Virtual School - Elevate privacy notice

Our contact details

Name: Data Protection Officer

Address: Time Square, Market Street, Bracknell, RG12 1JD

Phone number: 01344 352000

Email: dpo@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

Bracknell Forest Council is registered as a controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

You can find us on the ICO website - our registration number is Z4971654.

The type of personal information we collect

We currently collect and process the following information:

• name
• address
• date of birth
• contact information
• gender
• school or provision
• unique pupil number
• unique learner number

We also collect the following special category information: 

• ethnicity
• special educational needs status and primary need

How we get the personal information and why we have it

We receive information directly, or indirectly, from the following sources:

• from you as an individual, using the online form on the Elevate website or by telephone or face-to-face appointments in Braccan Walk
• schools
• colleges
• the Department for Education (for the apprenticeship service and twice annually)
• other local authorities
• training and education provisions (post age 16)
• other council departments (including Business Intelligence, who provide us with census information which makes sure information about each cohort is correct for tracking individuals progress)

Most of the personal information we process is provided to us in order for us to fulfil our obligation to provide information about education, training and learning to the Department for Education. In order to do this we share personal data in the following:

• a monthly return to the Department for Education
• the September Guarantee submission – recording those who have offers for education and training post-year 11
• the Annual Activity Survey submission – recording how many individual’s took up their post-year 11 offer for education or training

How the law allows us to use your personal information

Lawful basis for processing

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the lawful basis we rely on under Article 6 UK GDPR is:

• (e) we need it to perform a public task

Special category data 

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the lawful basis we rely on under Article 9 UK GDPR is:

• (b) employment and social security and social protection law

You can read the guide to lawful basis for processing special category data on the Information Commissioner's Office website.

Public task 

The public task we carry out as a local authority, is found in s.10, s.12 and s.68 Education and Skills Act 2008.

Who we share your information with

Information held by the council may be shared with the following organisations:

• the Special Educational Needs team (within Bracknell Forest Council)
• other local authorities
• schools
• Department for Education

We share your information with these organisations in order to:

• update our internal systems to make sure we have the most up to date information,
• to accept responsibility for reporting on a young person
• to pass responsibility to another local authority for reporting on a young person

How we store your personal information

Your information is securely stored in Microsoft SharePoint, our Electronic Document Retention and Management System.

We keep college and school lists until returns are completed, and information from other local authorities for one year.

We will then dispose your information by deleting the files.

Retention periods are laid out in the council’s retention and disposal schedule.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have rights we need to make you aware of. The rights available to you depend on our reason for processing your information.

Your right of access

You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. This right always applies. There are some exemptions, which means you may not always receive all the information we process.

Find out more about your right of access from the ICO.

Your right to get your data corrected

You have the right to ask us to correct information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete. This right always applies.

Find out more about your right to get your data corrected from the ICO.

Your right to get your data deleted

You have the right to ask us to delete your personal information in certain circumstances.

Find out more about your right to get your data deleted from the ICO.

Your right to limit how organisations use your data

You have the right to ask us to limit the processing of your information in certain circumstances.

Find out more about your right to limit how organisations use your data from the ICO.

Your right to object to the use of your data

You have the right to object to processing if we are able to process your information because the process forms part of our public tasks.

Find out more about your right to object to the use of your data from the ICO.

Your right to data portability

This only applies to information you have given us. You have the right to ask that we transfer the information you gave us from one organisation to another, or give it to you.

The right only applies if we are processing information based on your consent or for the performance of a contract, and the processing is automated.

Find out more about your right to data portability from the ICO.

Service adjustments

As a public authority and a provider of services to the public, we have a legal duty to comply with the Equality Act 2010.

This means we need to make service adjustments for anyone with a disability who contacts us in any capacity, to eliminate any barriers to accessing our services.

Our lawful basis for processing this information is article 6(1)(c) of the GDPR as we have a legal obligation to provide this. Our processing of special category data, such as health information you give us, will be based on article 9(2)(a), which means we need your consent.

We will create a record of your adjustment requirements. These will give your name, contact details and type of adjustment required, along with a brief description of why it is required. Relevant staff can access this to make sure they are communicating with you in the required way.

Please contact virtual.school@bracknell-forest.gov.uk should you require service adjustments.

How to complain

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to us at dpo@bracknell-forest.gov.uk

You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data by:

• visiting the ICO website
• phoning the ICO helpline on 0303 123 1113
• writing to:
  • Information Commissioner’s Office
    Wycliffe House
    Water Lane
    Wilmslow
    Cheshire
    SK9 5AF