How we use children’s information:
Acorns Day Nursery processes personal information about its children and is a ‘data controller’ for the purposes of Data Protection legislation. We collect information from you and may receive information about your child from their previous setting.
The categories of child level information that we collect, hold and share include:
- Personal information (such as name, address, date of birth, gender)
- Characteristics (such as ethnicity, language, nationality, country of birth and free school meal eligibility)
- Attendance information (such as sessions attended, number of absences and absence reasons)
- Medical and health information
- Dietary requirements and preferences (allergies on intolerances, food likes/dislikes)
- Special Educational Needs information
- Development records
The information we hold about you as a parent or guardian include:
- Personal details (name, date of birth, national insurance number)
- Contact details (address, phone number, email address)
Why we collect and use this information:
- to support children’s learning
- to monitor and report on children’s progress
- to provide appropriate pastoral care
- to assess the quality of our services
- to comply with the law regarding data sharing
The lawful basis on which we use this information:
Acorns Day Nursery collects and process all the information you provide to us as a parent or guardian under the contractual lawful process. It is necessary to process this data to be able carry out the requirements of the contract. Without this data we will not be able to fulfil your contract and thus not be able to keep your child in our care.
The health and medical data you provide to us regarding your child is legally required and is vital to keep your child safe whilst in our care.
Data regarding your child’s ethnicity, race and religion is only processed under the requirements of Local Authorities and public bodies and upholding Acorns Day Nursery’s equal opportunities policy and ensuring we are meeting the Equality Act 2010.
Some data will only be processed if explicit consent is given. This can include the ability to take photographs of your child and using your details for direct marketing. Where this is the case we will ask for your consent at the time we collect your data.
Collecting children’s information:
Whilst the majority of child level information you provide to us is mandatory, some of it is provided to us on a voluntary basis. In order to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation, we will inform you whether you are required to provide certain child level information to us or if you have a choice in this.
Storing pupil data:
Acorns Day Nursery is committed to ensuring we do not hold personal data for any longer than necessary.
Data which we hold under contract is subject to specified retention periods. These are as follows:
- Parent and child personal data – Until the child is 21 years old
- Safeguarding information – Until the child is 21 years old
- Medical and health data – Will not be destroyed
- Accident data – Will not be destroyed
- Child learning progress – Tapestry records are given to the parent when the child leaves the nursery and are deleted from the nursery files
Who we share children’s information with:
We may share children’s information with outside agencies, such as:
- Settings/schools that the children attend after leaving us
- our local authority
- Ofsted
- the Department for Education (DfE)
Why we share children’s information:
We do not share information about our children without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.
We share children’s data with the Department for Education (DfE) on a statutory basis. This data sharing underpins the settings funding and educational attainment policy and monitoring.
Data collection requirements:
To find out more about the data collection requirements placed on us by the Department for Education (for example; via the early years census) goes to https://www.gov.uk/education/data-collection-and-censuses-for-schools.
The National Pupil Database (NPD):
The NPD is owned and managed by the Department for Education and contains information about pupils in schools in England. It provides invaluable evidence on educational performance to inform independent research, as well as studies commissioned by the Department. It is held in electronic format for statistical purposes. This information is securely collected from a range of sources including schools, local authorities and awarding bodies.
We are required by law, to provide information about our children to the DfE as part of statutory data collections such as the school census and early years’ census. Some of this information is then stored in the NPD. The law that allows this is the Education (Information about Individual Pupils) (England) Regulations 2013.
To find out more about the NPD, go to https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pupil-database-user-guide-and-supporting-information.
The department may share information about our children from the NPD with third parties who promote the education or well-being of children in England by:
- conducting research or analysis
- producing statistics
- providing information, advice or guidance
The Department has robust processes in place to ensure the confidentiality of our data is maintained and there are stringent controls in place regarding access and use of the data. Decisions on whether DfE releases data to third parties are subject to a strict approval process and based on a detailed assessment of:
- who is requesting the data?
- the purpose for which it is required
- the level and sensitivity of data requested: and
- the arrangements in place to store and handle the data
To be granted access to pupil information, organisations must comply with strict terms and conditions covering the confidentiality and handling of the data, security arrangements and retention and use of the data.
For more information about the department’s data sharing process, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/data-protection-how-we-collect-and-share-research-data
For information about which organisations the department has provided pupil information, (and for which project), please visit the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-pupil-database-requests-received
To contact DfE: https://www.gov.uk/contact-dfe
Requesting access to your personal data:
Under data protection legislation, parents and children have the right to request access to information about them that we hold. To make a request for your personal information, or be given access to your child’s educational record, contact the Nursery Manager.
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
If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, we request that you raise your concern with us in the first instance. Alternatively, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/