Transparency data

Privacy information: development of AI tools

Published 14 March 2024

Applies to England

This privacy notice explains how the Department for Education (DfE) uses any personal data you give us or any we may collect about you or your child. It should be read alongside the DfE personal information charter.

For the purposes of relevant data protection legislation, DfE is the data controller for personal data processed by or as part of this activity.

For this project, DfE is working with stakeholders to develop a number of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and products that may be used by the education sector.

You may wish to request:

• more details about how we process your personal data
• more details about your data protection rights
• a copy of your information
• that your information be changed

If so, you can contact us by:

• using our secure online contact form
• writing to:

Data Protection Officer
Department for Education (B2.28)
7-8 Wellington Place
Wellington Street
Leeds
LS1 4AW

The kinds of personal data we process about you

When we ask you for personal data, we’ll:

• tell you the reasons we’re asking for it
• only ask for the information we need
• make sure we don’t keep it for longer than necessary
• protect it and make sure only the appropriate people have access to it
• let you know if we’ll share it with other organisations
• keep it up to date, where necessary
• consider privacy risks when we’re planning to change the way we use or hold it
• train our staff to ensure we use and protect it properly

In return, we ask you to:

• give us accurate information
• tell us as soon as possible if there are any changes

We may process the following types of personal data about you or your child:

• basic personal details, such as name, age or contact details
• items of work produced as part of this activity

How and why we use your personal data

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is legitimate interest, under article 6(1)(f) of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

How long we’ll keep your personal data for

We’ll only keep your personal data for as long as we need it. DfE has a disposal schedule based on the needs of the department and the law.

We’ll take necessary steps to keep your information safe. It will be securely destroyed when it’s no longer needed.

If you want to know how long we keep your information for, you can write to the DfE Departmental Records Officer using our secure online contact form.

Storing personal data outside the UK

When DfE stores personal data outside the UK, we’ll make sure we comply with data protection law and take additional steps to keep it safe. This may include additional technical or security arrangements, contractual agreements and data-sharing agreements.

Your data protection rights

We’re relying on legitimate interest for this processing. This means you have:

• the right to be informed about the collection and use of your personal information – this is called the ‘right to be informed’
• the right to ask us for copies of the personal information we have about you – this is called the ‘right of access’, and is also known as a subject access request (SAR), data subject access request (DSAR) or right of access request (RAR)
• the right to ask us to change any information you think is not accurate or complete – this is called the ‘right to rectification’
• the right to ask us to delete your personal information – this is called the ‘right to erasure’
• the right to ask us to stop using your information – this is called the ‘right to restriction of processing’
• the ‘right to object to processing’ of your information in certain circumstances
• rights in relation to automated decision-making and profiling
• the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you feel we’ve not used your information in the right way

How to make an SAR

You have the right to ask for access to your personal information. You can do this by making an SAR. The DfE personal information charter gives further details.

To make an SAR, you can use the DfE contact form.

You can also make an SAR by writing to:

Data Protection Officer
Department for Education
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD

Include as much detail as you can about the information you need and the years you need it for. If possible, tell us which part of DfE holds the information. You’ll also need to tell us your telephone number and address.

We may need to check your identity and your right to access the information you’re requesting. This means we may ask for a copy of the identification pages of your passport or photo driving licence, and proof of your current address.

We’ll try to respond to your request within one month. However, if your request is complex, it may take a further 2 months. We’ll tell you if that’s the case.

How to complain

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can complain to DfE.

Write to:

Data Protection Officer
Department for Education (B2.28)
7-8 Wellington Place
Wellington Street
Leeds
LS1 4AW

If you’re unhappy about how we’ve used your personal information, you can also complain to the ICO.

Write to:            

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Changes to this privacy notice

We may change this privacy notice, so we encourage you to check it from time to time.