Gilthill Primary School Privacy Notice

At Gilthill Primary School, we are devoted to upholding the privacy of both you and your child in accordance with applicable privacy laws. This document serves as our Privacy Notice, outlining how we gather, make use of, and protect your personal data. Our appointed Data Protection Officer ensures that all personal information processed by the school is managed in a fair and legal manner. If you have any concerns or queries regarding our handling of your personal information, please feel free to contact our Data Protection Officer, Mrs Westgarth, at office@Gilthillprimary.org. Your privacy remains our highest priority.

What is Personal Information?
Personal information encompasses any records which can identify an individual, either directly or indirectly. This includes data that can, when combined with additional information, lead to the identification of a person, such as online identifiers or location data.

Why do we use personal information?
We may require certain information about you to:

• Deliver services and support tailored to your needs;
• Manage those services efficiently;
• Train and oversee the employment of our staff responsible for delivering those services;
• Investigate any concerns or complaints you may have regarding our services;
• Monitor expenditure related to services;
• Evaluate the quality of our services; and
• Assist in research and planning future services.

What are Special Categories of Information?
Special categories of personal information necessitate enhanced protection owing to their sensitive nature. This type of information may include:

• Sexual orientation and health;
• Religious or philosophical beliefs;
• Ethnic background;
• Physical or mental health information;
• Trade union membership;
• Political opinions;
• Genetic and biometric data.

How do we limit the use of personal information?
Gilthill Primary School processes personal data as needed to deliver our services effectively; however, wherever feasible, the data processed will be anonymised, pseudonymised, or depersonalised. This ensures the information is uncoupled from identifying individuals. When utilising personal data for research purposes, we will employ anonymisation or pseudonymisation to prevent the identification of any individuals, unless express consent has been granted for the use of personal information in a specific research project. We do not engage in the sale of personal data to third parties for commercial purposes.

Your Privacy Rights
Under the law, you possess various rights concerning the management of your personal information.
Accessing the information we hold about you:
You have the right to request access to all the information we possess about you. Upon receiving a written request, we are generally obliged to furnish you with access to our recorded information. Nevertheless, access to certain parts of your record will be restricted if it contains:

• Confidential information regarding other individuals;
• Data that an information professional believes may instigate serious harm to your or another person's physical or mental well-being;
• Information whose disclosure could negatively affect the prevention or detection of crime. This applies equally to both paper and electronic records. We can also allow others to view your records, with the exception of when any of the above conditions apply. If it proves challenging for you to request your records in writing, we will offer alternative means for you to apply. For any inquiries about accessing your information, please contact: office@Gilthillprimary.org.

Changing information you believe to be inaccurate:
If you believe any information recorded about you is incorrect, please inform us. While we may not always have the ability to amend or remove the information, we will correct factual inaccuracies and may include your comments within the records. Kindly get in touch with the school office to advise staff of any changes.

Requesting the deletion of your information (right to be forgotten):
Under certain circumstances, you have the right to request the erasure of personal information held by us, for instance:

• If the personal information is no longer required for the purpose for which it was obtained;
• If you have withdrawn consent for the use of your information (in instances where there is no other legal basis for processing);
• Where there exists no legal basis for the utilisation of your information;
• If erasure is mandated by law.

When personal information has been disseminated to others, we shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure those who handle your data comply with your erasure request.

However, please be aware that the right to erasure does not apply in situations where the personal information is:

• Required for compliance with the law;
• Used in exercising the right to freedom of expression;
• In the public interest regarding public health;
• For archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes, or statistical purposes where erasure would fundamentally impede the objectives of processing;
• Necessary for the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims.

Restricting what your information is used for:
You are entitled to request that we limit the utilisation of your personal data under the following conditions:

• You have identified inaccuracies in the information and have notified us;
• If the use of your information is unlawful and you prefer us to restrict the information rather than erase it;
• If you have objected to the usage of your information and await clarification of the legal grounds for our processing.

In instances where information is restricted, it can only be stored securely, and with your consent, used for legal claims, protecting others, or where it serves an important public interest in the UK. Should a restriction be granted, we will inform you before we resume the use of your personal information.

You may also request that we cease using your personal information for particular services. However, if this request is granted, it may cause delays or hinder our capacity to provide certain services to you. Where practicable, we will strive to comply, though we may still need to retain or utilise information in connection with one or more of our statutory functions.

Who do we share your personal information with?
We collaborate with an array of companies and partners to either store or manage personal information. In such arrangements, we ensure there exists a contract, memorandum of understanding, or information-sharing protocol to guarantee compliance with data protection laws. We undertake privacy impact assessments before sharing personal information to ascertain adherence to the law.

In specific instances, we are legally obliged to disclose certain information to other entities, such as in cases involving Child Protection concerns or Court Orders.

We may also share personal information if we ascertain that there is a significant reason that surpasses the necessity of maintaining confidentiality. While infrequent, this may occur for:

• The purpose of preventing or investigating crime or fraud;
• Situations presenting serious risks to public safety, our staff, or other professionals;
• The safeguarding of children.

The law forbids us from sharing your information without your consent unless there is serious evidence suggesting someone is at risk or if required by legislation. Such risks must be substantial before we can invalidate your confidentiality rights.

If we are concerned about someone's physical safety or believe we must intervene to protect an individual from potential harm in other ways, we shall discuss it with you and, wherever possible, obtain your consent prior to disclosing your situation to others. We may still share your information should we determine the risk to others warrants such action.

In rare situations wherein the risk to others is critically high, we may need to share information without delay. In such cases, we shall document the information shared along with justifications for our actions, notifying you of the disclosure as soon as it is safe to do so.

We are legally required to supply certain information to the Department for Education; for more detailed information about their use of personal information, please click here.

We must also provide some information to Nottinghamshire County Council; for further details on their use of personal information, please click here.

How do we protect your information?
We are committed to holding personal records (both paper and electronic) securely and limiting access solely to those entitled to review them. Our security measures comprise:

• Encryption, which ensures that information is concealed and can only be interpreted by those with specific knowledge (e.g., a password);
• Access control to systems, networks, and buildings to prevent unauthorised individuals from accessing your personal information;
• Staff training to raise awareness of appropriate data handling procedures and reporting protocols in case of issues;
• Accessibility measures to retrieve your information should our systems fail, including response strategies for emergencies;
• Regular examinations of our technology and procedures alongside maintaining current security updates (commonly referred to as patches).

If your information is transferred outside the country:
Occasionally, we may need to send personal data outside the UK, for example when transferring school records to a new educational institution. In such instances, we will impose additional protections during the transfer, and, where the receiving country lacks an adequacy decision, we will consult with the Information Commissioner’s Office beforehand.

How long do we keep your personal information?
We must retain personal information for various legal reasons and endeavour to consolidate these in a 'retention schedule'. This schedule delineates how long we retain your information for each service. Should you require a copy of our retention schedule, please contact the school office at office@gilthillprimary.org.

Where can I obtain advice?
You may contact our Data Protection Officer at office@gilthillprimary.org.

For independent advice on data protection, privacy, and information-sharing matters, you can reach the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF

Tel: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745 (national rate)
Alternatively, visit ico.org.uk or email casework@ico.org.uk.

Cookies & how you utilise this website:
To enhance user experience, we occasionally place small text files on your device (such as your iPad or laptop), known as ‘cookies’. This practice is common amongst many large websites. They facilitate:

• Remembering selections made by users, reducing the need for repetitive data entry;
• Preserving given information (e.g., your address) to avoid redundant entry;
• Measuring website usage to ensure it meets user needs.

By using our website, you consent to the placement of such cookies on your device.

We do not utilise cookies that collect information regarding your visits to other websites (commonly referred to as privacy-intrusive cookies).

Our cookies do not identify users personally; their purpose is solely to optimise website functionality for you. You have the option to manage and/or delete these files at your discretion.

To learn more about cookies and their management, visit AboutCookies.org or watch a video pertaining to cookies.

You can eliminate the downloading of cookies onto your computer or device by adjusting the settings in your browser. However, if you do this, some features of this website may not function as intended.

Further information on deleting or disabling cookies can be found at AboutCookies.org. Additionally, you may opt-out of Google Analytics tracking if you wish.

For more comprehensive guidance concerning the handling of personal information, please refer to ico.org.uk.