GPDR Letter
24 May 18
Dear Parent / Guardian,
As you are probably aware, the law on data protection in the UK changes on the 25 May. There will be a new act, the Data Protection Act 2018 which applies the Europe-wide General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to the UK. This will not be changed by Brexit.
The new rules are designed to take account of the massive changes in data use since the Data Protection Act 1998. Facebook, smartphones, even Google did not exist at the time these rules were created, so the world has changed and the law must do so too.
Our school will be publishing a new privacy statement which will be posted on our website tomorrow and other documents as required to fit the new rules; we are still working with the LA to change all the various documents and processes, so you will see changes appearing on our website and forms over the next few months.
This may include having to ask you for consent for some things where we do not have another basis for processing and don’t already have a suitable consent; if you do not respond we will assume you do not consent as required by the “opt-in” regulations in the new law. Most processing in schools is governed by various laws so doesn’t need a separate consent, but this is not always the case.
The new rules change the rights that you have in respect of your data. For further information on this, please see the ICO website https://ico.gov.uk. The rights are:
- The right to be informed
- The right of access
- The right to rectification
- The right to erasure
- The right to restrict processing
- The right to data portability
- The right to object
- Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling.
When your child started at Garfield you would have completed forms where you would have given your permission for various things i.e. photos, local trips. Due to the changes in the Data Protection laws we will need you to complete another form which we will be sending you in due course where will list all the items we need your permission for. This must then be returned to the school office.
Enfield has appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO), who you can contact via email or post if, for example, you have an issue with our handling of your data that our school has not been able to assist you with. The DPO acts for a number of schools, so please ensure that you identify our school when contacting to avoid delays:
Schools.Data.Protection.Officer@enfield.gov.uk
Data Protection Officer Schools
London Borough of Enfield
Civic Offices
Silver St
Enfield
EN1 3XA
The council also holds data relating to schools and pupils for their statutory duties. You can find their privacy statement online at https://new.enfield.gov.uk/privacy-notice.
The new rules are intended to give you better control and understanding of what we do with your information; they will not in any way interfere with the provision of your child’s education.
Yours sincerely
K Khwaja
Ms. K. Khwaja
Headteacher