Woodland Corner CIO is a provider that as part of its service collects personal information (data) about children and their parents/carers, as well as their staff and volunteers and other individuals who come into contact with Woodland Corner. This information is gathered in order to enable Woodland Corner to provide education services.
This document outlines the types of personal information Woodland Corner collects, stores and shares on their children, staff and, where relevant, other individuals.
We collect and use information under the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework (2017), the Data Protection Act (1998) and the GDPR (2018) and are registered as a data controller with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). Details are available on the ICO website.
Personal information or data is defined as data which relates to a living individual who can be identified from that data, or from that data in addition to other information available to them. Personal information includes (but is not limited to) an individual’s, name, address, date of birth, photograph, bank details and other information that identifies them.
Sensitive personal data includes information as to an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, their political opinions, religious beliefs or beliefs of a similar nature, whether they are a member of a trade union, their physical or mental health or condition, sexual life, the commission or alleged commission of an offence and any proceedings for an offence committed or alleged to have been committed by them.
We hold personal information about children to support teaching and learning, to provide pastoral care and to assess how Woodland Corner is performing. In addition Woodland Corner are required by law and as an OFSTED provider to hold certain information about children. As such the personal information Woodland Corner holds includes but is not restricted to:
Along with the above information Woodland Corner also collect and hold information on each child’s characteristics such as their language and ethnicity, attendance information (such as sessions attended, number of absences and absence reasons), medical information, assessment information and information regarding special educational needs.
In addition to the data held in connection with its children and their parents/carers Woodland Corner may also hold the following information in relation to its staff, volunteers and those who work at Woodland Corner to assist in the running of Woodland Corner (including Committee members). Such personal information includes but is not limited to:
Collected data is used to:
In addition, where relevant, children’s names, dates of birth and post codes will be submitted to Suffolk County Council in order to claim for Early Education Funding. Children’s information may also be passed onto the School that a child moves on to after attending Woodland Corner
We store paper records in locked filing cabinets or locked cupboards or in the Woodland Corner office which remains locked when not in use by the staff.
Woodland Corner management and administrative staff use laptops for administration purposes. All laptops are password protected. Woodland Corner emails are sent and received on both the laptops and personal mobile phones of the Woodland Corner staff. Each mobile phone is also password protected.
Woodland Corner will, as part of updating and developing the learning journeys for each child, take photos of your children (with permission) using a tablet. Photos may be used to display around Woodland Corner or be used for promotional material and the Woodland Corner blog/website, in each case with express parent/carer permission. Photos are deleted from the tablets once they have been uploaded to the online learning journey (Tapestry) or the blog/website.
Note that we do not transfer personal information outside of the European Economic Area.
Privacy law requires Woodland Corner to have a legal basis for processing personal information. Below is a list of the legal basis we rely on:
Consent: We rely on consent to process personal information in very limited circumstances such as when a parent/carer provides personal information to receive publications (e.g. newsletters about Woodland Corner). After signing up to receive communications individuals have the right to opt out at any time. We 3 also rely on consent to take images of children to track their development. Unless the law requires otherwise we will also obtain consent before processing Sensitive Personal Data.
Performance under a Contract: Certain personal information Woodland Corner processes is necessary to perform our obligations under a contract we have with the parent/carer of a child attending Woodland Corner or as employer for our employees. We can only provide the service to a parent/carer if an individual provides Woodland Corner with the personal information necessary to perform the contract
Legal Obligations: For the service Woodland Corner provides there are many laws that require us to process personal information. Woodland Corner can only provide the service to parents/carers, if an individual provides us with the personal information required under law. Examples include childcare regulations, OFSTED requirements, safeguarding/health/safety regulations, and government funding regulations. For example, where we have child protection concerns we are obligated to pass the information on to law enforcement and the relevant department within the Local Authority.
Legitimate Interests: In some situations, Woodland Corner processes personal information to pursue our legitimate interests as a charity. We will only process personal information if our legitimate interests do not materially impact an individual’s interests, fundamental rights, or freedoms. Examples include:
Woodland Corner operates a document retention policy to ensure an appropriate retention period for all documentation including personal information records. We will only retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal or reporting requirements.
To determine the appropriate retention period for personal information, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal information, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of personal information, the purposes for which we process personal information and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.
There are certain records, such as safeguarding records, that Woodland Corner is required by law to retain for longer periods.
Where obsolete information is destroyed we ensure that it is done so appropriately and securely.
Under data protection legislation, individuals have the right to request access to their personal information held by Woodland Corner and can withdraw consent at any time for the processing of their personal information (other than for information required to be retained/processed by Woodland Corner for legal obligations, where required for the performance of a contract or in accordance with Woodland Corner’s legitimate interests).
The personal information held at Woodland Corner is secure and only shared with a third party (such as another childcare setting, NEF claims, health visitor) with an individual’s consent unless the law or Woodland Corner’s policies allow Woodland Corner to do so. Safeguarding concerns will be the only time permission may not be sought to speak to third party agencies.
Any concerns about how Woodland Corner collect or store personal information, please raise your concern in the first instance with management or the Chair of the committee. Alternatively, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/concerns.
Woodland Corner keeps this notice under regular review. Any changes to this notice will be posted on the Woodland Corner website, so that individuals are aware of how we use personal information at all times.
This policy was adopted at a meeting of Woodland Corner, held on 1st May 2024. Signed on behalf of the Management Committee by Jess Brown (Chairperson). To be reviewed in May 2025.