Privacy information: education providers’ workforce, including teachers

Question 1

1. Using your data to fund learning, including apprenticeships

Accepted Answer

1.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can fund learning in the following educational settings:

schools
academies
colleges
adult education training providers
teacher training
apprenticeships

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

When we use your special category data it is because we have a substantial public interest under article 9(2)(g) of UK GDPR.

1.2 Data we collect

We need enough information to work out how much funding is required. Funding is calculated based upon the numbers of learners in each educational setting and if they have needs which need additional funding.

To do this, we require information from educational settings or local authorities about learners. Find out more from:

We also require the following information about the workforce in schools, academies, colleges or training providers:

personal contact details of employees and staff members – name, address, email address and phone numbers
IP address
Teacher Pension (TPS) number (for Music Hub organisations only)

We collect special category data, including information about:

ethnicity and gender
disability, if applicable

1.3 What we do with your data

We use the data to work out how much funding is required and to publish statistics on funding.

We use your personal information to determine whether a provider is entitled to claim funding from DfE. For example, some learning will not be eligible for state funding because the programme of learning, or an element of it, has already been achieved by the learner.

For security purposes, we collect the IP addresses of people visiting the DfE data collection forms on our websites. This enables users to use the service and receive updates. If we were receiving continuous direct denial of service attacks from an IP address range, we could block the IP address. We will not share the IP address with any other parties.

We sometimes need to make personal data available to other organisations. These might include contracted partners or other organisations with which we need to share your personal data for specific purposes.

Where we need to share your personal data with others, we ensure that this data sharing complies with data protection legislation. For example, in order to assess funding applications, we may need to share your personal data with:

the National Schools Commissioner (NSC)
Regional Schools Commissioners (RSC)
DfE-funded educational experts and their teams
DfE-contracted external assessors, if appropriate

Using your data when we share your personal information has more details.

1.5 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information:

for 7 years for funding or financial purposes
until 31 December 2034, if the learning is funded by the European Social Fund
for 12 years from the point of a Deed’s expiry, if your personal information is included in any legal agreement classified as a Deed

Find out about your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

1.7 Data processors

DfE uses a data processor for the following activities:

the adult education and apprenticeship data that training providers send to DfE
the National Education Nature Park and Climate Action Awards programme – their privacy notice has details
most of the personal data that schools or multi-academy trusts collect, store and use, they are the data controller - however, if a school needs to supply a copy of personal data to DfE, DfE becomes an independent data controller of the copy it receives

Question 2

2. Using your data to fund school, academy or college buildings

Accepted Answer

2.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can provide funding for school, academy or college buildings

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

2.2 Data we collect

We need enough information to work out how much funding is required for school, academy or college buildings.

We require the following information about the workforce in schools, academies or colleges:

personal contact details for the staff member

2.3 What we do with your data

We use the data to fund school, academy or college buildings and to publish statistics on funding.

For security purposes, we collect the IP addresses of people visiting the DfE data collection forms on our websites. This enables users to use the service and receive updates. If we were receiving continuous direct denial of service attacks from an IP address range, we could block the IP address. We will not share the IP address with any other parties.

2.4 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for:

7 years for funding or financial purposes
12 years from the point of a Deed’s expiry, if your personal information is included in any legal agreement classified as a Deed

Find out about your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

2.6 Data processors

Training providers are data processors for the adult education and apprenticeship data that they send to DfE

Schools or multi-academy trusts are the data controller for most of the information they collect, store and use. However, if a school is required to supply a copy of some personal data to the department, DfE also becomes an independent data controller of the copy it receives.

Question 3

3. Using your data to ensure the protection of public funds by preventing and detecting fraud

Accepted Answer

3.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can protect public funds by preventing and detecting fraud.

The lawful basis we rely on we rely on for processing your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

When we use your special category data it is because we have a substantial public interest under article 9(2)(g) of UK GDPR.

3.2 Data we collect

We use your personal data to ensure schools, academies, colleges, sixth forms, adult education training providers and apprenticeships have received the correct funding.

To do this we collect the following information from your educational setting or local authority about you:

personal contact details
date of birth
data and information about your learning, including your courses and assessments

We collect special category data including details about your:

equality, diversity and inclusion information
health

Full details about how we process special category data are given in the DfE appropriate policy document.

3.3 What we do with your data

We use your data to investigate suspected fraud or financial irregularity.

Find out more on how to report fraud or financial irregularity.

When fraud is identified, your personal data will be shared by us as necessary for the purposes of preventing and detecting fraud. It will be shared with fraud prevention and law enforcement agencies, such as the Police and the National Crime Agency.

3.5 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for 7 years after legal proceedings have been completed.

Find out about your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

3.7 Data processors

The National Audit Office (NAO) audits the DfE accounts, to analyse public spending and to improve our services. The NAO is a controller for your personal data that they process.

Question 4

4. Using your data to process expense claims

Accepted Answer

4.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so that we can process expense claims that you submit to DfE for expenses. These could be incurred for example, while attending a DfE stakeholder or user group, advisory board, DfE research session or DfE programme.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is legal obligation, under article 6(1)(c) of the UK GDPR.

4.2 Data we collect

We need enough information to process the expense claim:

your name
your bank account details
your telephone number or email address (in case of queries)

4.3 What we do with your data

We use the data to:

check, verify and validate the expense claim details
process payments to the nominated bank account

We are also required to share this information with the National Audit Office for auditing purposes.

4.4 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information:

for 7 years for funding and financial purposes
until 31 December 2034, if the expense is funded by the European Social Fund

Find out about your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of legal obligation task.

4.6 Data processors

We do not use any data processors for this processing activity.

Question 5

5. Using your data when you claim additional payments for teaching

Accepted Answer

5.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can increase the recruitment and retention of teachers.

Additional payments for teaching: eligibility and payment details has more information.

The Teacher Payment Service Delivery System (Claim) encompasses three legacy schemes and 3 new schemes:

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

5.2 Data we collect

We receive your personal data directly from you when you submit it:

to claim a payment
when contacting us for support using the service
to leave feedback or for any other matters
in response to our evaluations of the effectiveness of the service

If you make a claim, we will collect your personal information including:

your name, postal address, email and your phone number when you contact us
your email address if you include it with feedback to us on the service or agree to be contacted for user research purposes
your teacher reference number (TRN) to verify your claim
we collect the IP addresses of people visiting the additional payments for teaching website for security reasons

DfE will also need additional information to process payments in accordance with the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax rules:

National Insurance number
bank account details
name
address
date of birth
payroll gender
passport number (international relocation payments only)

5.3 What we do with your data

DfE will use your name and personal information for the purposes of:

providing support with your claim
informing you of future opportunities to claim
evaluating the effectiveness of the service and the policy
verifying your eligibility to claim
process payments to the nominated bank account

For security purposes, we collect the IP addresses of people visiting the DfE data collection forms on our websites. This enables users to use the service and receive updates. If we were receiving continuous direct denial of service attacks from an IP address range, we could block the IP address. We will not share the IP address with any other parties.

We sometimes need to make personal data available to other organisations. These might include contracted partners (who we have employed to process your personal data on our behalf) or other organisations (with which we need to share your personal data for specific purposes).

We will check information in your application with:

the school you are currently employed to teach at
the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA)’s database of qualified teachers
Teachers’ Pensions

To process your claim we will compare the information you have provided with records kept on Teachers’ Pensions, DfE teaching records and the TRA’s database of qualified teachers. This is so we can validate your claim.

Your information is also shared with HMRC for the purposes of processing claims for student loan repayments and paying Income Tax and National Insurance contributions on your behalf. The information we share is explained to you at each stage in the application process.

Where we need to share your personal data with others, we ensure that this data sharing complies with data protection legislation.

When we share your personal information has more details.

5.5 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for the academic year in which your claim was submitted and then securely deleted. DfE or its delivery partners will never keep your personal data longer than we need it - however, for the purpose of delivery of the service, your email address and TRN will be retained for the lifetime of the service.

Find out about your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

5.7 Data processors

DfE does not use a data processor for this activity.

Question 6

6. Using your data so we can support your teaching career

Accepted Answer

6.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can support your teaching career.

DfE has several services to support teaching as a career. This includes:

Publish teacher training courses (Publish)
Find postgraduate teacher training (Find)
Apply for teacher training (Apply)
Manage teacher training applications (Manage)
Register trainee teachers (Register)
Claim funding for mentor training (Claims)
Manage school placements (Placements)

DfE uses or receives data from third parties, for these services:

Database of Qualified Teachers (DQT)
Get information about schools (GIAS)

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

When we use your special category data it is because we have a substantial public interest under article 9(2)(g) of UK GDPR.

6.2 Data we collect

DfE collects and uses the following personal information:

full name
address
email
date of birth
mobile number, if applicable
National Insurance number, if applicable
TRN, if applicable

We collect and use the following special category data:

gender
nationality
equality and diversity information

6.3 What we do with your data

We use your data to process your application for training or vacancies, including visiting teachers’ programmes.

When processing candidate applications, we use it to:

send your job applications and references to providers, schools or hiring staff
manage communications between you and providers, schools or hiring staff
manage communications between providers and people who give references

When processing training opportunities, we use it to:

work out any funding you are entitled to
send your application or registration details to teacher training providers and the early career framework
record a timeline of your activity so you can review trainee progress

For all processing activities, we use it to:

get in touch if there’s a security issue concerning your data
get in touch with you and providers, schools or hiring staff about your applications or reference
analyse application and service usage data
get in touch with you to ask if you would like to participate in user research
validate TRNs
keep a record of teachers with qualified teacher status (QTS), including professional skills test outcomes
find a lost TRN
tell you about resources to help you get a teaching job

The Get Into Teaching privacy notice has more details.

6.4 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal data for as long as you use our teaching vacancy and training services. We will keep it for no longer than 7 years after you stop using these services.

The TRA keeps teacher records for the lifetime of a teacher. In most cases, we delete records following receipt of a valid date of death from approved sources.

Find out about your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

6.6 Data processors

We do not use any data processors for this processing activity

Question 7

7. Using your data when undertaking early career framework (ECF) induction training

Accepted Answer

7.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can process your application for early career framework (ECF) induction training.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

7.2 Data we collect

Your employer is required to organise your ECF induction training and will be required to provide this information to DfE.

DfE collects and uses your personal information including your:

contact information – name and email address
date of birth
teacher reference number (TRN)
National Insurance number

7.3 What we do with your data

When processing your information, we:

send your contact details and teacher reference number (TRN) to ECF training providers
validate your teacher reference number (TRN)
work out any funding you are eligible for
contact your employer and ECF training providers about your training progression
determine the outcome of your induction
compare your data to other data we hold
get in touch if there is a security issue concerning your data

We use your data to run and improve our services. We may contact you about taking part in user research and look at any feedback you share – for example, through website surveys.

We have a data sharing agreement with ECF training providers so they can only use your data to:

process ECF registrations and applications, which may include contacting you
report your training progress and circumstances to receive appropriate contractual payments
get statistics for internal use
contact you if there is a security issue concerning your data

7.5 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for up to 6 months after we have completed processing the data.

Find out about your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

7.7 Data processors

When you are registered for ECF induction training, you are assigned an ECF training provider by your employer. We share your data with the chosen provider. If you change your employment to a different school, you may be required to continue your ECF induction training with a different ECF training provider. We will also share your data with that provider.

Question 8

8. Using your data when we promote career development to you

Accepted Answer

8.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can promote teaching opportunities, career development or learning opportunities.

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

8.2 Data we collect

DfE collects and uses the following personal information:

full name
address
email
mobile number, if applicable

DfE may purchase mailing lists to support these DfE campaigns.

8.3 What we do with your data

We use your personal information for inspiration campaigns that promote and encourage uptake of learning.

The Get Into Teaching privacy notice for more details.

8.4 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for 5 years from the date of the campaign.

Find out about your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of legitimate interest.

You have the right to opt out of these messages. If you do not want to receive these messages, click on the ‘unsubscribe’ link in the email. Alternatively, let us know using our contact form and state the title of the email message.

8.6 Data processors

DfE uses contractors to process our communications campaigns - for example, creative agencies or PR agencies

Question 9

9. Using your data when we create case studies about you

Accepted Answer

9.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can write case studies to demonstrate the benefits of learning, like case studies about apprentices. DfE apprenticeship campaigns are aimed at 14- to 19-year-olds. These could be written, audio or video case studies.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is consent, under article 6(1)(a) of the UK GDPR. 

When we use your special category data it is because you have given your explicit consent under article 9(2)(a) of UK GDPR.

At any time, you can tell us you no longer want us to use your data, see the your rights section for more information.

DfE processes your personal data in relation to filming, photography or audio recordings on the basis of your consent. This consent is for a specific purpose and your media will not be used for any other purpose. Should we wish to use it for a different purpose we will contact you and ask for your consent for the new purpose. This includes content that will be posted across some or all of our social media channels - our social media use policy has more details.

By signing the filming, photography and audio recordings consent form, you are agreeing that we can record, process and publish your image, words or voice in both printed and digital form as applicable. This is for the creation of internal and external promotional and follow-up communications material.

Further information on rights and the ways in which your data may be used are contained in the filming, photography and audio recordings consent form.

9.2 Data we collect

DfE collect and use the following personal information directly from you:

full name
address
email
mobile number
date of birth

We collect and use the following special category data:

ethnicity
disability, if applicable
gender

Full details about how we process special category data are given in the DfE appropriate policy document.

9.3 What we do with your data

We use your personal information to create case studies that are used to promote apprenticeships. These may be published in magazines on websites and social media. DfE also use case studies for TV and YouTube advertisements.

We provide information, insight and engagement to influence a range of stakeholders through members’ individual experience and story of an apprenticeship.

9.4 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for 5 years from when you sign off the case study.

The DfE social media channels are captured by The National Archives as a permanent record of DfE’s social media channels.

9.5 Your information rights under UK GDPR

Find out about  your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of consent.

As we are processing your personal data with your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent, by using our contact form. You can withdraw your consent up until the case study is published. You can ask DfE to cease publication of your image, words or voice on its social media channels. If you do so, DfE will not publish further social media posts featuring this content, but it is not obligated to remove or delete existing posts.

9.6 Data processors

DfE uses a data processor (like a PR company) to collect data for our case studies.

Question 10

10. Using your data when you use the Apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England service

Accepted Answer

10.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can run the Apply for qualified teacher status (QTS) service. This QTS service allows international teachers to check whether they might be eligible to receive qualified teacher status (QTS) in England.

The lawful basis we rely on for the processing of your personal data is article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

When we use your sensitive or special category data, the reason we use it is because we have a substantial public interest (with a basis in law) under article 9(2)(g) of UK GDPR.

10.2 Data we collect

DfE does not collect any personal data about you when you check if you’re eligible to apply.

DfE collect and use the following personal information directly from you when you make an application for QTS in England:

given name
family name
any previous names (if required)
date of birth
email address
your work history as a teacher

We collect the following special category data:

nationality

DfE collect and use the following personal information about your referees to support the TRA obtaining work references:

referee name
referee contact email address
your name
your email address
school name, city and job role

We collect sensitive information on suitability concerns, such as any concerns raised by your referee.

10.3 What we do with your data

For the Apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England service we use your data for the following reasons.

Processing applications

This includes:

reviewing your personal data and references to make a decision about your application for QTS
reviewing any further information that we request from you, your referees or third parties
getting in touch with school leaders you’ve named and third parties to verify information (for example, to confirm details of your work history)
getting in touch if there’s a security issue concerning your data
getting in touch with you to ask if you’d like to participate in user research
analysing application and service usage data

Safeguarding and fraud

To safeguard children and detect fraudulent activity on our services, it may be necessary to share information about you with other services and teams in DfE and the TRA who may share information with external organisations (including those overseas).

We may reach out to other third parties to verify or gain further information about concerns raised to us. For example, we may need to share information about you with government departments, local authorities, law enforcement agencies, or competent authorities overseas.

This list is not exhaustive, as it depends on the type of information we receive about you.

We hold suitability information - for example, concerns raised to us about the suitability of applicants to teach. This information is used to assess if you meet our criteria ‘to be eligible and suitable to teach’.

Processing references

This includes getting in touch:

if there’s a security issue concerning your data
with you to ask if you’d like to participate in user research
with you and third parties about your reference

We also analyse reference and service usage data.

If you’re awarded QTS

If you’re awarded QTS, you’ll be added to the database of registered teachers in England. Your data is then subject to the privacy policy of that service. This will be a permanent record.

They’ll add the following data to the database of qualified teachers:

first name
last name
date of birth
email address
details of your qualifications and training
your teacher status

Building a better QTS application process

We use some user data to improve our services. For example, we’ll look at any feedback you give us about our services so we can improve them.

We ask if you’d like to participate in research and will only contact you if you have provided us with your email address. Your participation in research will help us improve our services and policies. You do not have to participate, and choosing to participate or not will not affect your application in any way.

Getting insight to make government policy better

We’ll analyse your data to help us inform government policy around teacher recognition, recruitment and retention. When we do, we’ll anonymise your personal information so you cannot be identified.

We need to share personal data for the purpose of awarding QTS.

We share applicant data with people who can confirm their work history as a teacher, to help them identify these applicants.

The personal data we share includes:

the applicant’s name
date of birth
any identifying reference or registration numbers

We share applicant data with organisations that can validate applicant qualifications or professional standing as a teacher.

This could include relevant teaching regulators and academic awarding institutions (including universities and teacher training bodies)

The personal data we share includes:

the applicant’s name
date of birth
any identifying reference or registration numbers

10.5 How long we keep your data

The length of time we keep your personal information depends on the reason it was collected. For example:

who has checked their eligibility and what outcome they got - 2 years
the application form - 5 years
the database of qualified teachers - the active lifetime of a teacher
if you email us to ask us for help - 6 months
information about suitability concerns - up to 50 years

Find out about  your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of legitimate interest.

10.7 Data processors

DfE uses a data processor when we for the purposes of providing this service.

Question 11

11. Using your data when you access Register trainee teachers (Register)

Accepted Answer

11.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can run the Register trainee teachers (‘Register’) service.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

When we use your special category data it is because we have a substantial public interest under article 9(2)(g) of UK GDPR.

11.2 Data we collect

DfE collect and use the following personal information:

name
email address
IP address

We collect and use the following special category data:

gender
nationality
equality and diversity information

Full details about how we process special category data are given in the DfE appropriate policy document.

11.3 What we do with your data

We collect your name and email address so that we can:

enable you to access the Register service
validate your role in your organisation
send important updates about the service
get in touch with you about any queries you raise
ask if you would like to take part in user research
record a timeline of your activity so that you can review trainee progress
create log files of your activity and any error messages you come across

We collect your IP address to help us make improvements to the service.

We may use your IP address to understand how you used these services If you use other digital services for which the data controller is also DfE - for example:

a member of initial teacher training (ITT) provider staff uses Manage Teacher Training Applications
a trainee uses a Get Into Teaching service while applying to become a teacher

This allows us to ensure that public funds are being spent effectively.

We share your anonymised personal data so we can analyse the ITT process, its operation and any strategic or policy related studies on behalf of DfE.

We anonymise all trainee teacher personal data if we need to share it with third parties. This is so you cannot be identified.

We will only share your anonymised data where data protection laws allow it, or there is a legal requirement to share it.

11.5 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for 7 years.

Find out about your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

Data processors

DfE uses a data processor to run and improve Register trainee teachers:

we share your data with our data processors (ITT providers) for the provision of this service
we use Zendesk to manage and respond to your queries in our customer service management systems

JISC is an independent data controller. Find out more about how Jisc processes your personal data as an Independent Controller.

Question 12

12. Using your data to create your unique learner number and your personal learning record

Accepted Answer

12.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can create your unique learner number (ULN).

Your ULN is a unique 10-digit number. Most learners aged over 14 have one. It’s designed to work with your personal learning record (PLR) as proof of your learning and achievements.

Your PLR is a permanent online record of your qualifications and achievements.

The PLR includes:

learning funded by DfE
learning that is not funded by DfE, such as learning that is funded by you or training provider - your training provider can send us details of this non-funded learning

The lawful basis we rely on for processing your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

12.2 Data we collect

To create your personal learning record and your unique learner number, we collect information from schools, academies, colleges and training providers, including your:

first name, or if more than one, each first name
surname, and former surname, if known
preferred surname
gender
date of birth
current unique pupil number, and previous unique pupil number, if applicable
unique learner number

However, to enable us to confidently match learners to their records, DfE collects additional information to distinguish between learners and verify accuracy. This information includes:

email address
date of address capture
last known address
last known address county or city
school at age 16
family name at 16
Unique Candidate Number (UCI)
place of birth
Scottish candidate number, if applicable

We collect this information for awarding organisations (the organisation that awards your qualification), to verify your data:

learner date of birth
learner gender
learner post code

12.3 What we do with your data

We use your information to create a unique learner number (ULN) and a personal learning record (PLR). These enable us to record your learning achievements. They also enable learning and training providers to claim public funds for your learning and provide advice and guidance on:

career progression
employment opportunities
next steps in learning

Find out how to access your personal learning record.

We store your ULN and PLR information in learning records service (LRS).

12.4 How long we keep your data

The PLR is a lifetime record of achievement for all learners. Learners are unlikely to return to learning after the age of 80, so all data in LRS will be kept for a minimum of 5 years from their latest learning event, or until the individuals 80th birthday (whichever is longer).

Find out about  your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

12.6 Data processors

DfE uses a training provider that processes data about learners on behalf of the DfE.

For most of the personal data schools or the multi-academy trusts collect, store and use, they are the data controller. However, if a school is required to supply a copy of some personal data to the department, DfE also becomes an independent data controller of the copy it receives.

Question 13

13. Using your data when you register to deliver T Levels or complete the T Level data collection or submit a Capacity and Delivery Fund (CDF) monitoring return

Accepted Answer

13.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can:

allow you to access the form on DfE sign in
send you an email confirmation on submission
enable us to contact you if there are any questions about your data or registration
provide the outcome of the registration
contact you for the purpose of providing T Level planning, industry placement or delivering T Levels support
enable key partners or contractors to contact you for evaluation purposes

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is to perform our public task under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

13.2 Data we collect

DfE collect and use the following personal information:

your full name (person completing the form)
email address (person completing the form)
your telephone number (person completing the form)
the organisation you work for
the names of your head of organisation and T Levels or CDF lead
email address of your head of organisation and T Levels or CDF lead
telephone number of your head of organisation and T Levels or CDF lead

13.3 What we do with your data

The T Level registration data is used to:

assess eligibility to determine whether a provider can deliver T Levels
feed into T Level planning and ministerial reporting
check eligibility for planning support to prepare to deliver T Levels and T Level Foundation Year programmes

T Level data collection form data is used to:

monitor the planned delivery of T Levels and report to ministers
support you by working with employers to generate offers of industry placements in T Level and geographic areas where our providers are operating
consider whether T Level delivery funding or specialist equipment funding is available to support T Level delivery

CDF data collection is used to:

monitor CDF industry placement delivery and make decisions about funding
monitor the use of the funding to ensure it has been used for the purposes intended

We sometimes need to make personal data available to other organisations. These might include contracted partners (who we have employed to process your personal data on our behalf) and/or other organisations (with whom we need to share your personal data for specific purposes).

We will share your information with the Association of Colleges, the Education and Training Foundation, and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education so they can provide you with information on the support packages available.

For T Level data collection, we share information on potential student take-up of individual T Levels with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education and awarding organisations.

Where we need to share your personal data with others, we ensure that this data sharing complies with data protection legislation.

13.5 How long we keep your data

We will keep information submitted for up to 10 years past the end of the financial year in which your return was made, to support financial audit requirements.

Find out about  your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

13.7 Data processors

We do not use any data processors for this processing activity.

Question 14

14. Using your data to contact you for research or feedback on services we provide to you

Accepted Answer

14.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can

undertake research to learn how you interact with our services and to support our operational development and delivery.
make improvements to the services we offer to you to measure the impact and effectiveness of each of our services, programmes or events

We do this through surveys, public consultations and feedback about our help desks.

We will always seek your permission to take part in any research.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

14.2 Data we collect

We collect and use the information you provide directly to us when you contact us, attend one of our programmes or events or use our digital services or helpdesk. We collect your:

full name
email address
phone number

14.3 What we do with your data

We use your data to:

make improvements to the services we offer to you
develop policy
develop new services
contact you to invite you to participate in research that is relevant to you

You are under no obligation to participate in any research we invite you to. We will not contact you about research using your data if you tell us not to.

Using your data to gather evidence for policy development and delivery has more information on how we process your personal information during research.

14.4 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information until 2 years after the end of the survey or research. We keep a record of you being contacted for feedback for 5 years.

Find out about your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

14.6 Data processors

DfE uses a data processor to:

provide our service desk
contact you for feedback or to take part in research

Question 15

15. Using your data to gather evidence for policy development, evaluation and delivery

Accepted Answer

15.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can undertake research and surveys to gather evidence to support our policy development and delivery. Having this evidence is important when improving outcomes for children, young people, families and adults.

The lawful basis we rely on for processing your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR. When we use your special category data it is because we have a substantial public interest under article 9(2)(g) of UK GDPR.

Sometimes we link your survey responses to other government-held data, the lawful basis for this processing is ‘consent’ under article 6(1)(a) of the UK GDPR. If you have agreed that we can link your survey responses to other government-held data, we are undertaking this processing with your consent.

15.2 Data we collect

We collect and use the following personal information directly from you or your education provider:

your full name
email address
phone number
your date of birth
your address

When we use your special category data it is because we have a substantial public interest and you have given your ethical consent to participate in the research. As part of our research we may need to collect information about your:

heath or disability
racial or ethnic origin
gender

We also collect sensitive information about your:

socioeconomic classification
caring responsibilities

Full details about how we process special category data are given in the DfE appropriate policy document and in the research information sheet. You will be given this research information sheet at the start of the research.

15.3 What we do with your data

We will use your personal information for research that DfE undertakes to provide high-quality evidence to inform policy development and delivery.

Sometimes we link your survey responses to other government-held data, the lawful basis for this processing is ‘consent’. At any time, you can tell us you no longer want us to link your data to other data. You can do this by using our contact form.

We will publish a summary of the research and the full research report. Your responses may be attributed to an organisation where this information has been provided but our publications will not contain any personal data. DfE will anonymise or desensitise the data where possible.

Research reports published since May 2010 are available on GOV.UK.

Research published before May 2010 is available from The National Archives.

Research at DfE and parent, pupil and learner panel omnibus surveys has more information.

15.4 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information until 12 months after the end of the survey or research.

Your data received as part of our User Research will be retained for 2 years.

Find out about  your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task or consent.

If you have agreed that we can link your survey responses to other government-held data, we are undertaking this processing with your consent. You have the right to withdraw that consent up until the data is analysed for the publication. If you change your mind, or you are unhappy with our use of your personal data, contact DfE and state the project or initiative name. Further information on rights and the ways in which your data may be used are contained in the research consent form.

15.6 Data processors

DfE uses a data processor to:

Question 16

16. Using your data to take part in our stakeholder or user groups

Accepted Answer

16.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can manage various user or stakeholder groups that enable us to receive feedback and evidence to support our policy development and delivery, as well as data developments, analysis and research findings.

The lawful basis we rely on for processing your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

16.2 Data we collect

We collect and use personal information including your:

full name
job role
email address
phone number
date of birth
address

16.3 What we do with your data

We’ll use your personal information to manage the stakeholder and user groups, including circulating meeting invites, agendas, meeting documents and meeting minutes.

16.4 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal data for 10 years, as it supports our policy making.

Find out about  your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

16.6 Data processors

DfE uses a data processor to work on behalf of DfE to undertake the research. DfE uses contractors to do this. Our contractors will receive your personal data directly from you during the survey.

Question 17

17. Using your data to take part in our consultations

Accepted Answer

17.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can hold public consultations to develop our policies, programmes and guidance.

The lawful basis we rely on for processing your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

17.2 Data we collect

We collect and use the following personal information:

your full name
your job role
your address
email address
phone number
IP address

17.3 What we do with your data

We’ll use your personal information when gathering feedback from our public consultations.

Information provided in response to consultations, including personal information, may be subject to publication or disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Data Protection Act 2018 or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

If you want all or any part of a response to be treated as confidential, explain why in the relevant section of the consultation response.

17.4 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal data for 10 years, as it supports our policy making.

Find out about your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

17.6 Data processors

DfE uses Delib to manage our public consultations - Delib’s website enables you to provide feedback on the documents

Question 18

18. Using your data to protect learners

Accepted Answer

18.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can protect learners.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

18.2 Data we collect

DfE collects information from educational settings, local authorities, your employer and other government departments to safeguard children and adults. We collect and use the following personal information:

name and contact details of the person reporting or involved in the safeguarding case

18.3 What we do with your data

We use your personal information to support these children, young people and adults, and to monitor their progress.

We’ll use your personal information to:

keep pupils or learners safe from potential harm
identifying issues and providing support for mental and physical health issues
prevent extremism in the education system - DfE works to ensure children and young people are not exposed to extremists and extremist messages

The TRA is an executive agency of DfE. TRA regulates the teaching profession in England and investigate cases of serious misconduct. If you are a witness or potential witness within a teacher misconduct investigation, TRA processes your information to investigate allegations of serious misconduct.

We may share your personal data with other organisations where DfE and its executive agencies are notified of an issue regarding safeguarding of children and young people.

Other people and organisations may also share personal data with DfE and its executive agencies, for example, when they make a complaint or raise a concern with us. This can include information shared in accordance with the statutory guidance:

This information will be used to investigate complaints and to ensure trusts and academies comply with the regulations (including Independent schools (Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014).

When we share your personal information has more details.

18.5 How long we keep your data

For safeguarding cases, we keep your personal information for 10 years after the date of the allegation, whichever is longer, and then it is reviewed.

TRA will only keep your personal data for as long as it needs to for the purpose of regulating the teaching profession - specifically up to 50 years after the closure of a case. After 50 years, it will be securely destroyed.

Find out about your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

18.7 Data processors

We do not use any data processors for this processing activity.

Question 19

19. Using your data to maintain lists of markers and coders

Accepted Answer

19.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can keep a list of individuals who may be interested in providing primary assessment marking or trialing and sampling coding services.

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

When we use your sensitive information, this is special category data. The reason we use it is because we have a substantial public interest under article 9(2)(g) of the UK GDPR.

19.2 Data we collect

DfE collects and uses the following personal information:

name and address
your job role
email address
date of birth
phone number
TRN
National Insurance number
bank account data

We also collect data on your recent teaching employment history, any connections you have to schools, and your qualifications and experience, where they are relevant to our work (for example, teaching qualifications and subjects taught).

Special category data processed:

gender
ethnicity
disability

Full details about how we process special category data are given in DfE’s appropriate policy document.

For markers recruited by Capita to mark key stage 2 tests, special category data, National Insurance numbers and pay and bank details are not shared with STA. The Capita Marker Privacy Notice has details.

Bank account data will only be processed by STA for services provided directly to us.

19.3 What we do with your data

We use your personal information so we can undertake marking for live primary assessments and coding for trialling and sampling. We maintain a register of individuals that have previously undertaken marking and coding services with us or our contracted partners.

We will process your data to contact you and invite you to mark, review or code our materials.

We share this data with our contracted partners that are responsible under contract to deliver marking, trialling, live national curriculum assessment services and coding services on our behalf or other organisations with which we need to share your personal data for specific purposes.

Our contracted partners will liaise with you regarding the marking and coding opportunities available.

If you enter into any agreements (for example, a temporary employment contract) with our contracted partners, the contracted partner will be the data controller for any personal data they process in connection with the services you provide to them.

19.5 How long we keep your data

If you have not provided any services to us or our contracted partners within the previous 3 years, your personal data contained within our register will be securely destroyed. If you provide services to us or our contracted partners within a 3-year rolling period, your personal data will remain on our register.

Where you enter into an agreement to provide services to us or our contracted partners, commercial and financial information relative to those services will be retained for 7 years, after which point it will be securely destroyed.

Find out about your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

19.7 Data processors

For this activity, DfE uses contracted providers to deliver the service.

Question 20

20. Using your data to undertake pupil assessments

Accepted Answer

20.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can DfE is responsible for the development and delivery of assessments for children in education between reception and the end of key stage 2.

The assessments include:

reception baseline assessment (RBA) supported by Baseline e-Portal (BeP)
key stage 1 and key stage 2 assessments
multiplication tables check (MTC) accessed through DfE sign-in
primary literacy and phonics assessment

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

Using your data to maintain a list of markers and coders has more information.

20.2 Data we collect

For assessments, DfE may collect and use the following personal information:

your name
your email address
your phone number

We will also use your data to contact you regarding any external moderation visits we may undertake at your local authority. The data we collect is:

name
email address
phone number
bank account details (where expenses need to be claimed for attendance to events or payment of contracted fees)

20.3 What we do with your data

For services run by STA or organisations working for DfE under contract, we use your personal information to set up a user account and send assessment update and reminder emails to schools.

For consultants contracted to undertake projects for teacher assessment (this includes individuals contracted directly and through the agency’s commercial partners) we use your data to:

keep you informed about developments within teacher assessment and moderation
recruit for future projects and events run by STA or contracted suppliers

The KS1 and 2 assessments system has a number of users including headteachers, school staff, local authorities, multi academy trusts and key stage 2 markers. They all have different reasons for logging into the system.

For example school representatives (headteachers and staff) will use the system to:

provide information to STA on pupils participating in key stage 1 and key stage 2 assessments such as:
- test orders, where required
- pupil registration
- access arrangements
access the system to view secure materials and pupil assessment results

Key stage 2 markers can access the system to manage their user accounts and view evaluation scores for their marking work.

We may sometimes need to make personal data available to the modified test agency we have employed to validate modified test orders on our behalf. We ensure that this sharing complies with data protection legislation and is done securely.

20.5 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for 7 years.

Find out about your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

20.7 Data processors

DfE uses a data processor to process your data for the key stage 1 and key stage 2 national curriculum assessments by our national curriculum contracted supplier.

The National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) is contracted by DfE to deliver the reception baseline assessment (RBA) through the Baseline ePortal. NFER collect personal data for school staff in order to communicate with schools, create user accounts and organise observation visits. Further information can be found in NFER’s Reception baseline assessment: staff data privacy notice.

Question 21

21. Using your data to carry out item validation trials

Accepted Answer

21.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can engage with our delivery partners (trialling agencies) to carry out key stage 1 and key stage 2 item validation trials (IVT) and technical pre-tests (TPT). Both the IVT and the TPT are known as trials.

The legal basis for processing the personal data used and collected during the trials is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

Participation in trialling for the national curriculum tests is statutory, regardless of whether the test being trialled is statutory or not. All schools drawn in the random samples are required to take part.

21.2 Data we collect

Trialling agencies will collect the following data for pupils who participate in the trials:

school names, and pupils’ names and dates of birth, which are used to cross check against pupil IDs and test data
item responses for the pupils selected to take part in the trials, to feed into analysis on test items in development and their suitability for inclusion in future national curriculum assessments

We collect special category data, this includes details about:

any access arrangements pupils may need for them to take part in the trials - this information is collected directly from the school through their secure school portal - only data that is needed to administer the tests will be collected

Trialling agencies will collect the following data for pupils who do not participate in the trials:

school names, and pupils’ names and dates of birth - this could be because a pupil is working below the overall standard of the tests, is unable to access the tests (even with the use of access arrangements) or is absent on test day

21.3 What we do with your data

STA will use the information from the trials to determine which questions are suitable, taking pupils’ background characteristics into account, for the purposes of developing appropriate tests for use nationally by other pupils in the future.

The results of the trials will not be published, and no individual school or pupil will be identified in any reports produced by STA or its trialling agencies.

STA has a data sharing agreement in place to provide its trialling agencies with the selected pupils’ names, gender and date of birth and school name. The sample is selected from information already stored by DfE and which was originally provided by schools as part of the autumn census.

The trials are completed by the selected pupils, and their completed scripts are returned to suppliers for coding.

For on-screen coding, completed questions are distributed anonymously to coders, so that no coder has access to pupil data.

For paper-based coding, the test script will include only the pupil’s name.

When coding is complete, item responses for each pupil are collated by trialling agencies and submitted to STA for further analysis.

21.5 How long we keep your data

Trialling agencies (the data processor) will securely dispose of the data after 6 months, in accordance with their agreement with STA.

Find out about your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

21.7 Data processors

DfE’s trialling agencies, as data processors, are responsible for securely storing and handling any personal data required to administer the trials

Question 22

22. Using your data to maintain lists of education sector contact details

Accepted Answer

22.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can maintain lists of:

contact details for schools, academies, colleges, training providers, apprenticeship employers, higher education, secure units, online providers, independent schools, British schools overseas, children’s centres and children’s centres linked sites, local authority nurseries, non-maintained special schools, service children’s education and special post 16 and children’s homes
contacts in local authorities
contacts for DfE programmes and services - for example, the staff wellbeing charter
safeguarding partner contacts
stakeholders, including unions, advisory boards and external bodies, such as Ofqual and Ofsted
teachers - more details in Using your data to maintain a list of teachers
school governors, trustees or proprietors
chief financial officer and the accounting officer for single-academy trusts, multi-academy trusts and secure single-academy trusts
honours nominations - the Privacy information relating to honours nominations has more details about the honours process

DfE publishes contact details for schools:

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

22.2 Data we collect

DfE collects and uses the following personal information:

name and address
job role
personal email address
phone number
date of birth, where applicable

In the case of contacts for budget forecast return, accounts return and land and buildings collection tool, we also collect individuals’ IP addresses to monitor use of the service and produce anonymised statistics to help us understand how easy our services are to use and how we can improve them. We use AppInsights software to collect information about how you use the academy trust data collections.

AppInsights processes information about:

the pages you visit on academy trust data collections
how long you spend on each academy trust data collections page
how you got to the site
what you click on while you’re visiting the site

22.3 What we do with your data

We use your personal information to ensure we have up-to-date contacts for the whole education sector in England. We use these contacts for our data collections and education sector governance.

22.4 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for 10 years for policy making.

For teachers, TRA will only keep your personal data for as long as it needs to for the purpose of regulating the teaching profession. This is specifically up to 50 years after the closure of a case. After 50 years, it will be securely destroyed. If we receive a valid date of death from Teachers’ Pensions, we will delete your record once 5 years have elapsed.

For data collected in relation to the budget forecast return, accounts return, and land and buildings collection tool, we retain these details for 12 months

Find out about your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

22.6 Data processors

We do not use any data processors for this processing activity.

Question 23

23. Using your data when we gather the fire safety survey results

Accepted Answer

23.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can collate data about fire safety.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is legal obligation, under article 6(1)(c) of the UK GDPR.

23.2 Data we collect

DfE collects and uses the following personal information:

name
address
email address
job title or position

23.3 What we do with your data

DfE:

uses your information to review estates of state-funded providers of education to ensure they meet fire safety standards
ensures there is no aluminium composite cladding on buildings used as residential accommodation for learners or on buildings above the government threshold that are used for discrete education and training

The Building Safety Programme has more information.

23.4 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for 5 years.

Find out about your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of legal obligation.

23.6 Data processors

We do not use any data processors for this processing activity.

Question 24

24. Using your data so we can support the regional advisory boards

Accepted Answer

24.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can support Advisory boards. These boards use knowledge, professional expertise and experience to consider proposals brought forward under the regional director’s decision-making framework and offer advice and challenge to the regional director to inform those decisions.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

24.2 Data we collect

DfE collects and uses the following personal information:

full name
address
email
mobile number, if applicable

24.3 What we do with your data

We use your personal information to manage the nine regional advisory boards, including circulating meeting invites, agendas, meeting documents and meeting minutes.

Membership of the regional boards is published on the advisory boards page.

24.4 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal data for 10 years, as it supports our policy making.

Find out about your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

24.6 Data processors

We do not use any data processors for this processing activity.

Question 25

25. Using your data to maintain a list of teachers

Accepted Answer

25.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can maintain the central list of teachers in England and provide access to it to teachers and relevant organisations.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

25.2 Data we collect

We receive your personal data from you and third parties, including:

accredited providers of initial teacher training (ITT), either directly or through Jisc (with which the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has merged)
appropriate bodies that quality assure the early career teacher (ECT) induction process
approved providers of mandatory qualifications for specialist teachers
approved providers of national professional qualifications (NPQs)
Teachers’ Pensions
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
other teaching regulators, including the:
- General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS)
- General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (GTCNI)
- Teaching Council Ireland and Education Workforce Council (EWC)

We hold and process personal data to support the delivery of our functions, which support education services and help to maintain public confidence in the teaching profession.

DfE collects and uses the following personal information:

personal identifiers (name, date of birth, National Insurance number, TRN)
contact information (email address, telephone number)
teacher status (QTS or early years teacher status (EYTS), induction status, ITT result)
qualifications (previous degrees)
supplementary teaching qualifications (mandatory qualifications, NPQs) - the section on NPQs has more information
decisions in relation to teaching in England (decisions, prohibitions, restrictions or sanctions)
·employment details (current employer)

If you did a:

course of ITT or a period of statutory induction prior to 2013, we may retain an electronic copy of paper records of any decisions in relation to these activities for historical enquiries
professional skills tests between 2001 and 2020 and went on to become a teacher, never became a teacher, or have subsequently left teaching, we retain electronic evidence recording the outcome of that test for historical enquiries

25.3 What we do with your data

We use your personal information:

to ensure we have up-to-date contacts for the whole education sector in England
to build and maintain a permanent central record of teachers in England - this allows us to award you QTS or EYTS and confirm you have passed induction
to provide teachers and other relevant persons with access to their qualification data held on our Access your teaching qualifications service - the identity account service allows teachers and other relevant persons to update their personal details within their personal records
for workforce analysis and administration – for example, to assist the management of funding initiatives and to support the delivery of training and development programmes.
when analysing activity within our services - your contact details are used by us, or organisations acting on our behalf, to support our work, including, but not limited to, communication exercises in relation to your ITT and ECT induction period, and the administration of the Teachers’ Pensions scheme
to contact you for research purposes - your participation in research or survey activity is entirely voluntary, and your personal data will remain secure and confidential

We sometimes need to make personal data available to other organisations, where the law allows it, or where there is a legal requirement.

We share this data through secure services and department helpdesks. We may discuss your information either directly with you or with other approved third parties by email. We ensure this sharing complies with data protection legislation. Not all your personal data is shared with every third party.

Employers within the education sector and organisations involved with the delivery of education services

We share personal data with these organisations, including:

schools
colleges
nurseries
local authorities
teacher supply agencies
Ofsted

This allows these organisations to check an individual is suitably qualified and has no restrictions against them in relation to teaching in England. This is compliant with Education Acts 2002 and 2011.

Approved providers and appropriate bodies

We share personal information with:

ITT providers (school-centred ITT providers and higher education institutions that provide courses that lead to the award of QTS and EYTS) to document your ITT outcome
appropriate bodies who quality assure the ECT induction process, and any third parties they use to manage statutory induction data on their behalf
mandatory qualifications for specialist teachers’ providers
NPQ providers

This is compliant with Education Acts 2002 and 2011.

Teachers’ Pensions

We share personal data with Teachers’ Pensions to support the accurate administration of the teaching workforce pension scheme. Teachers’ Pensions share personal data with DfE to support accurate record keeping of the central list of teachers.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

We may need to share personal data with DBS to safeguard children, young people and adults. This is compliant with Section 45 and 46 of the Safeguarding and Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

Other teaching regulators

We may share personal data with other teaching regulators so they can regulate the whole education sector. This includes, but is not limited to the:

Education Workforce Council (EWC)
General Teaching Council for Northern Ireland (GTCNI)
General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS)
Teaching Council Ireland

This is compliant with Schedule 2 Paragraph 6 of the Data Protection Act.

Professional regulators in countries other than England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

We share personal data with professional regulators in other countries so they can confirm an individual’s eligibility to teach when they apply to have their professional standing in England recognised in that country and identify if they are subject to a decision in relation to teaching in England. This is compliant with Education Acts 2002 and 2011.

Relevant law enforcement bodies

We share personal data with the National Crime Agency and the police to promote employer safeguarding of children within the education system. This is compliant with section 31 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

25.5 How long we keep your data

We maintain the electronic archives of:

QTS and induction outcomes for 45 years
professional skills tests outcomes for 80 years

If you applied for professional recognition prior to 31 January 2023, we may also retain your application alongside your teacher record. If you unsuccessfully applied for professional recognition, we will maintain your application in full for one year, from the point of decline. After one year, we remove your contact data and full name to anonymise your application.

Where, in the course of maintaining the list of teachers, we share your data with you, or other parties, through email, it is retained within a third-party correspondence management system and Microsoft Outlook for a period of 6 months. We reserve the ability to retain specific correspondence for longer where there is a business need to - for example, contentious cases

From 26 May 2023, we closed our telephone helpdesk. If you contacted us prior to this date, your call would have been recorded and securely saved for training and monitoring purposes. These recordings are permanently deleted after 12 months. We reserve the ability to retain specific telephone enquiries for longer where there is a business need to - for example, contentious cases.

Find out about  your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of legitimate interest.

25.7 Data processors

We do not use any data processors for this processing activity.

Question 26

26. Using your data to maintain lists of prohibited or sanctioned teachers

Accepted Answer

26.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can maintain a list of prohibited and sanctioned teachers.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

When we use process your special category data it is because we have a substantial public interest under article 9(2)(g) of UK GDPR.

26.2 Data we collect

DfE collects and uses the following personal information:

your full name
address
your job role
email address
telephone number
TRN
date of birth
National Insurance number

We collect and use the following special category data:

characteristics (such as gender, ethnicity and disability)
notes about the concern – this may include health information or information about criminal activities

Full details about how we process special category data are given in DfE’s appropriate policy document.

26.3 What we do with your data

We use your personal information to ensure we have up-to-date contacts for the whole education sector in England. The Secretary of State for Education must keep a list of all persons who are prohibited from teaching.

We sometimes need to make personal data available to other organisations where the law allows it, or where there is a legal requirement. We share this data through secure services and the department helpdesks, who may discuss your information either directly with you or with other approved third parties by email. We ensure this sharing complies with data protection legislation. Not all your personal data is shared with every third party.

Employers within the education sector and organisations involved with the delivery of education services

We share personal data with these organisations (including schools, colleges, nurseries, local authorities, teacher supply agencies and Ofsted). This allows these organisations to check an individual is suitably qualified and has no restrictions against them in relation to teaching in England. This is compliant with Education Acts 2002 and 2011.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

We may need to share personal data with DBS to safeguard children, young people and adults. This is compliant with Section 45 and 46 of the Safeguarding and Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

Relevant law enforcement bodies

We share personal data with the National Crime Agency and the police to promote employer safeguarding of children, young people and adults. within the education system. This is compliant with section 31 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

26.5 How long we keep your data

We hold information on the teaching workforce, and those with restrictions placed upon them, to support education services and to maintain public confidence in the teaching profession. Your personal data are therefore held for the active lifetime of a teacher.

We keep your personal information for 10 years for policy making.

For teachers, TRA will only keep your personal data for as long as it needs to for the purpose of regulating the teaching profession. This is specifically up to 50 years after the closure of a case. After 50 years, it will be securely destroyed. If we receive a valid date of death from Teachers’ Pensions, we will delete your record once 5 years have elapsed.

Find out about  your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

26.7 Data processors

We do not use any data processors for this processing activity.

Question 27

27. Using your data to make a referral or investigate teacher misconduct

Accepted Answer

27.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can investigate and response to any complaints about a teacher. Separately, DfE, through the TRA, has a process to consider allegations of serious misconduct by a teacher.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

When we use process your special category data it is because we have a substantial public interest under article 9(2)(g) of UK GDPR.

27.2 Data we collect

We receive your personal data from you, including referrals on our:

We process this information to regulate the teaching profession by investigating allegations of serious misconduct.

When you make a referral, DfE collects and uses the following personal information including your:

name
contact details

When we investigate a referral, DfE collects and uses the following personal information about the teacher:

personal identifiers (name, date of birth, email address, home address, telephone number, National Insurance number, TRN)
contact information (home address, email address, telephone number)
teacher status (QTS or EYTS, induction status, ITT result)
qualifications (previous degrees)
supplementary teaching qualifications (mandatory qualifications, national professional qualifications)
employment details (current or previous employer)
financial details (for expense purposes, if applicable)

We collect and use the following special category data:

your racial or ethnic origin
your political opinions
your religious beliefs or other beliefs of a similar nature
whether you are a member of a trade union
your physical or mental health
your sexual orientation
the commission or alleged commission of any offence by you, i.e. details of the allegation
any proceedings for any offence committed, or alleged to have been committed, by you, the disposal of such proceedings or the sentence of any court in such proceeding

Full details about how we process special category data are given in DfE’s appropriate policy document.

27.3 What we do with your data

As a teacher, witness or potential witness within a teacher misconduct investigation, or a person making an allegation, we receive your personal data from you and third parties including:

employers or supply agencies
police forces
the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
members of the public.

We process this information to regulate the teaching profession by investigating allegations of serious misconduct.

We sometimes need to make personal data available to other organisations. This also includes contracted partners.

Where we need to share your personal data with others, we comply with data protection legislation.

Accused teacher and their employer

If there is an investigation, we tell them the name of the person who made the referral and details of their allegation. If there is no investigation, we do not share any information. If the teacher makes a subject access request, we give details of the allegation but not the name of the referrer, unless the referral came from an organisation, when we give the name of the referring organisation. This is compliant with Education Acts 2002 and 2011.

Legal firms

We hold contracts with legal firms to process your personal data on our behalf. They process the data we provide to gather information to support misconduct investigations and hearings. Some legal firms will also review this data to provide impartial legal advice during misconduct hearings. This is compliant with Education Acts 2002 and 2011.

Professional conduct panels

We appoint independent panel members who sit on professional conduct panels to consider cases of serious misconduct and they may make recommendations on prohibition to the Secretary of State. They need this information to fulfil this role. This is compliant with Education Acts 2002 and 2011.

Published decisions

We will publish your personal data within a decision document on GOV.UK if a finding of serious misconduct is made. This is accessible by members of the public. This is compliant with section 15 of the Teachers’ Disciplinary (England) Regulations 2012 and section 141c of the Education Act 2002 (updated).

DBS and other organisations

We may need to share your personal data with DBS and other organisations (including, but not limited to, local authority organisations and employers) to safeguard children, young people and adults. This is compliant with Section 45 of the Safeguarding and Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

Police

We may need to share your personal data with the police and the police share information with DfE so we can fulfil our statutory roles. This is compliant with section 31 of the Data Protection Act 2018.

Other teaching regulators

We may need to share your personal data with other teaching regulators so they can regulate the whole education sector. This includes, but is not limited to the:

General Teaching Council Scotland (GTCS)
General Teaching Council Northern Ireland (GTCNI)
Teaching Council Ireland (TCI)
Education Workforce Council (EWC)

This is compliant with Schedule 2 Paragraph 6 of the Data Protection Act.

Our finance team

If applicable, we may need to share your financial details with our finance team to pay any expense claims you make.

27.5 How long we keep your data

We hold information on the teaching workforce, and those with restrictions placed upon them, to support education services and to maintain public confidence in the teaching profession. Your personal data is therefore held for the active lifetime of a teacher.

We keep your personal information for as long as we need to for the purpose of regulating the teaching profession, specifically up to 50 years after the closure of a case. After 50 years it will be securely destroyed.

Where a complaint is made to TRA but it is not accepted as a referral, it will be treated as correspondence and kept for a period of 5 years from the closure of the complaint. The section on Using your data when you make a complaint about education providers, children’s social care or DfE has more details.

Find out about  your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

27.7 Data processors

We do not use any data processors for this processing activity

Question 28

28. Using your data when you register for an NPQ

Accepted Answer

28.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can fund professional development courses. The National professional qualifications (NPQ) are for teachers and leaders who want to develop skills, progress their career and improve outcome school outcomes.

National professional qualification (NPQ) courses has more details.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

28.2 Data we collect

DfE collects and uses the following personal information:

your contact information – name, phone number, email address, date of birth
your TRN
your National Insurance number
where you work and what your role is
the institution that awarded your QTS

28.3 What we do with your data

When processing NPQ registrations, we:

send your registration details to NPQ providers
validate your TRN
work out any funding you’re eligible for
get in touch with you and NPQ providers about your NPQ registration
determine the NPQ outcomes
compare your data to other data we hold
get in touch if there’s a security issue concerning your data

We use your data to run and improve our services. We may contact you about taking part in user research and look at any feedback you share - for example, through website surveys.

When you register for an NPQ you’re asked to choose an NPQ provider. We share your data with your chosen provider. We have a data sharing agreement with NPQ providers so they can only use your data to:

process NPQ registrations and applications, which may include contacting you
get statistics for internal use
get in touch with you if there’s a security issue concerning your data

28.5 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for up to 6 months after completion of the processing of the data.

Find out about  your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

28.7 Data processors

DfE uses a data processor to provide your NPQ course

Question 29

29. Using your data when you contact us to make an enquiry

Accepted Answer

29.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

We collect, process and store your personal data when you contact the Department by DfE contact us form, telephone, email, message us or live chat.

Telephone calls to our helplines may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes. If provided, we will also use your email address to send a customer satisfaction survey.

We use this information to:

resolve your enquiry
progress a follow up enquiry
action a request as appropriate

It is also used to ensure our call agents are appropriately trained and to enable us to continually improve the quality of the service provided.

The section on using your data when you make a complaint about education providers, children’s social care or the DfE has more information.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

29.2 Data we collect

DfE collect and use the following personal information directly from you:

your full name
email address
phone number
details about your enquiry or compliant
IP address

29.3 What we do with your data

We need information from you to investigate your complaint or enquiry properly.

We use the IP address to detect and block malicious visitors to our websites.

29.4 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for 5 years from the date of the enquiry or complaint.

Find out about  your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

29.6 Data processors

We do not use any data processors for this processing activity.

Question 30

30. Using your data to use our websites

Accepted Answer

30.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can improve our website and search functionality.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

30.2 Data we collect

DfE websites use cookies to collect information from you about how you use this website. See the section on cookies for more details.

DfE websites use Google Analytics, Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity. We do not collect or store your personal information through these tools, so it cannot be used to identify who you are.

You can find out which cookies are used in the footer section of each website.

30.3 What we do with your data

We use your personal information to:

ensure we present our website content in the best way for you
allow you to take part in interactive features of our service, when you choose to do so

Data when you sign up to our notifications about learning opportunities or events. has more information on when we use your data to:

notify you about changes to our website or services
provide you with information or services that you request from us or which may interest you

30.4 How long we keep your data

Your personal information is retained for up to 2 years. Details about cookies on GOV.UK has more information.

If you create an account on our websites or sign up for an alert your personal information is kept as long as you have an account. If you delete your account or cancel your alert, your data will also be deleted. Using your data when you sign up to our notifications about learning opportunities or events has more information.

Find out about  your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

30.6 Data processors

DfE uses a data processor for collecting information about how you use GOV.UK. We use Google Analytics cookies and a Real User Monitoring (RUM) cookie from SpeedCurve.

Question 31

31. Using your data to use our social media channels

Accepted Answer

31.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can use social media to share news and views with people working in:

schools
colleges
local authorities
children’s services

We also use social media to communicate with parents, children and young people.

Our social media use policy has more details.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is consent under article 6(1)(a) of the UK GDPR.

At any time, you can tell us you no longer want us to use your data. The section on your rights has more information.

31.2 Data we collect

When you interact with our social media channels we collect and use your name.

31.3 What we do with your data

When you use our websites and social media channels, we use your personal information to:

allow you to take part in interactive features of our service, when you choose to do so
ensure we present our website content in the best way for you
provide you with information or services that you request from us or which may interest you - we always get your consent when you request these DfE services
notify you about changes to our website or services

See the DfE cookies policy for more information.

31.4 How long we keep your data

The DfE social media channels are captured by The National Archives as a permanent record of DfE’s social media communication.

Your personal information is retained for up to 2 years - details about cookies on GOV.UK has more information.

31.5 Your information rights under UK GDPR

Find out about your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of consent.

As we are processing your personal data with your consent, you have the right to:

If you do so, DfE will not publish further social media posts featuring this content, but it is not obligated to remove or delete existing posts. DfE social media channels are captured by The National Archives as a permanent record of DfE’s social media communication.

If you change your mind, or you are unhappy with our use of your personal data, contact DfE  and state the project or initiative name.

31.6 Data processors

We use a data processor for collecting information about how you use GOV.UK. We use Google Analytics cookies and a Real User Monitoring (RUM) cookie from SpeedCurve.

Question 32

32. Using your data when you sign up to our notifications

Accepted Answer

32.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so you can sign up for notifications, such as about teaching as a career, our events or our services and work.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is consent under article 6(1)(a) of the UK GDPR.

At any time, you can tell us you no longer want us to use your data. The section on your rights has more information.

32.2 Data we collect

DfE collect and use the following personal information directly from you:

name
email address

32.3 What we do with your data

We will use your personal information to enable you to sign up to specific messages, like when promoting apprenticeships or our careers service, or to invite you to events.

32.4 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for as long as you are signed-up to our notifications or alerts. You can  unsubscribe from our emails  at any time. You can also use the ‘unsubscribe’ or ‘change your email preferences’ links in the emails you get from GOV.UK.

32.5 Your information rights under UK GDPR

Find out about  your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of consent.

As we are processing your personal data with your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent. If you change your mind, or you are unhappy with our use of your personal data, contact us  and state which notification you are signed up to.

32.6 Data processors

We use data processors to send the email and text notifications.

Question 33

33. Using your data when you attend our events or webinars

Accepted Answer

33.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can organise the event or webinar.

The lawful basis we rely on for processing your personal data is consent under article 6(1)(a) of the UK GDPR.

When we collect any information about dietary or access requirements we also need your explicit consent under article 9(2)(a) of UK GDPR.

At any time, you can tell us you no longer want us to use your data. The section on your rights has more details.

33.2 Data we collect

DfE collect and use the following personal information:

first name and surname
your job role
establishment name
email address or telephone number (where you want to receive communication about the event or webinar)
IP address (if applicable)

We collect and use special category data. This includes details about dietary or access requirements.

Full details about how we process special category data are given in the DfE appropriate policy document.

33.3 What we do with your data

We use your email address to provide you with event details. This will include information about any recording taking place. For recorded events we will also email you a link to the recording once the event has concluded.

For some events we may publish the recording on our website or YouTube channels so this is accessible to a wider audience. If an event recording will be published, we will always notify you before the event.

We don’t publish delegate lists for event or webinars but your name and email address may be visible to others in attendance during the event.

33.4 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for 5 years after the event.

33.5 Your information rights under UK GDPR

Find out about  your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of consent.

As we are processing your personal data with your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent. You can withdraw your consent up until the webinar recording is published. If you change your mind, or you are unhappy with our use of your personal data, contact us  and state the name of the event or webinar.

33.6 Data processors

DfE uses a data processor to help organise our events. The organiser of the event is provided in the sign-up email.

Question 34

34. Using your data when you make a complaint about education providers, children’s social care or DfE

Accepted Answer

34.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can process your data when you make a complaint about:

a school
a college
an early year’s provider
children’s social care service
a teacher
DfE

Find out more from:

our  complaints procedure 
see the education providers’ workforce privacy notice - using your data when you make a referral of serious teacher misconduct to the TRA

The lawful basis we rely on for processing your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

34.2 Data we collect

DfE collect and use the following personal information:

your full name
email or postal address
phone number
details about your enquiry or complaint
information held by third parties, such as schools, colleges and local authorities

We collect and use sensitive data. This includes details about:

safeguarding and child protection matters
special educational needs assessments
medical details

Full details about how we process special category data and sensitive data are given in the DfE appropriate policy document.

34.3 What we do with your data

We need information from you and potentially other third parties to consider your complaint.

Before we consider a complaint, we may need documentary evidence that the complaints procedure has been completed in full, which we usually ask the complainant to provide.

Depending on the nature of the complaint, we may then need additional documentation, such as CPOMS records or statements from staff and other pupils. CPOMS is an online system, used by over 16,500 schools across the globe. We may contact the school, an early year’s provider, a children’s social care service or other local authority department to provide this information.

Schools have a legal duty to provide this information to the Secretary of State for Education under section 538 of the Education Act 1996.

Local authorities have a legal duty to provide this information to the Secretary of State for Education under section 29(1) of the Education Act 1996.

DfE may also share your data under public task with Ofsted, local authorities or police and criminal investigation authorities, through court orders – to safeguard and promote welfare of children in the UK.

34.5 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for 10 years from closure of compliant case.

Where a complaint is made to TRA but it is not accepted as a referral, it will be treated as correspondence and kept for a period of 5 years from the closure of the complaint.

Using your data when you make a referral of serious teacher misconduct to the TRA has more information.

Find out about  your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

34.7 Data processors

We do not use any data processors for this processing activity.

Question 35

35. Using your data when we send you messages about administering learning, including qualifications or exams

Accepted Answer

35.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can send out messages relating to the administration of examinations, or qualifications, or funding requirements. These are public service messages - the ICO website has more details.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

35.2 Data we collect

DfE collects and uses the following personal information:

first name and surname
your job role
establishment name and address
email address (where you want to receive the communication)

35.3 What we do with your data

We’ll use your personal information to send you specific public messages, such as when promoting teaching as a career, or reminders to submit data to DfE.

35.4 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for as long as you are the contact for the educational setting.

Find out about your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

35.6 Data processors

DfE uses a data processor for the following activity:

DfE uses contractors to work on behalf of DfE - for example, Netbuilder (Marketo), Parkhouse Agency (for mailing list purchases), and creative agencies and PR agencies

Question 36

36. Using your data when we send you messages about education issues

Accepted Answer

36.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can send you messages by email on key education issues or if there is a problem.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

The section on using your data when you sign up to our notifications has more information.

36.2 Data we collect

DfE collects and uses the following personal information:

first name and surname
your job role
establishment name
email address (where you want to receive the communication)

36.3 What we do with your data

We’ll use your personal information to send you messages by email on key education issues or if there is a problem. These include:

‘for action’ or ‘service notifications’ messages
news and developments
‘for information’ messages
details of events

Updates are for people working in early years, children’s social care, schools or further education.

36.4 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for as long as you are a contact for our notifications and alerts.

Find out about your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

36.6 Data processors

We do not use any data processors for this processing activity.

Question 37

37. Using your data when you use DfE Sign-In

Accepted Answer

37.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can enable schools and other education organisations to access DfE online services through DfE sign-In. The DfE Sign-In page has details of the services that use DfE Sign-In.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

37.2 Data we collect

DfE collect and use the following personal information directly from you:

your first name and last name
the email address you provide
the organisation details the account is linked to

37.3 What we do with your data

We use the data to allow you access to DfE online services.

Occasionally, DfE will contact users on the email address provided with essential information about DfE Sign-in.

We may share your information where the law allows, or where we have a legal obligation to do so.

For Ofsted users, we regularly share your details with Ofsted for monitoring purposes.

37.5 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for 6 years from the date on which an individual deactivates or deletes their account.

Support requests are retained for 5 years from the date of request solved.

Find out about  your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

37.7 Data processors

We do not use any data processors for this processing activity.

Question 38

38. Using your data for the RPA Risk Management Services

Accepted Answer

38.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can operate the DfE risk protection arrangement (RPA). This is an alternative to commercial insurance for schools, it seeks to help public sector schools achieve savings on their non-staff spend.

The RPA Risk Management Service provides resources and opportunities for RPA Members to improve their risk management knowledge and practices, with a view to reducing risk exposure and the number of RPA claims raised.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

38.2 Data we collect

DfE collect and use the following personal information:

your name and job title
your email address and phone number
your internet protocol (IP) address.
your organisation’s details, including postal address, phone number and email address
any other necessary personal data required to be able to effectively deliver the RPA Risk Management Services

38.3 What we do with your data

We collect and process your personal information to support the effective management and delivery of the DfE Risk Protection Arrangement for the benefit of RPA Members, for example:

to provide resources and opportunities for RPA Members to improve their risk management knowledge and practices, with a view to reducing risk exposure and the number of RPA claims raised
to gather information about the risks you, or your RPA Member school, face or require more support on
to help inform where RPA Risk Management Services resources should be focused
to monitor customer satisfaction, identify best practice and gain insight to help inform the strategic direction of the RPA

If the law allows it, we might share your personal information with other parts of DfE and with other government departments.

We will share your personal information with:

organisations who work for DfE under contract
organisations that request information to help prevent and detect crime or fraud

38.5 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for 10 years then we review the data. DfE will identify if we are required by law to retain the data for longer periods, for example for crime or fraud cases. If we no longer need the data, we will delete it.

Find out about  your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

38.7 Data processors

DfE uses a data processor to:

issue communications and information relating to risks or risk management
conduct risk surveys and track/follow up on queries, concerns identified
arrange and conduct risk audits, and track and follow up on risks, issues, concerns identified
provide risk help, advice and support through services such as the RPA Helpdesk, and the provision of RPA Risk Workshops, RPA Risk Management Tools, Resources and Learning Modules
provide support and advice to DfE to inform and contribute to the strategic management of RPA

Question 39

39. Using your data for RPA claims handling services

Accepted Answer

39.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can process claims under the DfE risk protection arrangement (RPA). The RPA is an alternative to commercial insurance for schools, and an initiative that seeks to help public sector schools achieve savings on their non-staff spend.

The aim of the RPA claims handling services is to support the effective management of the DfE risk protection arrangement for the benefit of RPA members. This includes processing RPA member claims to an appropriate conclusion.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is legitimate interest under article 6(1)(f) of the UK GDPR. When we use your special category data it is because we have a substantial public interest under article 9(2)(g) of UK GDPR.

39.2 Data we collect

We receive your personal data from RPA claims that you raise as a RPA member or RPA claims that you make against a RPA member.

We also receive personal data of yours due to your involvement in the investigation and resolution of RPA claims, for example as a witness, or from:

third parties acting on behalf of a claimant
legal representatives
loss adjusters
valuation experts
suppliers involved in processing the claim on our behalf through our claims handling supplier

DfE collect and use the following personal information:

names of people involved in the claim (which can include children)
personal addresses
telephone numbers
date of birth
bank account details
the extent of damage (which could include injury to children or adults and medical reports)
car registration numbers
solicitor names, telephone numbers, addresses
names and contact numbers of others involved in helping bring the claim to a resolution such as:
- loss adjusters
- school project managers
- suppliers involved in property reinstatement
any other necessary personal data required to be able to process the claims to resolution

We collect and use special category data, this includes details about the extent of damage (which could include injury to children or adults and medical reports).

Full details about how we process special category data are given in the DfE appropriate policy document.

39.3 What we do with your data

The RPA claims handling service uses your personal data to ensure claims that fall within the RPA membership rules are professionally processed and resolved for RPA members.

We sometimes need to make personal data available to other organisations. These might include:

contracted partners who we have employed to process your personal data on our behalf
other organisations with whom we need to share your personal data for specific purposes

Where we need to share your personal data with others, we ensure that this data sharing complies with data protection legislation. For this project, we will share personal data with:

our claims handling supplier
the supply chain involved in the investigation or resolution of the RPA claim
supporting delivery partners of the RPA service as required, which include but not limited to risk management, actuarial and research support services

39.5 How long we keep your data

We keep your personal information for 10 years, then we review the data. DfE will identify if we are required by law to retain the data for longer periods, for example for crime or fraud cases. If we no longer need the data, we will delete it.

Find out about  your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of legitimate interest.

39.7 Data processors

DfE uses a data processor for RPA claims handling services.

Question 40

40. Using your data in our publications relating to further education intervention and support activities

Accepted Answer

40.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing personal data

Our purpose for processing your personal data is to enable government to support and intervene to improve financial resilience and quality in colleges, and to improve quality of FE delivery in local authorities.

The Further Education (FE) Commissioner takes a key role in working with providers in the statutory further education sector, namely FE corporations, sixth form college corporations and designated institutions. We refer to these as “colleges”. The FE Commissioner also works with local authorities that are delivering further education.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is public task, under article 6(1)(e) of the UK GDPR.

Our college oversight, support and intervention guidance requires that we publish Notices to Improve (NtIs), FE Commissioner’s summary intervention reports and related ministerial letters on gov.uk where colleges are in intervention. Colleges are also required to publish the FE Commissioner’s summary intervention report on their own website.

Our post-16 intervention and accountability guidance sets out how we may intervene with a local authority where their FE provision has a poor Ofsted judgement.

40.2 Data we collect

The intervention and support work of the FEC Team is determined by each institution’s unique improvement requirements therefore the information that an institution shares with the FEC Team will vary.

DfE may collect and use the following types of personal information for FE Commissioner-led work and relates to institutions and relevant stakeholders:

name
job title or role
contact details
salary information (senior pay)
organisation charts and board membership
skills, experience, CPD and related management information

40.3 What we do with your data

We use your data to support the intervention process and other FEC-led improvement work, for example to identify who the FE commissioner and their team will need to speak with regarding an intervention case. This information is typically supplied by the institution that the FEC Team is supporting. Very limited personal data may be published as described below.

We publish notices to improve (NtIs), reports and letters. They are usually anonymised but will identify the names of senior leaders. Reports may also reference specific roles within the college or local authority, which relate to specific post-holders at the time of the report or intervention action.

Intervention case publications for colleges

DfE issues a notice to improve (NtI) which is followed by the FE Commissioner’s intervention report and related ministerial letter. These publications will include the names of the CEO or Principal who is the accounting officer and the Chair of Governors. These publications may also reference other senior role holders (current or former) by the position they hold (or held). For example, a report might say, “we met with the finance director”. In some instances, we may place a college into Supervised College Status - this involves publication of a further NtI.

Intervention case publications for local authorities

DfE will publish the FE Commissioner’s intervention report and related ministerial letter. This publication will include the name of the managing director with responsibility for the FE provision and the name of the leader of the council. It may also reference other senior role holders (current or former) by the position they hold (or held). For example, a report might say, “we met with the head of curriculum and quality”

The FEC Team may speak to groups of learners about their experiences to support the FEC intervention assessment and improvement work but we do not record any personal data about any of these learners.

We may share college information with the Charity Commission, where this is appropriate.

40.5 How long we keep your data

In the case of FEC-led work, we keep your personal information for five years.

However, where information has been published, this will remain in the public domain, even when marked as closed.

Find out about your rights when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of public task.

Question 41

41. Using your data when we are testing or checking our IT systems

Accepted Answer

41.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

Our purpose for processing this information is so we can test or check our IT systems.

The lawful basis we rely on for this processing of your personal data is legitimate interest, under article 6(1)(f) of the UK GDPR. When we use your special category data it is because we have a substantial public interest under article 9(2)(g) of UK GDPR.

41.2 Data we collect

DfE collects information from educational settings, local authorities, your employer and other government departments. We will process the following information about you:

personal contact details
date of birth
ethnicity
data and information about your learning, including your courses and assessments

If the IT system or database contains special category data, we would be processing details about:

your equality, diversity and inclusion information
your health

If the IT system or database contains sensitive information about you, we would be processing details about children that are looked after or are in care.

41.3 What we do with your data

When we are designing a new system or database. It is sometimes necessary to use ‘live’ personal data to test the design in a secure environment. This is because ‘dummy data’ is not capable of replicating the complexity of the data that is actually collected.

We may also invite users to try out our services, which can involve the collection of personal data. This helps us understand how users engage with our services, so we can keep improving them.

Similarly, it is necessary to extract copies and run quality checks so that we can identify unnecessary duplication or conflicting data about the same data subject.

To maintain the accuracy of our data, if we identify duplicate records we might:

merge the duplicate records under one Unique Learner Number
keep the existing records but include cross referencing so that all the records are linked and are retrieved when searching for the one data subject

41.4 How long we keep your data

This processing activity is for the length of time it takes to test or check the data, any copies of the data created would be deleted as soon as the text or check is complete.

Find out about your rights  when we process your personal data under the lawful basis of legitimate interest.

41.6 Data processors

DfE uses a data processor for our IT Health Checks (ITHC). An ITHC is a series of controlled tests and actions that check the security of our IT systems.

Question 42

42. Using your data when we share your personal information

Accepted Answer

We will only share your personal data with others where it is lawful, secure and ethical to do so. Where these conditions are met, we can share your personal information with:

schools and other education providers
local authorities
researchers like universities, think tanks and research organisations
organisations connected with promoting the education or wellbeing of children in England
organisations fighting or identifying crime like police, courts and Home Office
other crown and public bodies like Ofqual, Ofsted, UCAS and Office for Students
organisations working for DfE under contract like DfE commissioned research or training providers
organisations who provide careers and other guidance
organisations who provide statistics and research about education, training, employment and well-being, including Jisc (formerly the Higher Education Statistics Agency or ‘HESA’) as detailed in Jisc’s collection notices

Your data is also submitted to Jisc so that you can take part in the graduate outcomes survey.

DfE shares personal data where this is a benefit to:

education
the children’s services sector
the interests of the wider public or society such as sharing data to fight crime or for policy development

How DfE shares personal data gives details of the protections DfE has in place when sharing your data and the relevant legislation.

The DfE Data Sharing Approval Panel (DSAP) must approve all data share requests. The panel of experts assesses each application for:

public benefit
proportionality
legal underpinning
strict information security standards

The DSAP panel has external members who analyse decisions to increase public trust in the data share process.

42.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

DfE will only share data with a third party where we have a lawful basis for the data share under article 6(1) of the UK GDPR.

In most cases, DfE relies on article 6(1)(e) ‘public task’ as the lawful basis where the task or function has a clear basis in law or 6(1)(f) ‘legitimate interest’ where the sharing of your data does not override your rights or when you expect us to share your data.

When we share special category data, we have a lawful basis to data share under article 9(2) of the UK GDPR. Full details about how we process special category data are given in the DfE appropriate policy document and How DfE shares personal data.

DfE will review each data share request on a case-by-case basis to ensure the right lawful basis is used. The ICO guide to lawful basis for processing has more details.

For example, we share data under public task with:

awarding organisations to allow exam outcomes to be accurately predicted
Children’s Commissioner’s Office (CCO) to protect and promote the rights and interests of children in England, especially the most vulnerable
fraud prevention and law enforcement agencies such as the police and the National Crime Agency to prevent and detect fraud in the funding of education and learning.
Home Office (HO) to prevent abuse of immigration control
police and criminal investigation authorities, through court orders to safeguard and promote welfare of children in the UK

We share data under legitimate interest with:

Education Policy Institute (EPI) to identify if government policies are delivering a high-quality education system
National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) to investigate developments to the national curriculum

Full details of who we share data with are available: DfE external data shares.

Question 43

43. How to contact us and how to make a complaint

Accepted Answer

Requesting your personal information from DfE has information on how you can:

ask questions about how we use your information
make a complaint to the Data Protection Officer and the Information Commissioner’s Office if you have concerns about how we use your personal information

43.1 How to access your personal information

You can make request to access your personal information verbally or in writing.

43.2 How to whistleblow

DfE’s contact us form includes an option to make a ‘disclosure in the public interest’ including whistleblowing.

If you request anonymity, the form will be logged as ‘anonymous’, however we will not be able to suggest other sources of information or confirm if we referred your report to another public body to consider.

Cookies on GOV.UK

Applies to England

1. Using your data to fund learning, including apprenticeships

1.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

1.2 Data we collect

1.3 What we do with your data

1.4 Who we share your data with

1.5 How long we keep your data

1.6 Your information rights under UK GDPR

1.7 Data processors

2. Using your data to fund school, academy or college buildings

2.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

2.2 Data we collect

2.3 What we do with your data

2.4 How long we keep your data

2.5 Your information rights under UK GDPR

2.6 Data processors

3. Using your data to ensure the protection of public funds by preventing and detecting fraud

3.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

3.2 Data we collect

3.3 What we do with your data

3.4 Who we share your data with

3.5 How long we keep your data

3.6 Your information rights under UK GDPR

3.7 Data processors

4. Using your data to process expense claims

4.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

4.2 Data we collect

4.3 What we do with your data

4.4 How long we keep your data

4.5 Your information rights under UK GDPR

4.6 Data processors

5. Using your data when you claim additional payments for teaching

5.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

5.2 Data we collect

5.3 What we do with your data

5.4 Who we share your data with

5.5 How long we keep your data

5.6 Your information rights under UK GDPR

5.7 Data processors

6. Using your data so we can support your teaching career

6.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

6.2 Data we collect

6.3 What we do with your data

6.4 How long we keep your data

6.5 Your information rights under UK GDPR

6.6 Data processors

7. Using your data when undertaking early career framework (ECF) induction training

7.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

7.2 Data we collect

7.3 What we do with your data

7.4 Who we share your data with

7.5 How long we keep your data

7.6 Your information rights under UK GDPR

7.7 Data processors

8. Using your data when we promote career development to you

8.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

8.2 Data we collect

8.3 What we do with your data

8.4 How long we keep your data

8.5 Your information rights under UK GDPR

8.6 Data processors

9. Using your data when we create case studies about you

9.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

9.2 Data we collect

9.3 What we do with your data

9.4 How long we keep your data

9.5 Your information rights under UK GDPR

9.6 Data processors

10. Using your data when you use the Apply for Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) in England service

10.1 Purpose and lawful basis for processing

10.2 Data we collect

10.3 What we do with your data

Processing applications

Safeguarding and fraud

Processing references

If you’re awarded QTS

Building a better QTS application process

Getting insight to make government policy better

10.4 Who we share your data with