Privacy Notice (How we use workforce information)

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 individuals we employ, or otherwise engage, to work at our school.

We, Stanah Primary School, are the ‘data controller’ for the purposes of data protection law.

Our data protection officer is Mrs R Legge.

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

personal information (such as name, employee or teacher number, national insurance number)
special categories of data including characteristics information such as gender, age, ethnic group
contract information (such as start dates, hours worked, post, roles and salary information)
bank account details, payroll records, national insurance number and tax status information
recruitment information including copies of right to work documentation, references and other information included as part of the application process
work absence information (such as number of absences and reasons)
qualifications, employment and training records (and, where relevant, subjects taught)
performance data
outcomes of any disciplinary and/or grievance procedures
relevant medical information including health and any medical conditions and sickness records
photographs will be used for the ‘meet our staff’ board at the front of school which will include the name and job title of staff members

Why we collect and use this information

We use school workforce data to:

enable individuals to be paid
enable the development of a comprehensive picture of the workforce and how it is deployed
facilitate safe recruitment, as part of our safeguarding obligations towards pupils
support effective performance management
inform our recruitment and retention policies
allow better financial modelling and planning
enable ethnicity and disability monitoring
improve the management of workforce data across the sector
support the work of the School Teachers’ Review Body
to keep the Emergency Plan up-to-date

We only collect and use personal information about you when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we use it where we need to:

Fulfil a contract we have entered into with you
Comply with a legal obligation
Carry out a task in the public interest

Less commonly, we may also use personal information about you where:

You have given us consent to use it in a certain way
We need to protect your vital interests (or someone else’s interests)

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 go about withdrawing consent if you wish to do so.

Some of the reasons listed above for collecting and using personal information about you overlap, and there may be several grounds, which justify the school’s use of your data.

The lawful basis on which we process this information

On the 25th May 2018 the Data Protection Act 1998 will be replaced by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The condition for processing under the GDPR will be:

Article 6

Processing shall be lawful only if and to the extent that at least one of the following applies:

Article 9

Processing of personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and the processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation shall be prohibited.
Paragraph 1 shall not apply if one of the following applies:

(j) Processing is necessary for archiving purposes in the public interest, scientific or historical research purposes or statistical purposes in accordance with Article 89(1) based on Union or Member State law which shall be proportionate to the aim pursued, respect the essence of the right to data protection and provide for suitable and specific measures to safeguard the fundamental rights and the interests of the data subject.

Education Act 2005 sections 113 and 114 – is a statutory requirement on schools and local authorities for the submission of the school workforce census return, including a set of individual staff records.

Collecting this information

Whilst the majority of information you provide to us is mandatory, some of it is provided to us on a voluntary basis. In order to comply with data protection legislation, we will inform you whether you are required to provide certain school workforce information to us or if you have a choice in this.

We collect personal information via:

application forms and documentation as part of recruitment
data collection sheets distributed at least annually
staff contract forms
return to work interviews and forms including applications for leave of absence
online ORACLE system including occupational health
personal risk assessments and PEEPS
performance management documentation
Parent Pay
the school communication app

Workforce data is essential for the school’s operational use. Whilst the majority of personal information you provide to us is mandatory, some of it is requested on a voluntary basis. In order to comply with GDPR, we will inform you at the point of collection, whether you are required to provide certain information to us or if you have a choice in this.

Storing workforce information

We hold data securely for the set amount of time shown in our data retention schedule.

We keep personal information about our workforce while they are employed at our school. We may also keep it beyond their employment at our school if this is necessary in order to comply with our legal obligations. We follow the guidance outlined in the Information and Records Management Society’s toolkit for schools and this sets out how long we keep information about our workforce.

Who we share workforce information with We routinely share this information with:

Lancashire County Council
OFSTED
the Department for Education (DfE)
Lancashire County Council Service providers (such as Human Resources, Finance, Occupational Health)
Health authorities
Suppliers and service providers – to enable them to provide the service we have contracted them for such as payroll
Security organisations
Health and social welfare organisations
Professional advisers and consultants
Charity and voluntary organisations
Police forces, courts and tribunals
Professional bodies

Why we share school workforce information

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

Local authority

We are required to share information about our workforce members with our local authority (LA) under section 5 of the Education (Supply of Information about the School Workforce) (England) Regulations 2007 and amendments.

Department for Education

We share personal data with the Department for Education (DFE) on a statutory basis. This data sharing underpins workforce policy monitoring, evaluation, and links to school funding/expenditure and the assessment educational attainment.

We are required to share information about our school employees with our local authority (LA) and the Department for Education (DfE) under section 5 of the Education (Supply of Information about the School Workforce) (England) Regulations 2007.

Data collection requirements

The DfE collects and processes personal data relating to those employed by schools (including Multi Academy Trusts) and local authorities that work in state funded schools (including all maintained schools, all academies and free schools and all special schools including Pupil Referral Units and Alternative Provision). All state funded schools are required to make a census submission because it is a statutory return under sections 113 and 114 of the Education Act 2005.

To find out more about the data collection requirements placed on us by the Department for Education including the data that we share with them, go to https://www.gov.uk/education/data –collection –and –censuses –for –schools .

The department may share information about school employees with third parties who promote the education or well-being of children or the effective deployment of school staff in England by:

conducting research or analysis
producing statistics
providing information, advice or guidance

The department has robust processes in place to ensure that the confidentiality of personal data is maintained and there are stringent controls in place regarding access to it and its use. Decisions on whether DfE releases personal 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 securely store and handle the data

To be granted access to school workforce information, organisations must comply with its 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 To contact the department: https://www.gov.uk/contact –dfe

Requesting access to your personal data

Under data protection legislation, you have the right to request access to information about you that we hold. To make a request for your personal information, contact Mrs C Tyson 01253 738864 or by email bursar@hallpark.lancs.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; 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 ask 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/

Further information

If you would like to discuss anything in this privacy notice, please contact: Mrs R Legge on 01252 825225 or by email bursar@stanah.lancs.sch.uk

Updated April 2026

Staff Privacy Notice