This privacy notice applies to West Sussex County Council’s statutory duty to track and report on young people’s participation in education, training and employment aged 16 to 19, or up to the age of 25 for those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
This privacy notice explains:
- how personal information is going to be used
- what it is used for
- who it might be shared with and why
- how long it is kept
The information you provide helps us deliver our services effectively.
Personal and special category data
The categories of personal data we are processing are:
- name, date of birth, home address, contact phone number and email address
- unique pupil or learner number (UPN or ULN)
- parent or carer contact name and phone number if this is made available to us
- gender, ethnicity and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
- name of the young person’s current place of education, training or employment
- type of education, training or employment a young person is currently attending or plans to attend and mode of attendance (full or part-time)
- if the young person is known to other services, such as being looked after or a care leaver, are a young carer or known to Youth Justice Services
- qualification type and level of current study, such as A-Level, NVQ or Apprenticeship
- attendance and exclusion information or whether the young person has left a course or education provider early
Why we collect and use this information
To support those at risk of becoming pupils that are not in education, employment or training (NEET) or those already NEET, we must establish the identities of all relevant young people who are resident in West Sussex and those who live outside of West Sussex but attend education provision in West Sussex.
This includes children who may be home educated or currently missing from education.
We are expected to work with education settings, training providers, other local authorities, and internal WSCC teams to establish the identities of all relevant young people who are resident or attended school in WSCC.
We collect this data to:
- find out whether they are participating
- find out where they are in education or training, the level at which they are studying and the programme type
- find out where they are in employment, whether the employment is with or without training and the name of the employer
- identify and support children and young people who are NEET and those at risk of becoming NEET
- ensure young people have an appropriate offer of an education or training place to go to when they leave year 11 and year 12 (September Guarantee)
- enable effective completion of the DfE Annual Activity Survey (Destinations of year 11 leavers)
- derive statistics which can inform strategic decision and to monitor trends and performance
Data Controller
West Sussex County Council (WSCC) complies with the Data Protection Act and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). It is registered as a ‘Data Controller’ with the Information Commissioner’s Office (Reg. No. Z6413427).
You can find details for the WSCC Data Protection Officer (DPO) on our Privacy Policy.
We ensure that your personal data is accurate, processed fairly and lawfully, kept secure and retained for no longer than is necessary.
The legal basis for processing personal and special category data
Processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller. We collect and use your information because of a legal obligation or public task under various UK legislation, including but not limited to the:
- Education and Skills Act 2008
- Apprenticeship, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009
- Education Act 1996 (Section 537A)
- Education (information about individual pupils) (England) Regulations 2013
- Statutory guidance on the participation of young people in education, employment or training (DfE, April 2024)
For special category data, processing is necessary for the purposes of substantial public interest.
Consent is not a lawful basis the council relies on to process and share personal data but where we identify that consent is appropriate, we will explain to you what we are asking and why.
Who we share your information with
We may pass data to:
- The Department for Education (DfE) - you can find further information online about their data collection requirements
- education settings - to assist schools to track student progress and meet their own destination measure requirements
- youth support services and training providers
- other Local Authorities - educational institutions have a statutory duty to share information with the Local Authority in which they reside, including children enrolled with them who live outside of West Sussex - West Sussex therefore has a statutory duty to securely share destination data with the authority in which the young person lives to enable that authority to perform its statutory duties
- Ofsted
- partner organisations, such as district and borough councils, housing providers and the police
- teams within the county council working to improve outcomes for children and young people
See our Privacy Policy if you require more information about how we use this data.
Education and training
Under section 77 of Education and Skills Act 2008, WSCC is permitted to share young people's information with EFA or SFA funded post-16 providers who we have made arrangements within WSCC under section 68, so that the providers can encourage, enable or assist the effective participation of those young people in education or training.
Pupils aged 16+
We will also share relevant information about pupils not in education, employment or training (such as their contact details) aged 16+ with the provider of youth support services, as they have responsibilities in relation to the education or training of 13 to 19 year olds under section 507B of the Education Act 1996.
This enables them to provide the following services:
- post-16 education and training
- youth support services
- careers advice
For more information about services for young people, visit your local authority website.
How long we keep your personal data
Personal data will not be retained for longer than is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they are collected.
The council is currently reviewing and updating its retention policies. For published retention schedules, see our records management page.
Your rights
See our Privacy Policy for more information on your rights.
Complaints
See our Privacy Policy for information about making a complaint.