary School. 

Trinity Primary School contracts with a number of carefully vetted companies who process data on behalf of the school, these include:

• Hoople – to manage payroll
• WVT Occupational Health – to complete employment health checks and carry out
• occupational health referrals
• Arbor – School Management Information Service

Who we will share your information with

We do not share information about our workforce with anyone without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.  In such circumstances we routinely share workforce information with:

• our local authority
• the Department for Education
• the NHS
• the Police
• Accordia Academies Trust

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

We are required to share information about our workforce members with The Department of Education under Section 7 of the Education (Supply of Information about the School Workforce (No 2) (England) Regulations 2007 (as amended). 

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.

With your consent, your information may also be shared with: Examples

We will not normally share your information without your consent; however there may be certain circumstances where we would share without consent such as where we are required to do so by law; for monitoring and funding purposes; safeguarding, and in risk of harm or emergency situations. Any information shared will be with appropriate individuals on a need to know basis.  Only the minimum information required will be shared.

How do we store and how long do we keep your information?

We will only keep your information for the minimum period necessary. The information outlined in this privacy notice will be kept no longer than the maximum number of years required by law as outlined in the Records Management Toolkit for Schools (information and records management society www.irms.org.uk).  All information will be held securely and destroyed under confidential conditions at the appropriate time.

Your rights

You have a number of rights under data protection law, including the right to request a copy of your information and to request that the information be amended or erased if incorrect.

To exercise these rights, you will need to put your request in writing and provide proof of identification: 

The Beacon College

Eastnor Drive

HEREFORD

HR1 1PL

Telephone: 01432 265035 (option 2)

Email: admin@barrscourt.hereford.sch.uk

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 The Beacon College.

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.

You also have a right to make a complaint about our handling of your personal data to the Information Commissioner’s Office https://ico.org.uk/

Providing Accurate Information

It is important that we hold accurate and up to date information about you in order to assess your needs and delivery the appropriate services.  If any of your details have changed, or change in the future, please ensure that you inform us as soon as possible so that we can update our records.

Further information

If you have any questions or concerns about how your information is used, please contact The Beacon College the first instance.

Alternatively you can contact Ms Samantha Smith, the Data Protection Officer.

More information about data protection and how it applies to you can be found on the Information Commissioner’s Office website at https://ico.org.uk/