Lindon Bennett School

Privacy notice for parents and carers – how we use your personal data

Under data protection law, individuals have a right to be informed about how the school uses any personal data that we hold about them. We comply with this right by providing ‘privacy notices’ (sometimes called ‘fair processing notices’) to individuals where we are processing their personal data.

This privacy notice explains how we collect, store and use personal data about you.
We, Lindon Bennett School, are the ‘data controller’ for the purposes of data protection law.
Our data protection officer is Mark Hutton (see ‘Contact us’ below).

The personal data we hold
Personal data that we may collect, use, store and share (when appropriate) about you includes, but is not restricted to:

  • Contact details and contact preferences
  • Bank details
  • Photographs
  • CCTV images captured in school

We may also collect, store and use information about you that falls into “special categories” of more sensitive personal data. This includes information about (where applicable):

  • Characteristics, such as ethnicity, languages spoken and eligibility for certain benefits
  • Family circumstances
  • Physical and mental health, including medical conditions
  • Support received, including care packages, plans and support providers

We may also hold data about you that we have received from other organisations, including other schools and social services.

Why we use this data
We use this data to:

  • Report to you on your child’s attainment and progress
  • Keep you informed about the running of the school (such as emergency closures) and events
  • Process payments for school services
  • Protect pupil welfare
  • Carry out research
  • Comply with our legal and statutory obligations

Use of your personal data for marketing purposes
Where you have given us consent to do so, Lindon Bennett School may send you information by email or text promoting school events, campaigns, charitable causes or services that may be of interest to you. You can withdraw consent or ‘opt out’ of receiving these emails and/or texts at any time by clicking on the ‘Unsubscribe’ link at the bottom of any such communication, or by contacting our data protection officer.

Our legal basis for using this data
We only collect and use your personal data when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we process it where:

  • We need to comply with a legal obligation
  • We need to perform an official task in the public interest
  • We need to fulfil a contract we have entered into with you

Less commonly, we may also process your personal data in situations where:

  • We have obtained consent to use it in a certain way
  • We need to protect an individual’s vital interests (protect their life)

Where you have provided us with consent to use your data, you may withdraw this consent at any time. We will make this clear when requesting your consent, and explain how you would go about withdrawing consent if you wish to do so. Some of the reasons listed above for collecting and using your personal data overlap, and there may be several grounds which justify our use of your data.

Collecting this information
While the majority of information we collect about you is mandatory, there is some information that can be provided voluntarily. Whenever we seek to collect information from you, we make it clear whether you must provide this information (and if so, what the possible consequences are of not complying), or whether you have a choice.

How we store this data
We keep personal information about you while your child is attending our school. We may also keep it beyond their attendance at our school if this is necessary in order to comply with our legal obligations. The Information and Records Management Society’s toolkit for schools sets out how long we keep information about parents and carers.

Data sharing
We do not share information about you with any third party without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so. Where it is legally required, or necessary (and it complies with data protection law), we may share personal information about you with:

  • Our local authority – to meet our legal obligations to share certain information with it, such as safeguarding concerns and information about exclusions]
  • Government departments or agencies]
  • Our regulator, [specify as appropriate, e.g. Ofsted, Independent Schools Inspectorate]

Suppliers and service providers – to enable them to provide the service we have contracted them for:

  • Financial organisations
  • Our auditors
  • Survey and research organisations
  • Health authorities
  • Security organisations
  • Health and social welfare organisations
  • Professional advisers and consultants
  • Charities and voluntary organisations
  • Police forces, courts, tribunals

Transferring data internationally
Where we transfer personal data to a country or territory outside the European Economic Area, we will do so in accordance with data protection law.

Your rights

How to access personal information that we hold about you
Individuals have a right to make a ‘subject access request’ to gain access to personal information that the school holds about them.

If you make a subject access request, and if we do hold information about you, we will:

  • Give you a description of it
  • Tell you why we are holding and processing it, and how long we will keep it for
  • Explain where we got it from, if not from you
  • Tell you who it has been, or will be, shared with
  • Let you know whether any automated decision-making is being applied to the data, and any consequences of this
  • Give you a copy of the information in an intelligible form

You may also have the right for your personal information to be transmitted electronically to another organisation in certain circumstances. If you would like to make a request, please contact our data protection officer.

Your other rights regarding your data
Under data protection law, individuals have certain rights regarding how their personal data is used and kept safe. You have the right to:

  • Object to the use of your personal data if it would cause, or is causing, damage or distress
  • Prevent your data being used to send direct marketing
  • Object to the use of your personal data for decisions being taken by automated means (by a computer or machine, rather than by a person)
  • In certain circumstances, have inaccurate personal data corrected, deleted or destroyed, or restrict processing
  • Claim compensation for damages caused by a breach of the data protection regulations

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our data protection officer.

Complaints
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. To make a complaint, please contact our data protection officer.

Alternatively, you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office:

  • Report a concern online at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/
  • Call 0303 123 1113
  • Or write to: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

Contact us
If you have any questions, concerns or would like more information about anything mentioned in this privacy notice, please contact our data protection officer: