How we use workforce information
The Eastern Learning Alliance is classed as a ‘Data Controller’ under the General Data Protection Regulation 2016 (GDPR). The Trust is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office and follows the principles of the GDPR. This privacy notice covers all staff who work for the Trust.
We take your privacy seriously and this notice outlines what sort of personal data we collect, why we do this, how long we store it and who we share it with. Access to personal data is only available to those who need it for a specific purpose.
1. The categories of workforce information that we process include:
- personal information (such as name, gender, age, employee or teacher number, national insurance number and contact details)
- special categories of data including characteristics information (such as ethnic group and disability and relevant medical information)
- contract information (such as start dates, hours worked, post, roles and payroll/salary information)
- work absence information (such as number of absences and reasons)
- qualifications (and, where relevant, subjects taught)
- performance information
- photographic image
- biometric data points of fingerprints
- personal emergency contact information
- images through CCTV at various locations around our sites.
This list is not exhaustive.
2. Why we collect and use this information
We only collect and use your personal data when the law allows us to. We use workforce data for the following purposes using these lawful bases of the GDPR:
Purpose of collection and use | Lawful basis for collection of personal data from Article 6 GDPR | Lawful basis for collection of special category personal data from Article 9 GDPR |
a) to manage our workforce, enabling the development of a comprehensive picture of the workforce and how it is deployed
| Article 6(1)(b) – contract Article 6(1)(e) – public task | Article 9(2)(b) – employment
|
b) to inform the development of recruitment and retention policies | Article 6(1)(e) – public task | |
c) to enable individuals to be paid
| Article 6(1)(b) – contract | |
d) to manage educational systems
| Article 6(1)(b) – contract | |
e) to report to the Department for Education
| Article 6(1)(c) – legal obligation | |
f) to ensure the safety of members of staff
| Article 6(1)(e) – public task | |
g) to process contracts of employment and for recruitment
| Article 6(1)(b) – contract
| Article 9(2)(b) – employment
|
h) to enable the use of some of our finance systems
| Article 6(1)(b) – contract Article 6(1) (a) – consent | Article 9 (2)(g) – substantial public interest |
i) to assist with the detection and prevention of crime
| Article 6(1)(b) – contract | |
j) to improve teaching and learning processes at the school
| Article 6(1)(b) – contract Article 6(1)(e) – public task | |
k) to prevent and detect crime
| Article 6(1)(e) – public task |
We also collect and use this information under:
- Education Act 1996 – this information can be found in the guide documents on the following website https://www.gov.uk/education/data-collection-and-censuses-for-schools
- School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009
- Keeping children safe in education guidance
- School Teachers Pay and Conditions document
- National Agreement on Pay and Conditions of Service
- Conditions of Service for School Teachers in England and Wales
3. How we collect this information
We collect personal information via application and related forms in the recruitment and appointment process, the appraisal process and the sickness reporting process. Workforce data is essential for the Trust’s operational use. Whilst the majority of information you provide to us is mandatory, some of it is requested on a voluntary basis. In order to comply with data protection legislation, we will inform you at the point of collection, whether you are required to provide certain personal information to us or if you have a choice in this.
4. How we store this information
Personal data will be kept secure whilst it is being stored, used and when it is being shared with others. We hold workforce data as outlined below. After this time the paper records are securely shredded and the electronic files are deleted.
- Finance data for 7 years
- Personnel data for 6 years post-employment
CCTV footage is overwritten on a rolling approximately 7 week schedule unless exported for evidential purposes in line with our ICO registered purposes (detection and prevention of crime).
Our Data Retention Policy can be viewed here.
5. Who we share this information with
We share this information as necessary with:
- our local authority, Cambridgeshire County Council
- the Department for Education (DfE)
- Morris Education Trust, Governors/Trustees and members of staff (where relevant)
- our educational consultants and payroll provider
- occupational health as appropriate
- suppliers including those for cashless catering systems, photography services and educational services
6. Why we share workforce information
We do not share information about workforce members with anyone without consent unless the law and our policies allow us to do so.
Local authority
We are required to share information about our workforce members with our local authority (LA) under section 5 of the Education (Supply of Information about the School Workforce) (England) Regulations 2007 and amendments.
Department for Education (DfE)
The Department for Education (DfE) collects personal data from educational settings and local authorities via various statutory data collections. We are required to share information about our school employees with the (DfE) under section 5 of the Education (Supply of Information about the School Workforce) (England) Regulations 2007 and amendments.
All data is transferred securely and held by DfE under a combination of software and hardware controls which meet the current government security policy framework.
For more information, please see ‘How Government uses your data’ section.
We share information with Eastern Learning Alliance to enable the development of a comprehensive picture of the workforce and how it is deployed. We share information with our educational consultants and payroll provider who provide us with contracts, advice and documentation on HR matters and payroll services.
7. Requesting access to your personal data
Under data protection legislation, you have the right to request access to information about you that we hold. To make a request for your personal information, contact the Data Protection Officer, Judicium Consulting Limited is contactable via Email: or by letter to Judicium Consulting Limited, 72 Cannon Street, London, EC4N 6AE
You also have the right to:
- object to processing of personal data that is likely to cause, or is causing, damage or distress
- prevent processing for the purpose of direct marketing
- object to decisions being taken by automated means
- in certain circumstances, have inaccurate personal data rectified, blocked, erased or destroyed; and
- a right to seek redress, either through the ICO, or through the courts
If you have a concern about the way we are collecting or using your personal data, we ask that you raise your concern with us in the first instance. Alternatively, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/
8. Further information
If you would like to discuss anything in this privacy notice, please contact:
The Data Protection Officer, Judicium Consulting Limited is contactable via Email: or by letter to Judicium Consulting Limited, 72 Cannon Street, London, EC4N 6AE
9. How Government uses your data
The workforce data that we lawfully share with the DfE through data collections:
- informs departmental policy on pay and the monitoring of the effectiveness and diversity of the school workforce
- links to school funding and expenditure
- supports ‘longer term’ research and monitoring of educational policy
9.1 Data collection requirements
To find out more about the data collection requirements placed on us by the Department for Education including the data that we share with them, go to https://www.gov.uk/education/datacollection-and-censuses-for-schools.
9.2 Sharing by the Department
The Department may share information about school employees with third parties who promote the education or well-being of children or the effective deployment of school staff in England by:
- conducting research or analysis
- producing statistics
- providing information, advice or guidance
The Department has robust processes in place to ensure that the confidentiality of personal data is maintained and there are stringent controls in place regarding access to it and its use. Decisions on whether DfE releases personal data to third parties are subject to a strict approval process and based on a detailed assessment of:
- who is requesting the data
- the purpose for which it is required
- the level and sensitivity of data requested; and
- the arrangements in place to securely store and handle the data
To be granted access to school workforce information, organisations must comply with its strict terms and conditions covering the confidentiality and handling of the data, security arrangements and retention and use of the data.
To contact the department: https://www.gov.uk/contact-dfe