Guidance

Early career framework (ECF) and national professional qualifications (NPQs) inspections: Ofsted privacy notice

Updated 12 July 2024

Applies to England

Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills, a non-ministerial government department. We inspect and regulate services that care for children and young people, and inspect services providing education and skills for learners of all ages.

Ofsted is the data controller for the personal data described in this notice.

Why we process this personal data

The early career framework (ECF) supports early career teachers (ECTs) by providing a funded entitlement to a structured 2-year package of professional development.

National professional qualifications (NPQs) are also available for teachers and leaders who want to develop their knowledge and skills in school leadership and specialist areas of teaching practice.

Ofsted inspects, reports on and carries out monitoring visits to organisations that deliver ECF training and/or NPQ professional development programmes. We only inspect or visit providers of ECF and NPQ programmes that are funded by the Department for Education (DfE). We call these organisations ‘lead providers’.

The law allows Ofsted to inspect or visit lead providers that are providing professional development and training that falls within the Education and Inspections Act 2006.

In order to inspect or visit lead providers delivering the ECF and NPQ programmes, it is necessary for us to collect and process information about ECTs and NPQ participants and their performance. We collect this alongside the views of ECTs and NPQ participants, their trainers, induction tutors and mentors (where applicable), and other staff in their schools and at the lead provider. We use this information to help us make judgements and report on the quality of ECF training and NPQ professional development.

How we will use information about you

This section sets out how we will use data for different types of people.

I am an ECT or NPQ participant on an ECF training or NPQ professional development programme

Before an inspection or visit, we may collect information about you from your provider to help us prepare for and carry out inspections. We will also use this information to help produce our analysis and publications.

During an inspection or visit, inspectors will collect information about your training and professional development.

Inspectors will do this by meeting with you and your trainers, induction tutors and mentors (where applicable), and the leaders and managers at your delivery partners or schools and at your lead provider. Inspectors will also look at recruitment and training evidence. Inspectors will record their evidence based on what they see and are told. Inspectors may ask to take photographs, for example of your work. Inspectors will not take photographs of individuals.

Some of the information we collect may make it possible to identify a particular individual. We will not publish any information that could do this in our report or letter.

I work for a DfE-funded ECF/NPQ lead provider as a member of staff or as part of its leadership and management team

Before an inspection or visit, we collect information about the lead provider, including the contact details of the individual(s) nominated by the lead provider. We use this data to contact the lead provider and share information with them.

During an inspection or visit, inspectors will record evidence about what they are told and what they see about the training and professional development of ECTs and NPQ participants. We do not normally keep records of the names of teaching and/or training staff.

Any report or letter we publish will include the name of the lead provider. Reports for full inspections will comment on the effectiveness of leadership and management and the quality of professional development and training. Letters will comment on the effectiveness of leadership and management.

I work for a delivery partner or school involved in the lead provider ECF induction or NPQ professional development programme

During an inspection or visit, inspectors will collect information about delivery partners, schools, leaders and managers, trainers, induction tutors and mentors (where applicable), for example names and contact details. This is to help us prepare for and carry out inspections.

Inspectors will use this information to talk to these individuals about their experiences with ECTs and NPQ participants and the delivery of the ECF training or NPQ professional development. Inspectors may record notes of these discussions to help them with the inspection.

Some of the information we collect may make it possible to identify a particular individual. We will not publish any information that identifies an individual in the report or letter.

Types of personal data that we might hold

We process a range of personal data because we inspect the delivery of ECF training and NPQ professional development programmes in England. We will not publish any information that could identify an individual or record any names in the inspection evidence base. However, it may be possible for some people to be identified from the information we have recorded, either alone or in combination with other information.

The information we record about individuals may include:

• key staff names and responsibilities/employment status
• some names of ECTs and NPQ participants for focused review sampling
• ECTs’ and NPQ participants’ place of work, including addresses and unique reference numbers (URNs) for schools
• information about staff absence and other practical issues

The information we hold about ECTs and/or NPQ participants may also include:

• notes made by inspectors during the inspection
• information provided to us by others about the training and/or professional development

The information we hold about leaders and managers, trainers, induction tutors and mentors (where applicable) may include:

• names and contact details
• records of joint observations of teaching and feedback to ECTs and/or NPQ participants that have been carried out by leaders and managers (at delivery partners, schools or at the lead provider), trainers, induction tutors and mentors (where applicable)

Who we might share personal data with

In certain circumstances and if it is connected with our work, section 118 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 allows us share personal data with the DfE.

We may also share personal data if required to do so by law.

How long we keep personal data and how we decide this

We will keep information collected before an inspection for the purpose of inspection planning for at least 1 year.

We will initially keep inspection evidence for 6 months after completing an inspection for the purposes of quality assurance. This may be longer if there has been a complaint about the inspection or legal action in connection with it.

We can also keep inspection evidence for a total of 6 years (including the initial 6 months) for the purpose of carrying out research and evaluation.

Where the personal data comes from

As well as information recorded by our inspectors, we receive information, such as contact details, from the DfE about lead providers and participants and about the delivery network.

We may also receive complaints about lead providers through our contact centre, emails, written correspondence, social media, online forms, referrals from other internal teams or from inspection activity. We may also receive complaints about lead providers from the DfE.

The legal requirement to give us information

Individuals and organisations are subject to certain legal requirements to provide information to Ofsted.

Ofsted has powers to carry out ECF and NPQ inspections under section 126 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006. We have powers of entry to any premises on which the education or training is provided, including delivery partners, and powers to ‘inspect, take copies of, or take away any documents relating to the education or training’ under sections 131 and 132.

These powers also enable our inspectors to inspect computers and other devices that may hold such information.

Your rights and contacting Ofsted

For more about your rights and how to get in touch with us about the information we hold, view the Ofsted personal information charter.