GDPR

Student, Parent & Carer Privacy Notice

Introduction

Under data protection law, individuals have a right to be informed about how organisations use any personal data that we hold about them. We comply with this right by providing ‘privacy notices’ to individuals where we are processing their personal data. 

This privacy notice explains how we collect, store, and use personal data about students’ personal data.

We, Rotherham Opportunities College (the College) are the ‘data controller’ for the purposes of data protection law. Our Data Protection Officer (DPO) is Louise Smith. 

We only collect and use students’ personal data when the law allows us to (article 6).

The categories of this information that we collect, process, hold and share include: 

  • Contact details and personal information (such as name, date of birth and address) 
  • Characteristics (such as gender, ethnicity, free meals in college eligibility and special educational needs) 
  • Information relating Safeguarding including episodes of being looked after (such as important dates, information on placements) 
  • Outcomes for looked after children
  • Strengths and difficulties questionnaire scores and offending information
  • Adoptions (such as dates of key court orders and decisions) 
  • Care leavers (such as their activity and what type of accommodation they have) 
  • Student learning and progress records 
  • Results of internal assessments and externally set tests 
  • Details of any medical conditions, including physical and mental health 
  • Exclusion information 
  • Attendance information 
  • Details of any support received, including care packages, plans and support providers 
  • Photographs 
  • We may also hold data about students that we have received from other organisations, including other schools, local authorities and the Department for Education. 

We collect and use this information to 

  • Support students monitor their progress 
  • Provide them with pastoral care and protect their welfare
  • Assess the quality of our services
  • Evaluate and improve our policies and procedures
  • Comply with the law regarding data sharing 

We process it where: 

  • We need to comply with a legal obligation 
  • We need it to perform an official task in the public interest 
  • We have obtained consent to use it in a certain way 
  • We need to protect the individual’s vital interests (or someone else’s interests) 

Where we have obtained consent to use students; personal data, this consent can be withdrawn at any time. We will make this clear when we ask for consent and explain how consent can be withdrawn. 
Some of the reasons listed above for collecting and using students’ personal data overlap, and there may be several grounds which justify our use and processing of this data. 

The Special conditions of which we use this information (article 9). Processing is necessary for:

  • Preventive or occupational medicine
  • Assessment of the working capacity of the individual,
  • Medical diagnosis,
  • The provision of health or social care or treatment or the management of health or social care systems and services
  • Protection of the vital interests of the data subject or of another natural person where the data subject is physically or legally incapable of giving consent

Collecting this information 

The majority of information we collect about students is mandatory, some of it is provided to us on a voluntary basis.

In order to comply with the data protection legislation, we will inform you whether you are required to provide certain information to us or if the information is being requested on a voluntary basis. 

Storing this information

We keep personal information about students while they are attending our college.

We may also keep it beyond their attendance at our college if this is necessary in order to comply with our legal obligations. Our retention policy sets out how long we keep information about students. 

Sharing this information

We do not share information about students with any third party without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so. 

We are required to share information about out students with our Local Authority (LA) and the Department for Education (DfE) under section 3 of The Education (Information About Individual Students) England) Regulations 2013 

We share students’ data with the Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) on a statutory basis. This data sharing underpins college funding and educational attainment policy and monitoring. 

Where it is legally required or necessary (and it complies with data protection law) we may share personal information about students with: 

  • Schools, colleges or education settings that the students attend after leaving us 
  • The Department for Education (DfE) 
  • Education & Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)
  • Our local authority 
  • Educators and examining bodies 
  • Our regulator Ofsted 
  • Suppliers and service providers
  • Financial organisations 
  • Central and local government 
  • Our auditors 
  • Survey and research organisations 
  • Health authorities including the NHS 
  • Security organisations 
  • Health and social welfare organisations 
  • Professional advisers and consultants 
  • Charities and voluntary organisations 
  • Police forces, courts, tribunals 
  • Professional bodies 

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. 

Requesting access to your personal data 

Under data protection legislation, parents, carers and students’ have the right to request access to information about them that we hold. 

To make a request for your personal information contact Rotherham Opportunities College’s DPO: Louise Smith in writing.

 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 

Contact: 

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 or directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/  

If you would like to discuss anything in this privacy notice, please contact the College on info@theroc.co.uk