VIEWS & OPINION Kenneth Slade Morris Hill


Breaches, compliance and use of privacy notices in schools


Comment by KENNETH SLADE andMORRIS HILL , Weightma ns LL P


On 26 April 2016 the Department for Education (DfE) published an updated form of privacy notice regarding the collection of personal data. The EU Council and Parliament have also adopted this update with the united intension to strengthen and unify data protection for individuals within the European Union. The personal schools hold is used to aid teaching and monitor the individuals as well as the school as a whole. It also all


ows schools to progress of data which


manage the progress and safety of the individual whilst offering pastoral care.


The updated model has laid out the key requirements that personal data must be processed ‘fairly’ – individuals must now be notified when personal information is collected and be informed how this data is distributed. The DfE has outlined key


recommendations that schools need to bear in mind when updating their privacy notices: they should utilise brochures and noticeboards to notify pupils and the school workforce, the local authority’ s website should be exploited as a platform to explain how personal information is used; and the school should explain how the information on to help schools


and local authorities fulfil their obliga children is used. These recommendat


Data Protection Act (DPA).


The revisions outlined in the DfE’s new model have come into line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and give citizens more control over their personal data. The importance of the DPA cannot be exaggerated as schools are becoming increasingly known as ‘data controllers’ as they collect, receive and hold a huge amount of personal data on their pupils and workforce. Under the DPA schools are required to write to parents


s//pupils to inform them of


what personal data is being held and how it is used. And of course, schools are legally bound to pass certain personal information to the council and DfE – this should also be explained to individuals. The information given to local authorities is used to provide assessment of special educational needs that individuals may need. They also use the information to assess and set targets for schools as well as allocating funding. It is important to note that it is impossible to identify individual children from the statistics and information given.


Following the recent story that the Information Commissioner’s Office heavily fined Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust when it posted the private details of 6,574 members of staff o n its website demonstrates very clearly the implication of breaching the DPA are serious. Not just in financial terms but also in regards to reputation – which once lost is hard to get back. Schools need to ensure that they are familiar with their obligations and how best to comply with them – compliance with the DPA can be complex but remains vital.


Jun e 2016 2016


Attracting the best talent to your school Comment by


Att At ttracting


the best talent to


your school Comment by


JARROD GAINES, Education Futures


JARROD GAINES, Education Futures


Recently, comparisons have been made between head teachers and football managers because of the immediate impact they are expected to have, as well as the fact they’re often judged on their achievements over the short- term. As every football manager knows, their own success and that of the club is based in large part, on the team they work with and the new signings they make. Head teachers know that recruiting and retaining the best staff is critical to ensuring the best outcomes for students.


In attracting and retaining the best talent, schools are taking a ‘competitive edge’ approach to recruitment. This means, first recognising that their schools are drawing from an ever decreasing pool of talent and that schools are in competition for that talent.


It used to be enough to place an advert in the local or national print media and then shortlist from a wide range of suitable applicants, but this is certainly no longer the case, and the few people that do respond to an advert are likely to be less motivated or less than suitable candidates.


Schools today are using more innovative ways to recruit, actively utilising technology including online job boards and social media. This can work in some circumstances but in the market of declining teacher numbers, the candidate often has a wide choice of options open to them. Underlying teacher recruitment is the fact that the very best people are not looking a t recruitment advertising.


ions are laid out tions under the


High-performing, highly motivated teachers are, instead, focused on their current roles. Recruitment for top talent must use other techniques to identify these high performers. These techniques include talking to colleagues, tapping into existing staff networks, using national contacts and, of course, speaking to good recruiters who know where the best people are. Additionally, schools need to ensure that their ‘proposition’ is one that engages the best people.With lots of options available, the savvy teacher will conduct at least some online research into schools. They will of course, visit the internet, so the online ‘content’ about a school, must show the school and the opportunity in a positive light. Consider that many new applicants to the teaching profession this year will have been born in 1994 - for them, the internet is sometimes, the first source of inform ation, research and firs t impressions do count.


Once a shortlist of potential targets has been identified, it’s worth remembering that top performing people are likely to be very busy with demanding workloads and existing commitments.


As a result, a lengthy application process can often deter these people from applying for new positions, so it’s vitally important that the process is simple and concise. The best methods are generally online forms that can be saved and edited, a straightforwardWord document or an editable PDF. Questions need to be clear and logical and there should be a set deadline for the application to be submitted.


First interviews should then take place outside school hours, so the applicant can attend in their own time rather t han having to sneak out o f their current job, which adds to the pressure they will already be under. After recruiting the right person, it’s important to make sure they have all the support they need to thrive in their new role. This could mean offering independent coaching or mentoring with recog arranging one to ones with other successful sch


a clear performance assessment process and career advancement programmes.


www. wwweducation-toda y.co.uk.co.uk 19


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