Privacy Notice

WHO ARE WE?

Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent girls’ day and boarding school. Cheltenham Ladies' College is a registered charity (Charity Commission reference number: 311722) and is also incorporated by Royal Charter (RC000111).

Our postal address is: Cheltenham Ladies' College, Bayshill Road, Cheltenham GL50 3EP.

You can telephone us: +44 1242 520691 or email: enquiries@cheltladiescollege.org.

The Incorporated Guild of Cheltenham Ladies' College is the alumnae association for Cheltenham Ladies' College (Registered Company number: 00185560).

Their postal address is: Guild Office, Cheltenham Ladies' College, Bayshill Road, Cheltenham GL50 3EP.

This privacy policy sets out how Cheltenham Ladies' College uses and protects any information that you give us when you use this website or by any other means.

Cheltenham Ladies' College is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, or by any other means, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy notice.

Cheltenham Ladies' College may change this policy from time to time by updating this notice on the website. You should check the website from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes. Where there are substantial changes that will affect your rights, they will be provided to you as far as is reasonably practicable.

WHAT IS THIS NOTICE FOR?

This policy is intended to provide information about how the school will use (or "process") personal data about individuals including: its staff; its current and prospective pupils; and their parents, carers or guardians (referred to in this policy as "parents") and Guild (alumnae).

This information is provided in accordance with the rights of individuals under General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to understand how their data is used. Staff, parents, pupils and Guild are all encouraged to read this Privacy Notice and understand the school's obligations to its entire community.

This Privacy Notice applies alongside any other information the school may provide about a particular use of personal data, for example when collecting data via an online or paper form.

This Privacy Notice also applies in addition to the school’s other relevant terms and conditions and policies, including:

• any contract between the school and its staff or the parents of pupils;

• the school's policy on taking, storing and using images and video recordings of children;

• the school's CCTV and / or biometrics policy;

• the school's retention of records policy;

• the school's safeguarding, pastoral, or health and safety policies, including as to how concerns or incidents are recorded; and

• the school's IT policies, including its Acceptable Use policy, Remote Working policy and Bring Your Own Device policy.

Anyone who works for, or acts on behalf of, the school (including staff, volunteers, governors and service providers) should also be aware of and comply with this Privacy Notice, which also provides further information about how personal data about those individuals will be used.

WHY THE SCHOOL NEEDS TO PROCESS PERSONAL DATA

In order to carry out its ordinary duties to staff, pupils and parents, the school may process a wide range of personal data about individuals (including current, past and prospective staff, pupils, parents or Guild) as part of its daily operation.

Some of this activity the school will need to carry out in order to fulfil its legal rights, duties or obligations – including those under a contract with its staff, or parents of its pupils.

Other uses of personal data will be made in accordance with the school's legitimate interests, or the legitimate interests of another, provided that these are not outweighed by the impact on individuals, and provided it does not involve special or sensitive types of data.

The school expects that the following uses may fall within that category of its (or its community's) "legitimate interests":

• For the purposes of pupil selection (and to confirm the identity of prospective pupils and their parents);

• To provide education services, including musical education, physical training or spiritual development, career services, and extra-curricular activities to pupils, and monitoring pupils' progress and educational needs;

• Maintaining relationships with Guild and the school community, including direct marketing or fundraising activity;

• For the purposes of donor due diligence, and to confirm the identity of prospective donors and their background and relevant interests.

• For the purposes of management planning and forecasting, research and statistical analysis, including that imposed or provided for by law (such as diversity or gender pay gap analysis and taxation records); − To enable relevant authorities to monitor the school's performance and to intervene or assist with incidents as appropriate;

• To give and receive information and references about Guild, current and prospective pupils, including relating to outstanding fees or payment history, to / from any educational institution that the pupil attended or where it is proposed they attend; and to provide references to potential employers of past pupils;

• To enable pupils to take part in national or other assessments, and to publish the results of public examinations or other achievements of pupils of the school;

• To safeguard pupils' welfare and provide appropriate pastoral care;

• To monitor (as appropriate) use of the school's IT and communications systems in accordance with the school's IT: Acceptable Use Policy for girls;

• To make use of photographic images and video recordings of pupils in school publications, on the school website and (where appropriate) on the school's social media channels in accordance with the school's policy on taking, storing and using images of children;

• For security purposes, including CCTV in accordance with the school's CCTV Policy; and

• Where otherwise reasonably necessary for the school's purposes, including to obtain appropriate professional advice and insurance for the school.

In addition, the school may need to process special category personal data (concerning health, ethnicity, religion, biometrics or sexual life) or criminal records information (such as when carrying out DBS checks) in accordance with rights or duties imposed on it by law, including as regards safeguarding and employment, or from time to time by explicit consent where required. These reasons may include:

• To safeguard pupils' welfare and provide appropriate pastoral (and where necessary, medical) care, and to take appropriate action in the event of an emergency, incident or accident, including by disclosing details of an individual's medical condition where it is in the individual's interests to do so: for example for medical advice, social services, insurance purposes or to organisers of school trips;

• To provide educational services in the context of any special educational needs of a pupil;

• To provide spiritual education in the context of any religious beliefs;

• In connection with employment of its staff, for example DBS checks, welfare or pension plans;

• To run any of its systems that operate on biometric data, such as for security, registration, access control and other forms of pupil identification (lockers, lunch etc); or

• For legal and regulatory purposes (for example child protection, diversity monitoring and health and safety) and to comply with its legal obligations and duties of care.

TYPES OF PERSONAL DATA PROCESSED BY THE SCHOOL

This will include by way of example:

• names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses and other contact details;

• car details (about those who use our car parking facilities);

• biometric information, which will be collected and used by the school in accordance with the school's biometrics policy;

• bank details and other financial information, eg about parents who pay fees to the school;

• past, present and prospective pupils' academic, disciplinary, admissions and attendance records (including information about any special needs), and examination scripts and marks;

• where appropriate, information about individuals' health, and contact details for their next of kin;

• references given or received by the school about pupils, and information provided by previous educational establishments and / or other professionals or organisations working with pupils; and

• images and video recordings of pupils (and occasionally other individuals) engaging in school activities, and images captured by the school's CCTV system (in accordance with the school's policy on taking, storing and using images of children).

• when you visit our website, we may collect certain information automatically from your device, such as your internet protocol (IP) address, information about your internet browser, and other technical information about the devices you use to access this website. Depending on your preferences, we may collect information about the way that you use our website, including the pages accessed and links you click on. Some of this information is collected using cookies and similar technologies. If you consent to cookies, we may share your personal data with advertising partners (e.g. Meta) and you may see advertisements for Cheltenham Ladies' College when you visit other websites and social media platforms. To learn more about our use of cookies, please check our cookies policy

HOW THE SCHOOL COLLECTS DATA

We collect personal data from the following sources:

Direct interactions: Generally, the school receives personal data from the individual directly (including, in the case of pupils, from their parents). This may be via a form, or simply in the ordinary course of interaction or communication (such as email or written assessments).

Automated interactions: As you interact with our website, our website provider will automatically collect certain technical information (for example, to ensure that our website is safe and secure).

Third parties and publicly available sources: This may include:

·       Another school, or other professionals or authorities working with that individual;

·       Social Media, for example, if you post something on the Cheltenham Ladies' College Community LinkedIn page, Facebook page, Twitter or the Guild Facebook page

·       The Media and the general public, for example, we find out about one of your achievements through a story in the local newspaper, or if someone else tells us. Please see further below (Keeping in Touch and Supporting the School) for the ways Guild and the school may do this.

·       Depending on your preferences we also receive information collected using cookies by third party partners, such as analytics providers such as Google, or advertising partners such as Meta. For more information, please see our cookie policy.

WHO HAS ACCESS TO PERSONAL DATA AND WHO THE SCHOOL SHARES IT WITH

Occasionally, the school will need to share personal information relating to its community with third parties, such as professional advisers (lawyers and accountants) or relevant authorities (HMRC, Charity Commission, the Police or the local authority).

For the most part, personal data collected by the school will remain within the school, and will be processed by appropriate individuals only in accordance with access protocols (ie on a 'need to know' basis). Particularly strict rules of access apply in the context of:

• medical records (held and accessed only by the lead nurse and appropriate medical staff under his / her supervision, or otherwise in accordance with express consent); and

• pastoral files;

• safeguarding files held by the DSL.

However, a certain amount of any SEN pupil's relevant information will need to be provided to staff more widely in the context of providing the necessary care and education that the pupil requires.

Staff, pupils and parents are reminded that the school is under duties imposed by law and statutory guidance (including Keeping Children Safe in Education) to record or report incidents and concerns that arise or are reported to it, in some cases regardless of whether they are proven, if they meet a certain threshold of seriousness in their nature or regularity. This may include file notes on personnel or safeguarding files, and in some cases referrals to relevant authorities such as Social Services, the LADO or police. For further information about this, please view the school's Safeguarding Policy.

Finally, in accordance with Data Protection Law, some of the school's processing activity is carried out on its behalf by third parties, such as IT systems, web developers or cloud storage providers. This is always subject to contractual assurances that personal data will be kept securely and only in accordance with the school's specific directions.

HOW LONG WE KEEP PERSONAL DATA

The school will retain personal data securely and only in line with how long it is necessary to keep for a legitimate and lawful reason; this will be in accordance with College's Record Retention Policy. Typically, the legal recommendation for how long to keep ordinary staff and pupil personnel files is up to 7 years following departure from the school. However, incident reports and safeguarding files will need to be kept much longer, in accordance with specific legal requirements. If you have any specific queries about how this policy is applied, or wish to request that personal data that you no longer believe to be relevant is considered for erasure, please contact Richard Dodds, Vice Principal. However, please bear in mind that the school may have lawful and necessary reasons to hold on to some data.

Cheltenham Ladies' College has a Record Retention Policy which specifies how long we will keep different types of data.

KEEPING IN TOUCH AND SUPPORTING THE SCHOOL

The school and (in accordance with your preferences) any relevant other organisation named below, notably Guild, will use the contact details of parents, Guild and other members of the school community to keep them updated about the activities of the school, or Guild and parent events of interest, including by sending updates and newsletters, by email and by post. Unless the relevant individual objects, the school may also:

• − Share personal data about parents and / or Guild, as appropriate, with organisations set up to help establish and maintain relationships with the school community, such as the CLC Guild, CLC Services, CLC Parents’ Association, CLC Hong Kong Parents’ Association, CLC Council;

• − Contact parents and / or Guild (including via the organisations above) by post and email in order to promote and raise funds for the school; Collect information from publicly available sources about parents' and Guild occupations and activities, in order to maximise the school's fundraising potential: this include social media (eg LinkedIn, Facebook), websites (including news media sites, Companies House etc) and publications (eg national / local newspapers or magazines and trade press). We may also hold wealth screening data provided by trusted third-party partners to better understand you as an individual and your ability to support us. This may include wealth capacity ratings (estimated asset worth), philanthropic interests and internal classifications and ratings based on your engagement (attending events etc.) and past and potential donations.
  *If we use third-party partners your data will never be sold or shared and they are subject to contractual agreements which support compliance with Data Protection legislation.

Should you wish to limit or object to any such use, or would like further information about them, please contact Richard Dodds, Vice Principal, in writing. You always have the right to withdraw consent, where given, or otherwise object to direct marketing or fundraising. However, the school may need nonetheless to retain some of your details (not least to ensure that no more communications are sent to that particular address, email or telephone number).

YOUR RIGHTS

Individuals have various rights under Data Protection Law to access and understand personal data about them held by the school, and in some cases ask for it to be erased or amended or for the school to stop processing it, but subject to certain exemptions and limitations.

Any individual wishing to access or amend their personal data or wishing it to be transferred to another person or organisation, should put their request in writing to Richard Dodds, Vice Principal. You can contact him via doddsr@cheltladiescollege.org.

The school will endeavour to respond to any such written requests as soon as is reasonably practicable and in any event within statutory time limits, which is one month in the case of requests for access to information. The school will be better able to respond quickly to smaller, targeted requests for information. If the request is manifestly excessive or similar to previous requests, the school may ask you to reconsider or charge a proportionate fee, but only where Data Protection Law allows it.

You should be aware that certain data is exempt from the right of access. This may include information which identifies other individuals, or information which is subject to legal professional privilege. The school is also not required to disclose any pupil examination scripts (though examiners' comments may fail to be disclosed), nor any confidential reference given by the school for the purposes of the education, training or employment of any individual.

Pupils can make subject access requests for their own personal data, provided that, in the reasonable opinion of the school, they have sufficient maturity to understand the request they are making (see section Whose Rights below). Indeed, while a person with parental responsibility will generally be expected to make a subject access request on behalf of younger pupils, the information in question is always considered to be the child's at law. A pupil of any age may ask a parent or other representative to make a subject access request on his / her behalf, and moreover (if of sufficient age) their consent or authority may need to be sought by the parent. Pupils aged 13 are generally assumed to have this level of maturity, although this will depend on both the child and the personal data requested, including any relevant circumstances at home. Children younger than 13 may be sufficiently mature to have a say in this decision. All subject access requests from pupils will therefore be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Where the school is relying on consent as a means to process personal data, any person may withdraw this consent at any time (subject to similar age considerations as above). Please be aware however that the school may have another lawful reason to process the personal data in question even without your consent.

That reason will usually have been asserted under this Privacy Notice or may otherwise exist under some form of contract or agreement with the individual (eg an employment or parent contract, or because a purchase of goods, services or membership of an organisation has been requested).

WHOSE RIGHTS

The rights under Data Protection Law belong to the individual to whom the data relates. However, the school will often rely on parental consent to process personal data relating to pupils (if consent is required) unless, given the nature of the processing in question, and the pupil's age and understanding, it is more appropriate to rely on the pupil's consent.

Parents should be aware that in such situations they may not be consulted, depending on the interests of the child, the parents' rights at law or under their contract, and all the circumstances.

In general, the school will assume that pupils' consent is not required for ordinary disclosure of their personal data to their parents, eg for the purposes of keeping parents informed about the pupil's activities, progress and behaviour, and in the interests of the pupil's welfare, unless, in the school's opinion, there is a good reason to do otherwise.

However, where a pupil seeks to raise concerns confidentially with a member of staff and expressly withholds their agreement to their personal data being disclosed to their parents, the school may be under an obligation to maintain confidentiality unless, in the school's opinion, there is a good reason to do otherwise; for example where the school believes disclosure will be in the best interests of the pupil or other pupils, or if required by law.

Pupils are required to respect the personal data and privacy of others, and to comply with the school's IT Acceptable Use Policy and the school rules. Staff are under professional duties to do the same covered under the relevant staff policy.

DATA ACCURACY AND SECURITY

The school will endeavour to ensure that all personal data held in relation to an individual is as up to date and accurate as possible. Individuals must please notify the appropriate contact in College of any changes to information held about them (Current Parents – via the Parent Portal, Guild via Netcommunity or the Guild Office (guild@cheltladiescollege.org) and other College community members via Netcommunity or development@cheltladiescollege.org).

An individual has the right to request that any inaccurate or out-of-date information about them is erased or corrected (subject to certain exemptions and limitations under Act): please see above.

The school will take appropriate technical and organisational steps to ensure the security of personal data about individuals, including policies around use of technology and devices, and access to school systems. All staff and members of College Council will be made aware of this policy and their duties under Data Protection Law and receive relevant training.

QUERIES AND COMPLAINTS

Any comments or queries on this policy should be directed to Richard Dodds, Vice Principal, using the following contact details doddsr@cheltladiescollege.org.

If an individual believes that the school has not complied with this policy or acted otherwise than in accordance with Data Protection Law, they should utilise the school Complaints procedure and should also notify the Designated Data Security Lead (DDSL). You can also make a referral to or lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), although the ICO recommends that steps are taken to resolve the matter with the school before involving the regulator.