Data Protection

Downs View respects you and your child’s privacy and is committed to complying with privacy legislation. This page outlines our approach to data protection explaining how the school uses and protects personal information, as well as informing you of your rights as set out in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We have a Data Protection Officer whose role is to ensure that any personal information processed by the school is done so fairly and lawfully. If you have any concerns or questions regarding how we look after your personal information, please contact our Data Protection Officer on dpo@dataprotection.education.

The information below is what is referred to as a ‘Privacy Notice’ which explains how the school uses and protects your personal information. Please see privacy notices for full information.

Please see other policies relating to data protection at the bottom of this page.

What is personal data

Personal data is defined as any information relating to an identified or identifiable person. This can be through their

Name
Location
An online identifier such as username
Factors such as physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity

Special Categories of data

Some data requires heightened data protection measures due to its sensitive and personal nature.

racial or ethnic origin
political opinions
religious or philosophical beliefs
trade union membership
genetic and biometric data
data concerning health
data concerning a person’s sexual orientation

How we store data

We hold data securely for the set amount of time shown in our data retention schedule. For more information on our data retention schedule and how we keep your data safe please contact the school office – office@downsview.brighton-hove.sch.uk

Data is stored on secure servers and systems which are managed and maintained by the Brighton and Hove authority ICT Teams. Any paper files are stored in locked storage areas to restrict access.

Why we collect and use your information

We collect and use information, for the following purposes:

support pupil learning
monitor and report on pupil attainment progress
provide appropriate pastoral care
assess the quality of our services
comply with the law regarding data sharing
keep children safe (food allergies, or emergency contact details)
meet the statutory duties placed upon us for the Department for Education (DfE) data collections

Who we share pupil information with and why

We routinely share pupil information with:

schools that pupils attend after leaving us
our local authorities including Brighton & Hove Council, East Sussex Council and West Sussex Council.
youth support services (pupils aged 13+)
the Department for Education (DfE)
school therapists and specialist such as NHS, including Nurses, Doctors, Occupational and Physio therapists.
Social Workers involved in the Educational Health Care Plans of students.
Medical and dietary needs with the teams working with pupils to ensure appropriate care.

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

Where we share with third-party services, this will be in line with data protection law and specified in the agreements with those third-parties.

We share pupils’ data with the Department for Education (DfE) on a statutory basis. This data sharing underpins school funding and educational attainment policy and monitoring.

We are required to share information about our pupils with our local authority (LA) and the Department for Education (DfE) under section 3 of The Education (Information About Individual Pupils) (England) Regulations 2013.

Requesting access to your personal data

Under data protection legislation, you have the right to request access to information we hold about you. To make a request for your personal information, or be given access to your child’s educational record please contact: dpo@downsview.brighton-hove.sch.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
a right to seek redress, either through the ICO, or through the courts

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