Data Protection

We collect data on the learners referred to us and all relevant school and local authority staff, to enable us to deliver our services. All the information we gather is used solely for the delivery of our services or to allow us to provide relevant information and news to our clients.

This may include, but is not limited to using data for the following purposes:

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01
Safeguarding

We request and collect contact information on designated safeguarding and child protection staff for every learner that is referred to our provision. Our designated safeguarding leads, may need to contact school or local authority officers in the event of any cause for concern.

02
Learner Engagement & Progression

We request information at referral that may support educational decision making, which includes placing learners into appropriate ability groups and generating individual timetables. We typically request baseline assessment data or historical progress and background information, that will ensure our teachers are aware of any issues that might impact learner engagement and progression.

03
Progress Monitoring

Contact information is collected on designated school and local authority officers who act as mentors for each learner. They will receive a login and password to our reporting systems that allows them to monitor attendance and progress for each pupil assigned to them. We will also call or email mentors should we need to.

04
Administering Finance

When our service is commissioned, we ask for school or local authority finance team contact information. This is so we can send them any subsequent invoices and as a key point of contact should any finance queries arise.

05
Parent & Carer Contact

When our service is commissioned, we ask for school or local authority contact information. We therefore do not request parents or carers contact information. However, on occasion we are asked to include parents in our communications and are pleased to do so on request.

06
Exams Officers

Learners are entered for examination by their school or local authority. We collect contact information for exams officers to enable us to support this process.

Please note

Personal data is protected in the UK, and EU, by the General Data Protection Regulations, 2018. This provides amongst other things that the data we hold should be processed lawfully and fairly. It should be accurate, relevant and not excessive. The information should be kept up to date, where necessary, and not retained for longer than is necessary. It should be kept securely to prevent unauthorised access by other people.

We do not disclose personal information about individuals to advertisers or sell your information to any other organisation for marketing purposes.
Please see our full Privacy Policy for more information.

Child Protection & Safeguarding

Our Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment Policies

The safety and wellbeing of the vulnerable learners referred to us is our highest priority. Our safeguarding practice and procedures have been developed in accordance with principles established by the Children’s Act 1989, the Education Act 2002 and the Children’s Act 2004 and follows statutory and other guidance. This clearly outlines for staff, students, parents, and mentors the procedures that would be implemented in the event of any identified safeguarding issue. Download our full Safeguarding and Safer Recruitment policies below.

Childline

We always request a designated contact for safeguarding and child protection issues when working with a local authority or school, so we always know who to contact should a problem arise.
Students are also encouraged to discuss any concerns they may have with their teachers. However, if they would prefer to talk in confidence to someone they don’t know, we encourage them to contact specialist support organisations like ChildLine.

Internet Security

When accessing web sites and before entering any personal information you can ensure the link to that site is secure if:

  • There is a padlock symbol in the browser window frame, that appears when you try to log in or register.
  • The web address begins with ‘https://’. (The ‘s’ stands for ‘secure’).

Assuming these are in place you have accessed a site where the owners have been issued with a digital certificate by a trusted third party. This suggests that information being transmitted is encrypted and protected from being intercepted by their parties. However, a certificate is no guarantee that the owner of the site you are communicating with is who you intended to communicate with so always carefully check the web page address to confirm its authenticity.

A skilled developer can easily clone a real web site and use it for malicious or fraudulent. Here are some simple tips to follow if your common sense tells you something doesn’t feel right about a site you are accessing:

  • Check there is a padlock in the browser window or ‘https://’ at the beginning of the web address, if not do not enter personal information
  • Check for an email, contact number and/or postal address – if in doubt contact them directly to ensure they are authentic
  • Check the web site address – look for typo’s, misspellings, digits and characters that are incorrect
  • Web search any site you are suspicious about to see if others have identified it is fraudulent or malicious

This is by no means an exhaustive list of things you should be on the look out for or steps you can take to protect yourself. Seek advice if you have any doubts!

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E-Safety

Any computer or mobile device that is spending time online should be protected by Internet Security software which should include:
Virus Scanner, Firewall, Spyware Scanner, Phishing Filter and Identity Protection

It’s always important to keep your software up to date so that it can spot the latest threats to your security. Most programs will generally run a daily update when the computer is switched on.

While security software will monitor and check the data going through your Internet connection it is always a good idea to run a scan at least once a week, at a time when the computer is not being used for lessons or any other work.

ThinkUKnow Scheme

We recommend their nationally-acclaimed ThinkUKnow scheme, which highlights the importance of online safety and promotes use of the “Report Abuse” button to report illegal or inappropriate behaviour encountered online.
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

Internet Matters

A not for profit service that aims to empower parents and carers to keep their children safe in the digital world.
https://www.internetmatters.org/

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Find Out More About Online Learning with Academy21

Academy21 works directly with designated school and local authority staff to ensure learners receive the best support possible. Our online alternative provision is led by qualified, experienced teachers. Click on the link below to explore how we can help you and the learners in your care to achieve a range of recognised outcomes.

Learn more
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