Privacy Notice

How we use personal information at Longbenton High School

At Longbenton High School, we take the privacy and security of personal information seriously.

This privacy notice explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, who we may share it with, and what rights people have over their information.

We have written this page in clear language so that pupils, parents, carers, staff, governors, visitors and members of the wider school community can understand how we use personal information.

Our policies can be found on the policies page of our school website.

Who we are

Longbenton High School
Hailsham Avenue
Longbenton
Newcastle upon Tyne
Tyne and Wear
NE12 8ER

Email: lhs@longbenton.org.uk

Longbenton High School works with North Tyneside Council and follows data protection law when collecting, using, storing and sharing personal information.

The school is responsible for making sure personal information is handled safely, fairly and lawfully in school.

Our Data Protection Officer

Our Data Protection Officer is Anna Peach.

Anna Peach should be contacted if you have any questions about how the school uses personal information, or if you would like to make a request about your personal information.

Email: lhs@longbenton.org.uk

Please mark your message for the attention of Anna Peach, Data Protection Officer.

Why we collect personal information

We collect personal information so that we can run the school safely and effectively.

We use information to:

  • Provide education and support learning
  • Keep pupils safe
  • Meet our safeguarding duties
  • Support behaviour, attendance and welfare
  • Monitor progress and achievement
  • Provide special educational needs support
  • Communicate with parents and carers
  • Manage admissions, timetables and examinations
  • Organise school meals, trips, clubs and activities
  • Manage payments through school systems
  • Keep the school site safe and secure
  • Employ and support staff
  • Meet our legal duties
  • Share information with the Department for Education, North Tyneside Council and other organisations where the law allows or requires this

We only collect information that we need. We do not collect personal information just in case it may be useful.

What personal information we collect about pupils

We may collect and use the following information about pupils:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Date of birth
  • Gender
  • Contact details
  • Parent and carer details
  • Emergency contact details
  • Admission records
  • Attendance information
  • Behaviour information
  • Assessment, progress and attainment information
  • Timetable and curriculum information
  • Examination information
  • Special educational needs and disability information
  • Medical and health information
  • Safeguarding and child protection information
  • Looked after child and previously looked after child information
  • Free school meal and pupil premium information
  • Ethnicity, language and nationality information
  • Photographs and video images
  • CCTV images
  • Biometric information where this is used for school systems
  • School meal and payment information
  • Online learning information
  • School account and system access information
  • Information about trips, clubs, activities and enrichment

Some of this information is more sensitive. For example, health information, safeguarding information, ethnicity information and biometric information need extra care. We only use this type of information where the law allows us to do so and where there is a clear school reason.

What personal information we collect about parents and carers

We may collect and use the following information about parents and carers:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Telephone number
  • Email address
  • Relationship to the pupil
  • Parental responsibility information
  • Emergency contact information
  • Communication with the school
  • Payment information where needed for meals, trips or activities
  • Information needed to support safeguarding, attendance, medical needs or education

We use this information so that we can communicate with families, keep pupils safe, support learning and meet our legal duties.

What personal information we collect about staff, governors, volunteers and applicants

We may collect and use the following information:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Contact details
  • Date of birth
  • National insurance number
  • Employment history
  • Qualifications
  • References
  • Recruitment information
  • Right to work information
  • DBS and safeguarding check information
  • Contract information
  • Pay, pension and payroll information
  • Absence information
  • Training and professional development records
  • Performance management information
  • Health and wellbeing information where relevant
  • Emergency contact details
  • Declarations of interest
  • Governance information

We use this information to recruit safely, employ staff, support staff, meet safeguarding duties, manage the school and comply with employment law.

What personal information we collect about visitors and contractors

We may collect and use the following information:

  • Name
  • Contact details
  • Organisation
  • Reason for visit
  • Arrival and departure time
  • Identity information where needed
  • CCTV images
  • Safeguarding information where relevant

We use this information to keep pupils, staff and visitors safe and to manage security on the school site.

The systems we use

We use school systems to help us manage information safely and effectively.

These include:

  • Bromcom for school management, safeguarding, attendance, behaviour and payment information
  • MCAS, My Child at School, for communication with parents and carers
  • Google Classroom for online learning and the setting of work
  • CCTV for site safety and security
  • Biometric systems where used for school services

Only authorised staff are allowed to access these systems. Access is limited to what staff need for their role.

Photographs, videos and CCTV

We use photographs and videos to celebrate school life, support learning, identify pupils and communicate with parents, carers and the wider community.

Photographs and videos may be used in:

  • School displays
  • Newsletters
  • The school website
  • School social media
  • Learning activities
  • Press and publicity, where appropriate

Where we use photographs or videos for publicity, we will follow school procedures and use consent where this is required.

We also use CCTV on the school site to help keep pupils, staff, visitors and school property safe. CCTV images are only viewed by authorised people and are only shared where there is a lawful reason to do so, such as safeguarding, site security, crime prevention or an investigation.

Biometric information

The school uses biometric information where this supports school services, such as access to catering or payment systems.

Biometric information is treated as sensitive personal information. We will explain how it is used and seek consent where the law requires this.

Parents and carers can contact the school if they have questions about biometric information.

The lawful reasons we use personal information

We must have a lawful reason to use personal information.

The main lawful reasons we rely on are:

  • We need to meet a legal duty
  • We need to carry out a public task as a school
  • We need to protect someone’s vital interests
  • We need to fulfil a contract, for example for staff employment
  • We have a legitimate interest, where this applies
  • We have consent, where consent is needed

For more sensitive information, such as health information, safeguarding information, ethnicity information or biometric information, we also need an additional lawful reason. This may include safeguarding, public interest, employment law, health and social care, or protecting someone from harm.

Many of the things schools do do not rely on consent. For example, we do not need consent to record attendance, share information with the Department for Education through the school census, or use information for safeguarding where this is necessary.

Where we do ask for consent, consent can be withdrawn. This will not affect anything that happened before consent was withdrawn.

Who we share personal information with

We only share personal information where there is a lawful and necessary reason.

We may share information with:

  • North Tyneside Council
  • The Department for Education
  • Ofsted
  • Other schools and education settings
  • Examination boards
  • NHS services
  • Children’s social care
  • Police
  • Safeguarding partners
  • North Tyneside Learning Trust
  • Connexions
  • Alternative provision providers
  • Careers services
  • School meal and payment providers
  • IT and software providers
  • Professional advisers
  • Auditors and insurers
  • Courts, tribunals or legal bodies where required

We may also share information where there is a safeguarding concern, where someone is at risk of harm, where the law requires us to do so, or where information is needed to protect someone’s safety.

We do not sell personal information.

We do not share personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.

Sharing information with the Department for Education

Schools are required to share certain information with the Department for Education.

This includes information shared through statutory school census returns and other required data collections.

The Department for Education uses this information to support education, funding, research, school accountability and national policy.

The school does not need consent from pupils, parents or carers to share information with the Department for Education where this is required by law.

How long we keep personal information

We only keep personal information for as long as we need it.

Different types of records are kept for different lengths of time. This depends on the reason the information is held and any legal, safeguarding, financial, education or employment requirements.

Records are kept in line with our records retention schedule.

When information is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, destroyed, archived or anonymised.

How we keep personal information safe

We take steps to protect personal information from being lost, misused, accessed by the wrong person or shared inappropriately.

We do this by:

  • Using secure school systems
  • Limiting access to authorised staff
  • Using passwords and account controls
  • Training staff in data protection
  • Keeping paper records secure
  • Sharing information securely
  • Checking that suppliers handle information safely
  • Reporting and investigating data protection concerns
  • Reviewing our procedures regularly

All staff have a responsibility to protect personal information.

What this means for pupils

We collect information about pupils so that we can help them learn, keep them safe and support them in school.

This may include things like attendance, behaviour, work, progress, medical needs and safeguarding information.

We only use pupil information when we have a proper reason.

We only share pupil information when the law allows us to, when we have to, or when it is needed to keep someone safe.

Pupils can ask a trusted adult in school if they have questions about how their information is used.

Your rights

Data protection law gives people rights over their personal information.

These rights include:

  • The right to know how personal information is used
  • The right to ask for a copy of personal information
  • The right to ask for incorrect information to be corrected
  • The right to ask for information to be deleted in some situations
  • The right to ask for the use of information to be restricted in some situations
  • The right to object to information being used in some situations
  • Rights relating to automated decision making

These rights do not apply in every situation. Sometimes the school must keep or use information because of a legal duty, safeguarding responsibility, public task, employment duty or another lawful reason.

Asking for a copy of your information

You can ask for a copy of personal information that the school holds about you. This is called a subject access request.

Requests should be sent to Anna Peach, Data Protection Officer.

Email: lhs@longbenton.org.uk

Please mark your message for the attention of Anna Peach, Data Protection Officer.

We may need to check your identity before responding.

We will respond within the legal timescale. There may be times when we cannot share all information, for example where it includes information about another person, safeguarding information, legal advice or another legal exemption.

Keeping information up to date

It is important that the information we hold is accurate.

Parents, carers, pupils and staff should tell the school if important information changes.

This may include:

  • Address
  • Telephone number
  • Email address
  • Emergency contact details
  • Medical information
  • Parental responsibility information

Concerns or complaints

If you have a concern about how we use personal information, please contact the school first.

Contact: Anna Peach, Data Protection Officer
Email: lhs@longbenton.org.uk

You also have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office, which is the UK regulator for data protection.

Information Commissioner’s Office
Website: ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Review information

  • Last reviewed: 15 June 2026
  • Next review due: July 2027
  • Approved by: Headteacher