Introduction

Valley Road School is committed to protecting the privacy and security of personal information.

This privacy notice explains how we collect, use and protect personal information when you visit our website or interact with the school.

Valley Road School is the data controller for the purposes of data protection law. This means that the school determines how personal data is used and protected.

What information we collect

When you use our website or contact the school, we may collect the following information:

• contact information such as names, email addresses and telephone numbers
• information provided through online forms or email enquiries
• technical information such as IP addresses, browser type and pages visited (via cookies or analytics tools)

For pupils, parents and staff, the school may also process personal information as part of its normal educational and administrative functions.

Why we collect and use personal information

We use personal data to:

• respond to enquiries and requests
• provide education and support to pupils
• communicate with parents and carers
• manage school administration
• meet legal and statutory requirements

Schools are required to collect and share certain information with organisations such as the Department for Education (DfE) and the local authority.

Lawful basis for processing

Under UK GDPR, the lawful bases we rely on for processing personal information include:

• Legal obligation – where the school is required to collect or share data by law
• Public task – where data processing is necessary for providing education and running the school
• Consent – where permission has been given for specific uses of information

How we store and protect information

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure personal data is kept secure.

Information is stored securely and only retained for as long as necessary in accordance with the school’s data retention policy.

Sharing information

In some circumstances the school may share personal information with:

• the local authority
• the Department for Education
• Ofsted
• school service providers or educational systems used by the school
• safeguarding partners where required

We do not share personal data with third parties for marketing purposes.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, individuals have rights including:

• the right to access personal data held about them
• the right to request correction of inaccurate data
• the right to request erasure in certain circumstances
• the right to restrict or object to processing

Requests relating to personal data should be made directly to the school.

Cookies Used

Necessary

These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms.

You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.