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 meet the statutory duties placed on us.
Personal and special category data
The categories of personal data we are processing are:
- personal identifiers, contacts and characteristics, such as name, email address, contact details and postcode
- governance details, such as role, start and end dates.
We collect personal information via governor contact forms, governor amendment forms and email. We may also receive information from the school and the clerk to the governors.
Data Controller
West Sussex County Council (WSCC) complies with the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It is registered as a ‘Data Controller’ with the Information Commissioner’s Office (Reg. No. Z6413427).
The Data Protection Officer (DPO) for WSCC can be found on our Privacy Policy.
We ensure that your personal data is processed fairly and lawfully, accurate, kept secure and retained for no longer than is necessary.
The legal basis for processing personal data
The personal data collected is essential in order for WSCC to fulfil their official functions and meet legal requirements.
Processing is necessary for:
- compliance with a legal obligation
- the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller.
All maintained school governing bodies (under section 538 of the Education Act 1996) and academy trusts (under the Academies Financial Handbook) have a legal duty to provide the governance information as detailed above.
We have a legal obligation under section 30 of the Education Act 2002 to hold the contact details of Chairs of Governors. We need the details of local authority governors to fulfill our responsibilities to fill these vacancies when they arise:
- Section 13(a) of the Education Act 1996
- Section 22 and Schedule 6 of the Education Act 2002
- Section 31(1a&b), (2a) of the School Governance (Constitution) (England) Regulations 2012.
Special category data
If we need to collect special category (sensitive) personal information, we rely upon reasons of substantial public interest (equality of opportunity or treatment). If a child or other person is considered to be at risk of significant harm, people working with you will have a duty of care to share the information with the relevant services without consent.
How we use your personal information
Our Privacy Policy determines how we use personal data. We use it specifically to:
- maintain a governor database
- contact governors regarding statutory changes in legislation and details of training opportunities
- ascertain local authority governor vacancies to be filled
- assess and report on vacancies across the country
- plan future training requirements.
Who we share your information with
We occasionally share this information with:
- local authority advisers
- the Department for Education (DfE).
Department for Education
The Department for Education (DfE) collects personal data from educational settings and local authorities. We are required to share information about our governors with the Department for Education (DfE) under section 538 of the Education Act 1996.
We will share your personal information with:
- the school(s) where you are a governor, which has a statutory obligation to publish governor details on their website and the national Get information about schools (GIAS) website
- teams within WSCC working to improve outcomes for children and young people
- commissioned providers of local authority services (such as education services)
- WSCC National Leaders of Governance (NLG), if support is required
- our governor database provider(s) in order for them to undertake contractual data processing requirements.
We will share personal information with law enforcement or other authorities if required by applicable law.
We will not share data with third-parties for marketing purposes.
More information about how we store and use this data is in our Privacy Policy.
How long we keep your personal data
We will hold your personal information for six years, in line with WSCC retention record keeping guidelines, after which time it will be archived or securely destroyed.
Your rights
See our Privacy Policy for more information on your rights.
Complaints
See our Privacy Policy for information about making a complaint.