Dear Parent(s) Carers and Guardians,
As you may be aware the Welsh Government needs data on a regular basis to understand overall attendance patterns and to identify the characteristics of pupils who are not attending school. I am therefore writing to you to inform you that all schools in Pembrokeshire have been asked to ensure that all parents and carers are made aware of this new data collection.
The following data will now be collected for the purpose of this project:
- Unique Pupil Number (UPN)
- Forename
- Middle name(s)
- Surname
- Gender
- DOB
- Home postcode
- Ethnic background
- Eligibility for free school meals
- Additional learning needs
- English as an additional language
- Attendance code for each half day session
The privacy notice attached will provide further information on how the data will be used in the new process. Please note any reference to ‘we’ in the attached privacy notice refers to Welsh Government and not an individual school.
Regards/Cofion
Steven Richards-Downes
Director for Education
Cyfarwyddwr Addysg
Collecting attendance and personal characteristics data from schools from September 2020
We collect a wide range of data about you on an annual basis, and this is explained in more detail in this privacy notice.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and schools having to adapt to new ways of working, we need to be able to collect attendance data more frequently than once a year. Collecting up to date information will support us and provide the evidence we need to understand the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on attendance and how we can support schools.
How frequently are we collecting this data?
We will keep the frequency of collection under regular review. Initially the data will be collected every week but we may need to collect the data more regularly.
For which pupils are we collecting data?
We are collecting data for every pupil in a maintained school as at September 2020.
What information are we collecting?
We are collecting the following information about you every week:
- UPN
- Forename
- Middle name(s)
- Surname
- Gender
- DOB
- Home postcode
- Ethnic background
- Eligibility for free school meals
- Additional learning needs
- English as an additional language
- Attendance code for each half day session in that week
Why are we collecting this information?
This information is needed as a key part of our response and planning during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The data will be collected every week to ensure that the latest data is available to inform our response. The data will be used for statistical and research purposes only and no decisions will be made about you using this data.
How will we use this information?
We will use the data in the same ways that we have listed in our main privacy notice.
Will we be sharing the data?
We may share this information with those organisations listed in the main privacy notice.
How long will we keep the information about you?
We will keep the data that identifies you until you are 25 years old.
What is the legal basis for collecting this data?
Section 538 of the Education Act 1996 provides the legal basis for collecting this data. This requires schools to make such reports and returns, and give such information, to Welsh Ministers as they may require for their functions in relation to education.
Your rights under the GDPR
Your rights are explained in full in the main privacy notice.